Southwest Florida's Information Leader 

Southwest Florida's Information Leader

If Sarasota City commissioners buy into one businessman's vision. downtown could be making room for solar-powered "people movers." which look like a cross between a space-age bus and a golf cart.Tom McCoy. sales director for Cruise Car Inc.. was at City Hall on Monday. trying to sell the commissioners on the solar electric vehicles. which carry up to 14 people and hit speeds of up to 28 mph."You just have to plug it in at night and charge the battery. who claims that the people-movers could alleviate downtown parking problems.At least one commissioner. seems to share the vision: "This could be something very unique for the city." she said.No white horse for FEMAThere's been an addition to the annual hurricane drill. when public officials urge residents to come up with a personal disaster plan and stock at least a three-day supply of water and nonperishable foods.It's the FEMA slam -- vague or direct references to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's much-criticized response in post-Katrina New Orleans."The county is prepared to be self-sufficient until state and federal assistance arrives." Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley told a group of assorted reporters and government officials last week."Experience has shown us that no one rides in on a white horse. FEMA seems to be riding a nag."Principal electionThe kids of Mobilized Youth are at it again.Known for getting out young voters and going head-to-head with military recruiters. this time they're drawing the line in the sand and daring Booker High School Principal Jill Dorsett to cross it.In a video clip that plays on their Web site mobilizedyouth. four members of the organization deliver scathing reflections on Dorsett's ability to lead their school.They even ask for her resignation."One more thing. president of Mobilized Youth. "We're the Booker Nation. not the Fighting Tornadoes."Don't expect this little stunt to land any of these students in detention when school starts in August.All of the stars of the video are Booker High School graduates.Hot over trashThe city managed to confuse 18.000 city residents with a mass mailing about a rate hike for trash pickup.Many who read the mailing thought that trash rates were rising to $400 a year from $290 a year. The bill is actually rising about $5 to $295.The mailing had people so flustered that the public works department had to set up a hot line to take all the calls."We understand the confusion we've caused. and we're sorry for it." said City Public Works Director Bill Hallisey._Staff writers Doug Sword. Markeshia Ricks and Mike Saewitz contributed to this column.
SARASOTA 'C A female driver crashed into James Tanner's car. leaving him with a gash on his head. back injury and broken thumb. She was arrested on a DUI charge that night. and Tanner went to three of her court hearings. hoping to hear her version of what happened.He never got the chance. The three hearings were short and lawyers did most of the talking. Prosecutors failed to notify Tanner about a fourth court appearance in March. where she pleaded to a lesser charge of reckless driving."I got left out. of Bradenton. "The prosecutor called me at home and apologized about it."The same thing has happened recently to about a dozen other victims of DUI crimes in Manatee and Sarasota counties. said members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MADD officials say prosecutors are cheating victims of their right to see justice by not following Florida's victim notification law."It's been happening a lot." said Denise Salerno-Jackson. president of the group's Manasota chapter. "It seems like in DUI cases it's starting to happen more and more."Leaders of MADD have complained to State Attorney Earl Moreland and have threatened to protest outside the courthouse if things don't change.Moreland said he wasn't familiar with the cases MADD was upset about. but added there's no excuse for not notifying victims."That was a mistake. they should have been notified." Moreland said.State law requires prosecutors to notify victims of judicial hearings and give them a chance to address the court.Cheryl Henrion. a victim's advocate for MADD in Pinellas County. said victims can't completely recover until the criminal part of the offender's case is behind them."Getting to speak at a sentencing is so very important to a victim because that's the only time they have had a chance to address the court about the pain the crime has caused them." Henrion said."Our criminal justice system is not set up to take away somebody's pain ... but it does give them a sense of justice."DUI victims in Manatee and Sarasota counties who did not get that opportunity include a Pennslyvania couple hit by a drunk driver during their stay in Sarasota for the winter. MADD advocates say. Prosecutors had told the couple they would call them immediately and pay to have them travel to speak at the offender's sentencing. said Christina Ammendola of MADD."They were still in Florida when sentencing happened and they were never notified." Ammendola said.Another victim was notified of an important hearing by U.S. Mail -- postmarked three days after the hearing occurred.Earl Varn. the chief of the state attorney's misdemeanor department. says prosecutors do their best. but can't always ensure that the notices get to every victim of every crime. So far this year. there have been more than 500 DUI arrests in Sarasota County alone.Court dates may change and court activity may happen without time to notify victims. For instance. a defendant wanting to plead to a charge can sometimes get a hearing in about three hours."There's times we just can't." Varn saidplaints such as MADD's are taken seriously and the state attorney's office will look at its notification system to make sure it working as well as it can. the MADD advocate in Pinellas County. said sometimes a change of plea will be totally unexpected. One time a hearing was set for a DUI defendant to get a new attorney.It surprised everyone when she instead told the judge she wanted to plead to the charge. Henrion said.Tanner. the Bradenton victim. said he feels like he missed out on something important."I just wanted to hear the truth." Tanner said. "I wanted to do whatever I could do ... And I didn't have a chance."
The longing to see my family. friends and boyfriend finally set in this weekend. but an impromptu drag show and fondue with a Brazilian family helped ward off any sadness which may have resulted from it.The lovely director Molly planned a get-together at our house for Friday; the guest list included any of her Brazilian friends who spoke English well enough to communicate with this (mostly) Portuguese-ignorant American. It was a 'normal' party at first. with a good deal of cheap beer and loud music. until Molly's gay friend Alexandre Cruz Souza decided to put on a drag show. He and Molly left the house to get the proper attire and. after Alexandre dressed himself in my room. a beautiful drag queen walked down the stairs toward the living room; the audience was a mixed bunch and included Alexandre's fellow gay men. a pregnant woman and her boyfriend and an Alaskan Portuguese-speaker named Calvin. The diverse crowd made it an even better experience. and I have to note that I never thought I would see my first drag show in Brazil.Saturday seemed as though it would turn out to be a dreary. rainy day at first. but Molly's father Dan received an invite for himself. Molly and the volunteers to a fondue dinner at a Brazilian family's home. Beef. bread and about six different sauces made up the main course. The sauces were something I had never experienced at the Melting Pot in Sarasota and included such flavors as mint. cherry and one sauce which was a mixture of ketchup. mustard and mayonnaise. The second course was chocolate fondue with fruit. including honeydew melon. and a fruit which I've seen in the supermarket here that looks like a underripe tomato. It is pronounced (I'll spell it phonetically. since I don't know how to spell it in Portuguese) 'cock-EE' and it is a sandy-texture. eternally-sweet fruit. I love it.In fact. I like it so much I am going to the supermarket to buy some right now. Maybe on the way back. I'll stop at the goods market near the house to buy gifts for my parents. Ciao!
A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Sarasota. Manatee and Charlotte counties. which could see 3 to 5 inches of rain. according to SNN News 6 Meterologist Justin Mosely.
TAMPA. the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. developed Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico and appeared likely to soak parts of Florida and Cuba with heavy rain. forecasters said.On Sunday afternoon. the storm had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. up 10 mph from early in the morning. but was not likely to strengthen into a hurricane. according to the National Hurricane Center.Most of Florida's west coast is under a hurricane watch."The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive ... so not much additional strengthening is anticipated." said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch.Forecasters said up to 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba. creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides. and 5 to 10 inches could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast.The prospect of a wet storm without hurricane-force winds was welcomed by firefighters who have been battling wildfires for six weeks on Florida's east coast."A good soaking rain would do a lot to help stop the fires in our area. a spokeswoman for Volusia County Fire Services. "It has been a hard fire season. We've had several fires a week here."The storm's outer rainbands swept across Florida from Miami to the Tampa Bay area Sunday afternoon. said National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Rude.Patricia Haberland. whose back porch in St. Petersburg was flooded by 12 inches of rain in March. put a few valuables in plastic bins this weekend just to be on the safe side."Other than that. we're carrying on as usual. 52. "It doesn't look like it's going to have a major impact on our area."Though the storm was not expected to cross the Florida Keys. some tourists were not taking any chances in the low-lying island chain."I had a bunch of people check out this morning because of the massive tropical storm that was supposed to swamp the island." said Nikki LaMarca. front desk manager at Courtney's Place in Key West. "It's amazing. People are actually leaving."At 5 p.m. EDT. Alberto was centered about 375 miles west of Key West and about 400 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola. forecasters said.It was moving northwest at 7 mph but was expected to turn toward central or northern Florida. where it could make landfall early Tuesday. forecasters said.The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday. nine days after the official start of the hurricane season. in the northwest Caribbean. which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year. forecasters said."They can also meander in the Gulf for awhile. and we've seen some dissipate before reaching any land areas." Pasch said. "There is no guarantee (Alberto) will make landfall."Scientists predict the 2006 season could produce up to 16 named storms. six of them major hurricanes.Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1.570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.The season was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking. with records for the number of named storms (28) and hurricanes (15). Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names _ beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma _ and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.Meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm now as it was at this time in 2005. meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.Last year. the first named storm of the season was Tropical Storm Arlene. which formed June 9. and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle _ the first of two tropical storms and four hurricanes to target Florida last year.The Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30.Associated Press writer Jennifer Kay in Miami contributed to this report.
SARASOTA ' Nubiel "Bill" Perez leaned forward in his chair as he talked about his maintenance job at Renaissance condominiums. and why he believed he was fired.Housekeepers and maintenance workers at the upscale condominiums were forbidden from speaking Spanish in public areas because it made some of the residents uncomfortable. Perez said he and other Latino employees felt stifled and discriminated against."I believe in my heart I did everything to keep this building running and clean." Perez said.As he testified. members of the city's Human Relations Board scribbled notes and listened quietly. This was the first case the 3-year-old board had ever heard. and they wanted to get it right.Set up in 2003 to investigate and solve complaints of discrimination. the board has seen scant action. Only a dozen discrimination cases have been filed. and most of those were settled before the need for a hearing. City officials say the low number of cases means that the board is largely accomplishing its goal: to solve these cases before they end up in court. But even some of the board members wonder whether all the people who have been discriminated against are truly coming forward.Board member Manuel Chepote. worries that illegal immigrants are especially reluctant to complain."Maybe they don't come forward because they are afraid of their status. an insurance agent. Chepote added that the city does not ask any questions about legal status when a complaint is filed."We need to spread the word more." he said.About 12 complaints so farPerez's case was the the very first to be heard since the board was first set up in 2003. when the city passed a celebrated anti-discrimination ordinance modeled after similar rules in places like Tampa.The city prohibits discrimination in employment. housing and public accomodation. Those who use the system can claim discrimination based upon things like disability. race or sexual orientation. About 100 people have inquired about the ordinance. One man said he was fired from a local McDonald's because he was gay.A woman claimed discrimination after she was ejected from a singles dance for "unladylike behavior." A group for the hard of hearing complained that a local television station did not provide captioned information about hurricanesMany of the 100 inquiries have not qualified for consideration by the board because the alleged act of discrimination happened outside of city limits. In those cases. the complainants were referred to the the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Tampa. More than a dozen official complaints have been filed. and most have been resolved by conciliation and end up in confidential settlements."The purpose of the ordinance was to create an opportunity to air complaints." said Kurt Hoverter. Sarasota's director of human resources. "Conciliations have worked in virtually every case."Several citizens have been satisified with the board."It cuts out a lot of hassle with the courts." said George Richardson. who complained to the board that he was fired after filing a workers compensation claim. Richardson would not talk about the details of his settlement. but said coming to the human relations board meant "no more lost sleep and no more agitation."First hearing a tough onePerez. who is from Colombia. said he thought he had a good case when he brought forward his complaint about the Renaissance.Representing himself. Perez told the board that he worked hard during his five years at the Renaissance. He was sure that race played a part in his firing. which happened when a new condominium association board took over last year.Attorneys for the condominium association. painted him as a hothead who routinely berated coworkers and created a negative workplace environment.Before rendering its decision. the human relations board heard 10 hours of testimony. some of which hurt Perez's case.Spanish-speaking coworkers said they never felt discriminated against at the Renaissance. Some described Perez as a man who lost his temper and frequently spouted obscenities.The new condominium association president said he fired Perez because he stopped doing his job well. an opinion also voiced by another of Perez's bosses."The idea that this is related to race is disconcerting." said the association president. Brian Geery."I'm sorry that you feel that way." he told Perez. "I really am."It was Geery who explained the board's policy about requiring employees to refrain from speaking Spanish around residents. some of whom became uncomfortable because they thought the workers were talking about them.An attorney for the Renaissance argued that the policy "facilitated the comfort level of residents and the smooth functioning" of the building.At the end of the case a few weeks ago. the five-member board concluded that discrimination did not contribute to Perez's dismissal.But several members said they were disturbed by Renaissance's policy toward Spanish-speaking employees.Even Geery. the condominium association president. admitted that prohibiting Spanish may have been part of a misguided effort to comfort residents."In hindsight. was that a good thing to do?" he said.Slowly gaining steamBoard members also wonder how widespread it is for employers to prohibit Spanish.Chepote has heard of several such places.Lottie Swann-Crawford. the woman who helped found the board and now serves on it. said she thinks the board would be more effective if members had the power to investigate discrimination themselves. rather than simply waiting for complaints to be filed and then hearing from both sides.She and others are now trying to set up a similar board in Sarasota County government.B.J. Branson. a former city administrative specialist who handled the discrimination complaints. said the city has worked hard to make the city program visible. setting up a booth at the farmers market and making presentations at functions.Swamm-Crawford credits the low number of cases to a few things. One of those things is "apathy.""When people have been beaten down and discriminated against. they don't have the will to get up and do things." she said.She said Sarasota is a place that has largely segregated black and white communities.About six months ago. a man yelled racial slurs at her outside an Albertsons in Sarasota.She says black people who live here are still hesitant to shop and eat on Main Street. and that discrimination is "still well and living.""Of course it's going on." she said. "It's just a little more subtle than it used to be."
MIAMI (AP) -- Tropical Storm Alberto. the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. developed Sunday from a poorly organized tropical depression in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and appeared likely to carry heavy rain to Florida. forecasters said.By midday. the storm had maximum sustained wind near 45 mph. up 10 mph from early in the morning. the National Hurricane Center said.It was expected to continue growing but without developing into a hurricane."The satellite presentation of the storm is not very impressive. so not much additional strengthening is anticipated." said hurricane specialist Richard Pasch.At 11 a.m. EDT. Alberto was centered about 400 miles west of Key West and about 445 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola. forecasters said.It was moving northwest at about 9 mph but was expected to turn toward central or northern Florida. where it could make landfall early Tuesday. forecasters said.The tropical depression that produced Alberto formed Saturday. nine days after the official start of the hurricane season. in the northwest Caribbean. which can produce typically weak storms that follow a similar track this time of year. forecasters said."They can also meander in the Gulf for awhile. and we've seen some dissipate before reaching any land areas." Pasch said.Forecasters said up to 30 inches of rain could fall over the western half of Cuba. creating a threat of flash floods and mudslides. and up to 8 inches could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast.Scientists predict the 2006 season could produce up to 16 named storms. six of them major hurricanes.Last year's hurricane season was the busiest and most destructive on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1.570 deaths in Louisiana alone.The season was the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking. with records for the number of named storms (28) and hurricanes (15). Meteorologists used up their list of 21 proper names _ beginning with Arlene and ending with Wilma _ and had to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.This year. meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm as it was at this time in 2005. meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.Last year. the first named storm of the season was Tropical Storm Arlene. which formed June 9. and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.
Heavy rainfall is headed our way tonight and tomorrow as Alberto gains winds speeds to a maximum of 45 mph. according to SNN News 6 Meteorologist Justin Mosely.
WASHINGTON -- A sun shines on Dan Yu's back. alongside a swimming koi fish. A tree soon may grow on his arm. "Your body's an empty canvas. so you almost want to continue to add to it. as he showed off his tattoos.A generation or two ago. Yu's tattoos - to say nothing of his pierced nose - probably would have placed him in a select company of soldiers. bikers and carnival workers. But no longer: The American University employee is among about 36 percent of Americans age 18 to 29 with at least one tattoo. according to a survey.The study. scheduled to appear Monday on the Web site of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. provides perhaps the most in-depth look at tattoos since their popularity exploded in the early 1990s.The results suggest that 24 percent of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed; that's almost one in four. Two surveys from 2003 suggested just 15 percent to 16 percent of U.S. adults had a tattoo."Really. the people who don't have them are becoming the unique ones." said Chris Keaton. a tattoo artist and president of the Baltimore Tattoo Museum.But body art is more than just tattoos.About one in seven people surveyed reported having a piercing anywhere other than in the soft lobe of the ear. according to the study. That total rises to nearly one in three for the 18-to-29 set. Just about half - 48 percent - in that age category had either a tattoo or piercing.Given their youth. that suggests the percentage of people with body art will continue to grow. said study co-author Dr. Anne Laumann. a Northwestern University dermatologist."They haven't had time to get their body piercing. They haven't had time to get their tattoo. They are just beginning to get into it and the number is already big." Laumann said.So why has body art become so popular?Laumann and others believe it allows people to broadcast to the world what they are all about. Others call it sign of rebellion or a rite of passage. The survey found nearly three-fourths of the pierced and nearly two-thirds of the tattooed made the leap before 24."It's a very easy way to express something that you think represents part of your identity - that you don't have to tell someone but you can just have seen." said Chelsea Farrell. an American University senior from Albany. N.Y. Farrell has a tattooed fish on each hip and a Celtic knot on the small of her back.The survey also found that what your mother may have told you about who has tattoos is true: People who drink. have been jailed or forgo religion are more likely to be tattooed.The same holds for piercings. though rates do not appear to vary with education. income or job category. In that sense. they appear to be "different animals. who has traditionally pierced ears but no tattoos.One obvious difference is that piercings can be easily removed. unlike tattoos."I guess I liked the way they looked and the rush of getting them pierced. as well as them not being permanent. I can take them out and the holes will close up." said Simah Waddell. of her pierced nose. belly button and ears.Waddell. who is entering her senior year at American University. said she suffered no side effects. other than the anger of her parents. The survey suggests that is not always the case for others with piercing. Nearly one in four reported medical problems. including skin infections. Among those with mouth or tongue piercings. an equal proportion reported chipped or broken teeth.For tattoos. 13 percent of respondents had problems with healing. Generally. the Food and Drug Administration receives few reports of complications from tattoos.The industry is regulated by state and local officials. and there is no such thing as an agency-approved tattoo pigment or ink. The FDA is considering more involvement. said Dr. Linda Katz. director of agency's Office of Cosmetics and Colors."If you look at the fact that a quarter of adults have a tattoo. it's amazing how safe the industry is. a Harvard Medical School dermatologist and tattoo removal expert. None of the survey respondents had ever had a tattoo removed. though 17 percent had considered it.Freedom-2 LLC. a Philadelphia company co-founded by Anderson. hopes to launch the first of two lines of not-so-permanent tattoo inks next year. though without FDA approval.To create the ink. pigments would be encapsulated in a polymer and the microcapsules injected into the skin. A tattoo would be permanent only as long as its wearer wanted it to be.It would only take a few pulses of a laser to break open the capsules and release the ink into the body to be safely absorbed. said Martin Schmieg. the company's president and chief executive officer.A second ink. would rely on the same technology. except the capsules would dissolve on their own. Depending on the version. the tattoos would naturally vanish after six months. 12 months or 24 months."It will be like wearing a tattoo like it's jewelry. where you will be able to take it off. It will just fade on its own." Schmieg said.The telephone survey on tattoos included 253 women and 247 men and was conducted in 2004. It has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.Associated Press writer Chhayal Parikh contributed to this report.
It looks like we may be in for some drought busting rainfall over the next few days.Tropical Depression One is moving northwest into the gulf. and even though the forecast from the National Hurricane Center has the center of the depression staying to our west. there is plenty of rain extending east of the system to bring us a potential of 3 to 5 inches of rain at least it moves by. The biggest threat to us from this system would be flooding. We are currently under a flood watch. and the chance for heavy rain through Tuesday is 70-90%.The depression is forecast to pass us to the west. but than recurve and make landfall comewhere near the big bend portion of the state.If this system continues to develop. it could (and is forecast to) bexome our first tropical storm of the 2006 season. If that happens. its name would be Alberto.-David Karnes
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