GOVERNMENT OFFICES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY
Sarasota County Government offices, including libraries and recreation centers, will be closed Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, for Independence Day.
Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) bus service will not operate on July 4. However, Route 18, the Longboat Key Trolley, will operate on a normal schedule on the holiday. The Longboat Key Trolley is a joint operation of SCAT and Manatee County Area Transit.
The collection schedule for solid waste, yard waste and recyclables will remain the same.
The landfill at 4000 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be open July 3 but closed July 4. The landfill administrative office will be closed July 3. Regular operating hours will be in effect at Sarasota County’s chemical collection center at 4010 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis, on July 3, but the center will be closed July 4.
The chemical collection centers at 8750 Bee Ridge Road and 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice, will both be closed July 3-4.
The Arlington Park Pool will be open July 3 and July 4 from noon to 5 p.m. The Lido Beach Pool will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Knight Trail Park shooting range will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 3 and closed July 4.
The Payne Park Tennis Center will be open July 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and on July 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
City of Sarasota administration offices also will be closed on July 3. The closing affects city hall, the Federal Building and public works.
No garbage, recycling, yard waste or bulk waste pick-up will be provided on July 4. Instead, these items will be collected on July 3.
For more information about garbage collection, call the City of Sarasota at 365-7651. For questions about recycling, yard waste and bulk waste, call Waste Services of Florida at 953-6559.
RESIDENTS WARNED ABOUT SUSPICIOUS MAN
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to be cautious of a suspicious male who has approached several people in the Mira Lago neighborhood of Palmer Ranch to ask for money.
In an incident on June 25 at approximately 8 p.m., on Rue de Palisades in Sarasota, a man claimed to be the grandson of a neighbor and pretended to be familiar with the people he approached. He was seen checking mailboxes so he could call residents by name, according to the sheriff’s office. He asked for money to pay a tow bill so he could visit his wife in the hospital.
He later asked for a ride to a nearby location.
If approached by a stranger at their home, residents are advised of the following:
• Never let a stranger into your home.
• If a stranger asks to use your telephone, offer to place the call yourself. Do not open the door to hand the phone to the stranger.
• Don’t hesitate to report suspicious activities.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call Criminal Investigations at 941-861-4900 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477). Anyone also may go online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com to send information, or text TIP109 with the message to CRIMES (274637).
SCF AMONG TOP U.S. DEGREE PRODUCERS
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (formerly Manatee Community College), was named among the top 100 associate degree producers in the nation in three categories in a special report published in June by Community College Week magazine.
SCF ranked 91st in the "all disciplines" listing for awarding 1,304 degrees, and it was placed 36th in the "liberal arts and sciences, general students, and humanities" listing. SCF ranked 44th for awarding 156 associate degrees in nursing.
The national biweekly magazine for community, technical and junior colleges listed two- and four-year institutions. Results are based on data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education.
Enrollment has grown by double digits over the past year, with 2009 summer enrollment increasing by 15 percent over summer 2008.
FINAL COUNTY TAX ROLL UNCHANGED
While the July 1 deadline for Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst falls after the Pelican Press deadline, he confirmed the roll will be virtually unchanged from the preliminary roll he submitted on June 1.
Furst’s first roll showed a drop of 12.5 percent in taxable property values in Sarasota County. The roll is an increasingly complicated document, involving homestead and non-homestead properties, various legislative and constitutional tax adjustments, and a variety of different districts.
... S.Z.
CHURCH TO OFFER WORKSHOPS ON MANAGING FINANCES
Are you struggling to figure out where to start in managing and reducing your debt? Are you considering bankruptcy and wondering if it’s the "right thing" to do?
If so, you’ll want to come to the Church of the Redeemer’s community workshop titled, "Declaration of Financial Independence!"
This workshop will take a spiritual look at dealing with the myriad financial challenges individuals and families are facing in today’s economy. It will offer practical information and suggested actions that nearly everyone should find useful.
The first workshop will be held on Thursday, July 9, and will be presented again on Saturday, July 11; both programs begin at 7 p.m., last one hour and include light refreshments and time for questions from the audience.
The workshops will take place in the church’s Gillespie Hall, located at 222 S. Palm Ave., in downtown Sarasota. They will be conducted by parishioner Robert Dale Adcock, a Sarasota-based financial planner.
Attendees are welcome to stay on after each program to talk with the presenter.
Advance registration is recommended by calling the parish office at 955.4263 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or at the door the day of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the Church of the Redeemer, visit www.redeemersarasota.org
VIRTUAL SUMMER SCHOOL IN SESSION
The country’s first statewide virtual school is not just a fall/spring option. Florida Virtual School is offering a summer session, called Virtual Summer School, too.
All students need do is complete a pre-test to determine what they already know and figure out what learning gaps they need to fill. The program allows the student to use his or her own local certified teacher, who will have access to Web-based e-Teacher’s Guides to learn about the virtual course, and it requires minimal outside course material: just a few books that can be found in the local library.
This year’s summer session, which began on June 15, lasts for 10 weeks ,through Aug. 30. Students may use the entire 10 weeks, or they can coordinate the dates with summer school programs. The courses available are English (I, II, III, IV), algebra (I, II), geometry, American history, world history, economics, biology and earth space science. Personal fitness and life management skills are also available, but they do not require a pre-test for admission.
Florida Virtual School, a K-12 online learning program, was founded in 1997. It is free for students who are Florida residents; a course tuition rate is arranged for those who are not. FLVS offers a range of more than 90 courses and 10 advanced placement courses during the school year, from arts and business, to psychology and mathematics, to English and foreign languages. Non-resident students have essentially the same course offerings.
FLVS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the courses are accepted for credit, transferable and NCAA-approved.
To sign up for any course, the student must be in grade 6-12; another 180-day comprehensive program, called Florida Virtual School’s Connections Academy, is available for students K-5. Students can enroll online at www.flvs.net for either FLVS or FLVSCA.
Information about Virtual Summer School may be found in the e-learning solutions section of the web site. For more information, call FLVS’s Orlando office (407-513-3587).
... C.M.
HUMANE SOCIETY CLINIC OFFERING SERVICES
Generous grants awarded by Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice and Charlotte Community Foundation have made possible the completion of Suncoast Humane Society’s expanded veterinary clinic.
The clinic is offering spay and neuter services along with vaccination and preventive health care for pets belonging to members of the general public. The purpose of the clinic is to assist people on limited budgets in caring for their pets, to provide education about proper pet care and to reduce pet overpopulation.
A low-cost spay/neuter program is available to qualifying families on low, fixed or subsidized income. Federal Poverty Level Guidelines are used to determine eligibility. If approved, the cost is $25 for canine and feline spays and neuters.
In addition, the society’s new affordable Spay/Neuter & Preventive Health Care Clinic is accepting appointments from the general public. Clients are not screened on financial needs; however, the society’s desire is to help those with limited finances.
Suncoast Humane Society’s Low-Cost Spay/Neuter & Preventive Health Care Clinic services are by "appointment only." For information, pricing or to make an appointment, contact the humane society at 941-474-7884 or www.humane.org.