Although Passover will be occurring in a much different world this year, Jewish people do have a history of one long narrative of resilience. Whether you are interfaith, just Jewish, Jewish adjacent, celebrating solo, or with a bare minimum of family seated far apart, we all need grounding. …
The demand for female comics on SiriusXM was growing louder.
VENICE — Sarasota County’s public beaches have been shut down for several weeks and state residents were ordered April 3 to stay home except for seeking or providing essential services.
Pick up your pencil and see if you can answer the following questions:
PHILADELPHIA — Capt. Pati Marsh pulled the American Airlines Airbus 330 into the gate at Philadelphia International Airport 10 minutes early, having just arrived from Madrid. On any other day, the smooth landing would not have been memorable to Marsh. But this one was very special.
SARASOTA — The Patterson Foundation is working to help fight COVID-19 with its own “leveraging its existing partnerships with philanthropic networks and encouraging continued generosity locally and globally,” it said in a news release.
If there is one good thing about this COVID-19 pandemic, it is the proof of the caring people in this city, state, country and even world.
When I put James McBride’s new novel, “Deacon King Kong,” into my carefully ordered to-be-read pile months ago, I had no idea I’d be reading it at just the right time.
VENICE — Sarasota Memorial Hospital reported two more COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the total at the hospital to seven.
WEST VILLAGES — The Venice Symphony announced its Patriotic Pops and Fireworks at CoolToday Park won’t happen this year.
VENICE — Hospitals aren’t immune to the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
SARASOTA — The Sarasota County School Board members decided Tuesday against setting a firm timeline for their superintendent search.
To help meet the needs of the community during these uncertain times, The Salvation Army is extending hours of Salvation Army food pantries in North Port and Venice.
VENICE — Two region foundations have worked together and are now awarding grants for their COVID-19 Response Initiative, it was announced Tuesday.
NORTH VENICE — You can still buy one of Tervis’ iconic tumblers but you’ll probably need to do it online.
VENICE - Big Brothers Big Sisters has taken on the challenge of COVID-19 with a new effort to use technology to keep generations talking.
LOS ANGELES — After five years on TV, it seemed like “Schitt’s Creek” was just starting to hit its stride.
VENICE — Every week, Our Town presents a variety of photos from organizations and individuals in the area.
VENICE — The Senior Friendship Centers is reminding area residents to feel free to turn them for any “safety-net programs and services” that people may need. The center noted in a news release that it has many and its offerings “are more important than ever.” “Our incredible staff and volunt…
We’re going to have to figure out more ways of having fun and being productive while practicing social distancing. It’s easy to binge watch a TV show or plow through some books, but when you want a break from those things, here are eight activities to try.
LOS ANGELES — Writer-producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd were mulling ideas for the 2009 TV season when they landed on an intriguing sitcom approach, one revolving around an extended family and done in the “mockumentary” style made popular by “The Office.”
Add a touch of Indian flavor to your salmon with this simple curry sauce. Pan roasting is faster than oven roasting and gives similar results. The salmon is served with basmati rice. Basmati rice has a distinct flavor and smells like popcorn while cooking. It now comes in a microwaveable pac…
Films that were slated for this year’s canceled South by Southwest festival will appear exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for 10 days this spring.
CHICAGO — To celebrate the 100th episode of “Chicago Med,” series co-creator and executive producer Dick Wolf visited Chicago in January and helped the cast cut a red velvet cake shaped like a human body on a gurney.
Traditional dishes tend to find their way to the Easter brunch or dinner table, but no meal would be complete without some sort of deviled eggs appetizer.
NEW YORK (AP) — Honor Blackman, the potent British actress who took James Bond's breath away as Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger" and who starred as the leather-clad, judo-flipping Cathy Gale in “The Avengers,” has died. She was 94.
In times of pandemic crisis and economic catastrophe, we look for words of encouragement.
SARASOTA — Sarasota County’s general credit rating and the rating on its general obligation bonds, issued for the Legacy Trail Extension project, recently earned a “AAA” rating from both S&P Global Rating and Fitch Ratings, reflecting the county’s continued financial stability and pragma…
For so many, the desire is for home to feel like a haven, a place where you feel cozy and safe. Health is also top of mind, creating a clean and healthy environment. As you look for ways to beautify your environment, why not include ways to ensure clean design? Here are some tips.
PORT CHARLOTTE – With millions staying home with their children in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Dolly Parton has a new program as part of her Imagination Library where she will read bedtime stories to kids through online videos.
It seems that Easter is going to look a bit different for many of us this year. However, that doesn’t mean it has to be less festive. Nothing gets me out of the isolation blues like turning one of my rooms into a new scene.
VENICE — Students of Attitudes in Dance are not missing a beat during the COVID-19 pandemic which has closed similar businesses.
The Venice Lions Club must have had 20/20 vision when it scheduled its 2020 Specs-tacular luncheon and champagne fashion show. It was the last soiree before the coronavirus led to most events being canceled.
For more than five months this year Tonya Sauppe of Venice has been greeted each day by blooming orchids on her palm trees.
She had a collection of orchids on her lanai and 15 palm trees edging the driveway of her home. Last April she decided to plant the orchids that were between blooms on those trees. Her motive - to gain space for more orchids on the lanai.
By November, all of the orchids had taken root on the bark of her trees.
She became a neighborhood sensation when the orchids started blooming. Some plants have two shoots on them so she now has 23 orchids in bloom. She expects each year they will expand.
Neighbors and their friends wanted to know her secret and she was bombarded with requests on how they could also have orchids that would blossom on their trees.
“I can’t believe how many people come by and look at the orchids, many of them I don’t know because they are visiting family members,” she said.
“It’s fairly simple but first you have to check your environment,” she said.
Orchids bloom in places where there is shade to sun. She recommends using Phalaenopsis orchids, which are the best species for starting the project.
“Generally, orchids are not that demanding.”
When you start your project, make sure to choose the right tree.
“Don’t choose one that casts too much shade,” Sauppe said. "Palm trees are the best choice in this area.”
Another tip is to look for a tree with rough bark for attaching the orchid.
“You will need Sphagnum moss, or peat moss soaked in a bucket of water,” she said. "Take the orchids out of the pots and cut the roots to approximately 6-inches in length. Remove all of the bark that is in the pot the orchid came in. Take a length of burlap and pack the moss around the roots and staple them to the tree with the burlap. Within six months, the burlap will rot and fall off and by then the roots have attached to your tree. Both the burlap and the moss can be purchased from a garden store.
“Make sure you position the orchids so they can be seen each day, because once the roots take hold it is difficult to move them,” she said.
Sauppe uses a granular fertilizer on each orchid twice a year. She stresses you must have a water source in the beginning months. Sauppe not only mists the plants with a hose but her husband Lou attached a sprinkler line to each tree. Once the orchid roots are attached to the tree, very little care is needed. The blooms will last approximately four to five months.
Orchids can survive the Florida winters and are protected once they are attached to the tree.
Sauppe is an artist who has decorated many Holiday trees at the Venice Art Center.
"Why not decorate palm trees too?" she said.
“This is just another form of artwork. God and Mother Nature supply the key materials. All that is required is a bit of assembly."
Transforming everyday eggs into bright, colorful, sometimes speckled or glittery objects is one of spring’s great pleasures, even if you aren’t a kid.
Fans of Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, know the strengths of the character. Her determination, tough-mindedness and eidetic memory led her to be effervescent Batgirl in 1967, and then, after being shot by The Joker and confined to a wheelchair, the omniscient Oracle in 1989.…
BUNNY BUTT CUPCAKES
As a highly anticipated release, “The Glass Hotel” (Knopf) by Emily St. John Mandel has appeared on several “best of March 2020 releases” booklists. Its subject matter — a Ponzi scheme and the 2008 economic collapse — along with its eerily coincidental timing create some tragic parallels to …
From virtual book launches to emailed writing prompts to Skyped book clubs to videos of authors reading aloud, readers and writers are finding creative, fun and useful ways to stay connected during this weird time of social distance.
By FAMILY FEATURES
The coronavirus has wrecked havoc with people’s lives, the world economy, the arts and entertainment business and, with each passing day, may be putting thousands of small business owners out of business.
In the current COVID-19 crisis, as we sacrifice our jobs, our social lives and even, for some, our lives, we look to answers from those in authority, mainly the elected officials and doctors.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dig. Plant. Breathe.
SARASOTA – Tidewell Hospice is another agency that has come out to help during "an unprecedented time of uncertainty for health care organizations. The response has been swift and overwhelming."
Passover Hush Puppy Potato Knishes Ingredients
Now that we’re stuck at home, it’s a good time to pay more attention to your plants or even cultivate an indoor garden to help keep you calm and sane in the process.
Sparkling sake is becoming a beverage to get excited about. While definitely not traditional — the category was first created to encourage women in Japan to drink more sake — when sake’s inherent subtlety gets amped up with bubbles, the result is something to celebrate.
LOS ANGELES – Have a love of movies but can't head to the theaters?
To slow the spread of coronavirus we’re being told to wash our hands more, preferably with soap and water, or failing that, with hand sanitizers. The resulting rush to buy hand sanitizers has led to empty shelves in supermarkets and chemists. But it hasn’t taken long for recipes for hand san…
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expected to increase its recommendations for more use of masks in public, there are people wanting to create their own.
