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EAST COUNTY
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SPORTS
Thursday, AUGUST 2, 2012
in focus
WEATHER
Soscia sisters Children dream help power big at Dream Lady Cougars. Oaks Camp. PAGE 13
OUR TOWN
See this week’s Cool Today contest winner.
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government By Jen Blanco | Associate Editor beauty and the feet
IDA OKs funding proposal The Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority voted 3-1 in favor of a 12-year funding proposal for its new maintenance facility.
+ Troop donates to animal care Girls from Girl Scout Troop 803 recently donated $350 from cookie booth sales to the Lakewood Ranch Humane Society. One troop family matched the amount to raise $700 total for the cause.
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Planning for the construction of a new maintenance facility has been under way for months, and now, Lakewood Ranch is one step closer to seeing its vi-
sion come to fruition. Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority voted 3-1, July 19, in favor of pursuing a 12-year funding proposal for the construction of the 6,675 square-foot facility.
CDD 1 Supervisor Jean Stewart dissented on behalf of her district. The 12-year, bank-qualified loan would require the community to pay roughly $251,000
SEE IDA / PAGE 2
forward-thinking
google it By Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
By Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
Familiar face takes top CHAC position Marla Doss is named the president and CEO of Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities.
+ UPS partners with Miracle League The UPS Foundation recently donated $30,000 to The Miracle League of Manasota, a group that gives children and adults with disabilities a chance to play organized baseball. The donation kicks off the Miracle League’s Capital Campaign for Phase II of its field complex at Longwood Park. “We thank the UPS Foundation for its significant contribution to the Miracle League and are thrilled it feels so strongly about our program and our mission,” Miracle League President Bob Mitchell said. The Miracle League’s baseball field, which opened in the spring, has a flat, rubberized surface to create a safe playing environment and features specially designed dugouts. Phase II will include bleachers and sunshades, a concession, accessible restrooms, a pavilion and other amenities. The Miracle League also recently received a $5,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which it will use to pay for the bleachers and sunshades.
annually for an estimated total cost of $3 million. As a result, homeowners would see an annual increase of $37 on their assessments. The new assessments for the maintenance facility won’t go into effect until 2014. Supervisors for Lakewood
Andrew Federman
Seventeen-year-old Brittany Wenger, winner of the Google Science Fair, now hopes to test her technology in hospitals.
Brittany Wenger wins Google Science Fair East County resident Brittany Wenger, 17, plans to change the world with her application that detects breast-cancer malignancies. Lakewood Ranch resident and Out-of-Door Academy student Brittany Wenger not only competed as a top 15 finalist in the Google Science Fair last week, but she also won her age division and the grand prize July 23. “I’m really excited that I won,” Wenger said after the competi-
tion. “It was very surreal. I don’t think anybody’s prepared to handle anything like that. The next few hours were a blur. I was not expecting it. “I’m sure it was tough for the judges to decide, but (my project
Self-Googled
The morning after the contest finished, Google took the winners to its headquarters for interviews. Brittany Wenger “Googled” herself the next day. “I looked up to see how those interviews were,” she said. “I was in the Huffington Post (and other publications). All the articles were so positive and so excited for me. That was incredible to see. “I was overwhelmed by the amount of support I was getting from my hometown community and international.”
SEE WENGER / PAGE 9
EAST COUNTY — Over the last 27 years, Marla Doss’ name has become synonymous with assisting individuals with special needs. Whether forging new grounds in independent living for disabled adults, raising funds for programs or raising awareness on behalf of the special-needs community, Doss has long been an advocate for disabled children and adults through her work at Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities. She first came to the organization in 1985 as its director of community living and later worked as development director. Her new title, however, makes her the official face and voice of the organization. CHAC’s board of directors named Doss president and CEO July 19. “It’s a huge position,” said Doss, who has served as CEO in an interim capacity since
SEE DOSS / PAGE 9
INDEX Briefs......................4 Classifieds ...........25
Cops Corner..........12 Crossword.............24
Opinion...................8 Real Estate...........22
Sports...................13 Weather................24
Vol. 13, No. 31 | One section YourObserver.com