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EAST COUNTY FREE • Thursday, FEBRUARY 21, 2013
You. Your neighbors. Your neighborhood.
SPORTS
Area softball standout returns to dugout. PAGE 17A
OUR TOWN
NEIGHBORHOOD
COMMUNITY
Derby-car theme inspires YMCA family camp out. PAGE 1B
Whatisthe99? organizers hope to encourage youth to make good decisions. PAGE 3A
game delay by Josh Siegel and Pam Eubanks | Observer Staff
Ranch Little League fights for signs The sponsorship signs go against county code, but they also bring in revenue.
+ East County shows support for teacher A bone marrow drive for Nancy Newby saw success, with more than 100 people turning out to see if they could be a match for the McNeal Elementary School teacher. Newby is suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer of the blood. The Icla da Silva Foundation, a recruitment center for Be the Match, held three drives for Newby Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. Additional drives are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA, 5100 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, and from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21, at McNeal Elementary School, 6325 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch. Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 44. For more information, visit bethematch.org.
+ Tractor Supply hosts FFA fundraiser It’s your last chance to celebrate National Future Farmers of America Week. Customers of Tractor Supply, 4404 E. State Road 64, Bradenton, can purchase an emblem for the new Tractor Supply Growing Scholars program for $1 at checkout until Feb. 24, in an effort raise funds for agriculture students. All of the proceeds will go to the National FFA Foundation for distribution to the state FFA programs, with 10% going to support programs and 90% going toward $1,000 state-level scholarships in the state in which the store is located.
SEE OUR TOWN / PAGE 15A
LAKEWOOD RANCH — David Dees wants boys to play baseball. So does Manatee County. But a debate about signage at Lakewood Ranch Park may leave the dugouts empty, in the future, if issues cannot be resolved. As Dees, president of the Lakewood Ranch Little League, walks past advertising signs hung along the park’s fence, he sees the only viable way for the league to pay its bills — advertisement.
The types of signs being used, however, as well as the way they’ve been attached to fences, violate county regulations. Officials say the signs — colorful advertisements paid for by companies such as Subway, Champs Sports, Best Buy and Publix — threaten player safety and pose other concerns. Dees and fellow represenJosh Siegel
SEE SIGNS / PAGE 8A Businesses have marketed on signs that line the park’s fences.
practicing his slide
Brenden Gast, 4, goes down the slide at the Lakewood Ranch Little League’s Opening Day Feb. 16. See more photos on page 18A.
LIFE AFTER WAR
Jen Blanco
by Josh Siegel | Staff Writer
Veteran leads Goodwill program Chris Davis, who served 14 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, uses an open-door approach he learned on the battlefield to help fellow veterans.
Josh Siegel
Chris Davis often takes calls from homeless veterans late into the night.
EAST COUNTY — It was February 2011 and the text read: “You’re supposed to be here.” The recipient, a staff sergeant and paratrooper, was supposed to jump out of a plane for a training mission. It was just like any other day. But, this time, he was late, and 1st Sgt. Chris Da-
vis let him know it. The paratrooper, anxious and sleep-deprived, took a few minutes to respond before sending Davis a reply. “I’m about to kill myself,” the reply said. Realizing the nature of the text, Davis requested an office meeting with the staff ser-
geant. Davis convinced him to spare his life. “As a leader, you have to turn that off,” Davis said. “I’m not your boss anymore. I’m your buddy. As a soldier you’re expected to be strong, tough and
SEE GOODWILL / PAGE 8A
INDEX Business.............. 8B Calendar............ 12A
Classifieds ........ 17B Cops Corner....... 16A
Crossword.......... 16B Real Estate........ 10B
Sports................ 18A Weather............. 16B
Vol. 14, No. 8 | Two sections YourObserver.com