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+ GARDEN YOUR HOME JANUARY 2017
Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
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FREE THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017
VOLUME 19, NO. 9
NOW IN COMMAND
YOUR TOWN
East Manatee Fire Rescue chief will concentrate on new hires. SEE PAGE 3
Courtesy photo
Teacher seeks fortune Lakewood Ranch High School teacher Byron Stedman is hoping to take a spin at a television game show. A longtime fan of the “Wheel of Fortune,” Stedman auditioned Jan. 19 in Tampa. “I solved my puzzle, but there were a lot of people there,” said Stedman, who incorporated students in his television production classes into his audition video. In about a week, he will learn whether he advances.
Pam Eubanks
Lee Whitehurst, the new Manatee County Fire Rescue chief, said his department is well-stocked to handle the tremendous growth in the area.
Beef up the program New FFA adviser steers Haile students to success. SEE PAGE 6
ODA students swing into the act Juggling schedule no problem when students must fill public service hours. SEE PAGE 8
BLACK
Pam Eubanks
TIE
A thankful responder Logan Youngblood, a thirdgrader at Braden River Elementary, was one of many students who wrote a thankyou note to firefighters during “First Responders Week” in the school district. “I wish I was a firefighter because the suits look so cool and the firetrucks have so much space,” Youngblood said.
Berkley Mason
Jessica Jones, the Haile Middle School FFA adviser, tends to Hydro.
Success story. INSIDE