E A ST COUNTY Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
Holiday 2015
Gift guide
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YOUR TOWN Gators chomp Wildcats The B.D. Gullett Elementary Gators are reigning champions over the Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary Wildcats. As part of the annual Salvation Army food drive, schools countywide collect non-perishable items to donate. Gullett and McNeal like to raise the stakes, and this year competed to see which school could collect more cans. Gullett collected 2,459 donations and McNeal collected 1,048.
Stocking stuffers Meals on Wheels Plus is collecting shoeboxes filled with gifts for in-need seniors at the Adult Day Center. Please stuff shoeboxes with toiletries, books, toothbrushes, puzzles, lotions, socks, crossword books, Kleenex, personal hygiene items, toothpaste, stationary, pens and umbrellas. Cut out the tag provided on Meals on Wheels Plus’ Facebook page, which signifies whether the box is for a man or woman. Deliver it to the Adult Day Center, located at 10920 E. State Road 70, Lakewood Ranch. Boxes are due by Dec. 6 at the 10th annual Shoebox Reception, which runs from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Adult Day Center. For more information, call 747-4655.
Should the innards of this year’s gobbler feed the folks at your Thanksgiving table?
What they’re saying: Residents offer their opinions about giblets.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
S
ometime on Thanksgiving morning, amateur cooks all over America experience the same squishy moment of unpleasantness. They reach into their turkey’s abdominal section and feel for ... oh yuk ... the giblets. With a tight grip and a good yank, those gelatinous organs sit right in the cook’s hand. The question? What comes next? Today’s America appears to have decided upon a new custom, that of depositing giblets right in the trash. Our forefathers might have shuddered at such waste, and local chefs tend to agree. Tommy Klauber, the owner of Polo Grill and Bar and a chef himself, isn’t surprised that butchers have noticed that giblets have become a little too gross for our kitchens. “Butchers don’t want them
PAGE 5A
The 4-1-1 on giblets: A primer on your turkey’s more eccentric parts. PAGE 5A
Jay Heater
SEE PAGE 5A
Chef Andrea Pisano doesn’t eat turkey, but he loves cooking it, even the giblets.
‘A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE’
About 1,500 people receive medical care at free clinic. PAGE 3A
Manatee schools over capacity AMANDA SEBASTIANO STAFF WRITER
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EAST COUNTY — The principal of
an elementary school with one of the largest student populations in East County, Jim Mennes, doesn’t shy away from crowds. His school is packed every year, and enrollments have continued to grow since the 640 students Freedom Elementary had when he became principal in 2009. “There’s no room in the inn,” Mennes said. “We’re full here. We have eight portables, and they’re all full. What if more kids come? We’d teach them, love them, stack them on top of each other, whatever. We’d deal with it.”
Composer writes classical for the audience — not the critics. INSIDE Jay Heater
SEE PAGE 8A