E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
Irish Celtic Festival PAGE 1B
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 17, NO. 18
FREE
TRAFFIC UNI
Mall at UTC
A vendor would provide canoe/kayak and other rentals, as well as boat tours of the river.
75
YOUR TOWN TUSK WEAR
Schroeder-Manatee Ranch unveils its preferred route for an I-75 overpass between University and Fruitville. PAM EUBANKS
SENIOR EDITOR EAST COUNTY
SENIOR EDITOR
BLVD.
Benderson Park
PAM EUBANKS
— Would a sunset tour along the Braden River float your boat? Manatee County commissioners hope so. On March 10, the board approved a request for proposals for vendors seeking to operate a canoe/kayak rental business out
VERSIT Y PKW Y.
OOD R A NCH
County seeks vendors for Jiggs Landing
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015
SOLUTION HONORE RD.
Pam Eubanks
•
CAT TLEMEN RD.
L AK EW
17 TH ST.
Preferred overpass
(approximate location) RICHARDSON RD.
SEE VENDORS PAGE 4A FRUIT VILLE RD.
ARTS+CULTURE
N 1 / 2 MILE
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch developer SchroederManatee has identified a preferred placement for a new bridge across Interstate 75. SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen is presenting a proposal to Sarasota County to put the I-75 overpass just north of the proposed alignment for the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard extension, where it runs east-west before making a sharp turn southward. (See map, left). The new concept would take traffic across I-75 directly onto Cattlemen Road, where the extension would end with a
SEE OVERPASS PAGE 2A
Schroeder-Manatee Ranch President and CEO Rex Jensen has a new paper weight in his office. Oh, wait. It’s part of a tusk from a four-tusk mammoth believed to be more than 1 million years old. The piece arrived at Jensen’s office, fully preserved, last week. Gene Henshaw, president of SMR subsidiary SMR Aggregates, found the tusk with a researcher from the University of Florida about eight months ago at an SMR mining facility. “We’ve found vertebrae and sharks teeth before, but nothing so large,” he says.
Group sniffs out new method for early cancer detection MUSIC MARATHON
Sarasota Opera completes a five-act marathon with “Don Carlos.”
Heather Junqueira is putting her money where her dogs’ noses are in hopes of creating a new technique to detect cancer. AMANDA SEBASTIANO STAFF WRITER
— Paw sniffs the grass surrounding a pond in Heather Junqueira’s backyard. Within a few seconds, the mischievous 10-week-old beagle dives into the water and tests his swimming skills, or lack thereof. Paw and his sister, Hazel, could soon use their noses to sniff out more than just the scents in their backyard. Their noses could become a tool in the early detection of cancer. Last week, Junqueria’s Myakka-based organization, BioScent K9, received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit certification status. She
EAST COUNTY
BLACK TIE
“Banyan Ball... Where it all began.”
INSIDE
SEE DETECTION PAGE 8A
PINK CADILLAC Mary Kay Independent National Sales Director Ruth Everhart, an East County resident, has made her mark with the company. Her reward? A pink Cadillac Escalade, an iconic symbol of success, the most coveted incentive awarded by Mary Kay. It is Everhart’s seventh career car. “This is definitely one of the most exciting days of my life,” Everhart says. “It feels so amazing to pick up this gorgeous vehicle that has been on my goal poster for quite some time!” YOUR TOWN PAGE 15A