E A ST COUNTY
bserver Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
McNeal Elementary meets furry heroes.
PAGE 10A
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016
VOLUME 18, NO. 18
PERFECT PLACE TO PANIC
Pam Eubanks
Mojoe Production’s owner Greg Herndon.
Day the music died
Hands-on driver safety course puts teens in emergency situations. JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
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Creditor still pursues damages against Ranch Jam LLC to pay for failed Lakewood Ranch concert. SEE PAGE 4A
n November, Lakewood Ranch junior Aidan Kelly was preparing to secure his Florida driver’s permit. A gifted student who is serious when it comes to learning the qualities necessary to operate a several thousand pound vehicle at high rates of speed, Kelly made one important decision. He decided he doesn’t know it all. While car shopping, Kelly saw an advertisement for the group, BRAKES (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), which teaches teens advanced driving skills. He went home, researched the group and then sat down with his father, Ed Kelly. SEE PAGE 3A
YOUR TOWN
Courtesy photo
If students can’t handle the maneuver during the class, they crush cones instead of other cars or people.
BLACK
TIE
Pique Nique: Hats off to a chic bayfront picnic. INSIDE
Volunteers’ motives easy to read Lakewood Ranch Rotary initiative promotes literacy in Manatee County elementary schools. SEE PAGE 8A
Pam Eubanks
Facebook following Do you have 5,000 Facebook friends? Eighty-twoyear-old George Lewis does. “Last week, I had to get rid of my daughter,” he told fellow club members at the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch meeting March 17. He was joking, of course. Lewis builds his friends list to promote Rotary International’s clean water and sanitation initiatives.
Campaign trail
Jay Heater
Michael Berlow, a retired physician and a Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club volunteer, reads to third-grader Bella Diaz and her classmates as part of the Rotary Club initiative, Books for Kids.
The Lakewood Ranch YMCA has a new sign on its front door: “Zoe for president.” For 2064. It’s part of a national campaign for a fictional child to highlight the potential the YMCA sees in all children to change the world if nurtured and supported along the way. Zoe even has a website, zoeforpresident.net.