E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
Welcome to the park.
SEE PAGE 12A
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018
VOLUME 20, NO. 23
YOUR TOWN
COUNTY CONSIDERS PICKLEBALL COMPLEX Premier Sports Campus could be site of 36-court facility. PAGE 3A
Pure fun(ds)
Courtesy photo
Washington, D.C.-bound artist
for 24 hours
Lakewood Ranch High’s Kyla Rudd (shown above with U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.) was the Facebook Fan Favorite in the 2018 Congressional Art Competition for high school students. The Out-of-Door Academy senior Hayley Wahl earned the top award in the contest and her piece, “Cicada Study” will hang in the corridor between the U.S. Capitol building and the Cannon House office building in Washington, D.C., for one year. Forty-one students participated in Florida’s 16th District contest. A Congressional reception will be held in June for the winners.
File photo
Tylee Giorgio, a Girls Inc. member, holds a puppy at Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue. Both nonprofits will receive funds in the Giving Challenge.
Giving Challenge donations often are crucial to a nonprofit’s services. SEE PAGE 8A Courtesy photo
Best on Main Jillian Hunefeld and Jadynn Clarice Bachman (above) show off some of the awards they won from Main Street merchants after they took the top prize for their age groups in the Main Street at Lakewood Ranch Coloring Contest. Entries for the contest hung in shops along Lakewood Main Street. Hunefeld, a 7-year-old who lives in GreyHawk Landing, won in the 3-8 age category. Bachman, a 10-year-old who lives in Central Park, earned the top prize in the 9-13 age group.
Healthy ‘A’ rating Lakewood Ranch Medical Center earns top rating in national evaluation. SEE PAGE 4A Courtesy photo
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center received its first “A” rating in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades announced April 24.
A+E Dressed in absurdity INSIDE