bserver O Happy Father’s Day!
EAST COUNTY FREE • THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUSINESS
PDQ clucks into town at two locations. PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
BOOK SMART
SPORTS
Hannah Arduini makes history at competition. PAGE 1B
Bradenton Christian athlete tapped for all-stars team. PAGE 16A
partnership potential by Amanda Sebastiano | Staff Writer
CDD/HOA mend landscaping fences A Heritage Harbour CDD reverses its March decision to end its agreement with the HOA and handle landscaping on its own.
Courtesy photos
Lakewood Ranch High graduate Theresa Novak receives the King O’Neal Scholar Award.
HERITAGE HARBOUR — Decisions regarding landscaping have divided the Heritage Harbour community for the last few months. But a new agreement under review could settle the matter.
+ Ranch graduate earns top honors
At their June 3 meeting, supervisors of the Heritage Harbour South Community Development District decided to move forward on allowing District Counsel Andy Cohen and District Manager Greg Cox to craft a landscaping
agreement for the Stoneybrook Homeowners Association to review. The agreement states that the HOA will continue to maintain CDD-owned land within
THE SWING OF THINGS
Lakewood Ranch High School graduate Theresa Novak earned special recognition during the University of South Florida’s spring graduation ceremony. Novak, who graduated from Lakewood Ranch in 2011, received her bachelor’s of science degree in childhood education and literacy studies May 3, after completing her degree in only three years.
Amanda Sebastiano
The Stoneybrook HOA may regain LANDSCAPING / PAGE 8A landscaping responsibilities.
UPDATE by Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
Gross murder still under investigation
Ellen Gerth vows to keep her brother from benefiting from their mother’s death. LAKEWOOD RANCH — Ellen Gerth will call her brother something the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office won’t: murderer. More than two-and-a-half years after her mother, Ina Gross, was murdered in her Lakewood Ranch home, Gerth alleges that her brother, Thomas Gross, committed the crime. The sheriff’s office has only named Thomas Gross, who lives in Israel, as a “person of interest.” He could not be reached for comment. “We’re continuing to move forward in the investigation,” said Dave Bristow, public information officer for the sheriff’s office. “The son remains a person of interest, and we’re not going to comment any further on that aspect of the investigation. This is a complex case, in many ways, but progress is be-
+ Kids R Kids holds ceremonies Last week, a total of 57 voluntary prekindergarten students at Kids R Kids graduated from the program. Joshua Packard and London Churs-Schiffer, above, were just two of students who were excited to enter a new world: kindergarten.
SEE GROSS / PAGE 8A
ABOUT THE LAWSUIT
Carla Neirman, of Art Center Manatee, receives the check from Elaine Vaughn, with Creative Art Association
+ Art association gives for scholarships Creative Art Association in Lakewood Ranch recently gave Art Center Manatee a check for $300. The money, raised from membership dues, will be used for youth scholarships, so that young people can develop their artistic abilities.
Amanda Sebastiano
Reagan Laster plays on a swing Saturday at Dakin Dairy Farms. Families gathered to celebrate National Dairy Month with music, games and grilled-cheese sandwiches.
The Gerths’ first case against Thomas Gross spells out details of Ina Gross’ murder that the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has not released — how Thomas Gross was visiting his mother from Israel when she was found stabbed in the garage of her home, among other forensic details — as well as how Thomas Gross had consistently told his mother of his “severe financial extremes” and asked her for money. An exhibit attached to the lawsuit states Thomas Gross withdrew $43,000 from one of Ina Gross’ bank accounts, on which he was a signatory, after he found his mother murdered.
INDEX Building Permits .. 11B Cops Corner........ 12A Neighborhood....... 1B Sports................. 16A Vol. 16, No. 31 | Two sections YourObserver.com Classifieds ......... 13B Crossword........... 12B Real Estate......... 10B Weather.............. 12B