Pelican Press alumnus launches new online Sarasota news outlet

It’s rare to report about a new publication opening up shop, but I’m happy to pass along the news: Former Pelican Press Editor Rachel Brown Hackney has launched a new electronic publication dedicated to all things local. The name? The Sarasota News Leader.

Right now, it looks like your typical blog, but the long-term goal of the outlet is to become an electronic weekly, similar in flavor to the Pelican, but delivered via electronic tablets like iPads and Kindles. The staff will be covering city and county government, the school board and community news, and publishing investigative pieces to boot.

The site dubs itself “the progressive voice of SW Florida,” a voice those involved feel isn’t represented in local media, with the Observer Group’s cuts at the Pelican and the Herald-Tribune‘s buyout of Creative Loafing.

Hackney, who spent years at the Pelican, isn’t alone in her endeavor. Longtime Pelican reporter and former Patch contributor Stan Zimmerman is breaking news regularly at City Hall; his latest scoop is the news that some city officials are not currently bonded, a violation of our charter. The publication’s editorial board called the revelation “yet another scandal” rocking City Hall and “erod[ing] the confidence of citizens.”

The site also features county reporting from former Creative Loafing and Florida Independent Editor Cooper Levey-Baker. He broke the news about potential Department of Justice intervention in Kathy Dent’s plan to consolidate voting precincts around the county. Others contributing to the publication include Staff Writer Robert Ross, Contributing Photographer Norman Schimmel, Contributing Writers David Staats and Fran Palmeri, A&E Writer Elinor Rogosin and General Manager Robert S. Hackney, Rachel’s husband.

The plan for now is for the staff to keep blogging to build credibility and buzz, and then launch the full-fledged e-weekly come August. Can a new publication make a dent in the Observer– and Herald-Tribune-dominated local media universe? I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Sense and the City: Picking the winners at this year’s Sarasota Film Festival

My column in this week’s Ticket is all about settling into the dark of the movie theater and enjoying some high-quality flicks, just in time for this year’s Sarasota Film Festival. Here’s a taste:

My brain is a sieve when it comes to remembering people’s names, the ticker symbol for my miniscule retirement investment and what I had for dinner last night, but just say the words, “Leave the gun; take the cannoli,” “I’ll have what she’s having,” “Do I laugh now, or wait till it gets funny?” or “Yippee-ki-yay [INSERT WORD THAT’S UNPRINTABLE IN A FAMILY NEWSPAPER]” and I can tell you the film title and character speaking without even scratching my head.

I live for those rare moments when the person I’m talking to nods, gives me a knowing smile, and says simply, “De Niro in ‘Casino’ ” after I toss the line “And the eye in the sky is watching us all,” into a conversation about Google or Facebook.

In other words, I’m a cinephile — a nut for movies and films (and yes, there is a difference). So of course, I love the fact that my hometown has its very own film festival, with its ever-growing film industry bona fides. Though I generally eschew the glitz, red carpets, celebrity appearances and pricy parties — give me a ticket, a dark theater and a film that makes me laugh, cry, cringe, grab hold of the person sitting next to me, feel like falling in love or think about changing my life — and I’m golden.

Read the rest — including the films I’m most pumped about — over at the Ticket website.

Satisfy your jazz jones in Sarasota

“Jazz gets under your skin like a sultry and slightly mysterious woman – improvising, free-form, leaving you never knowing what to expect next.” Read the rest of this week’s Sense and the City column … about all that jazz! Click here to read the online version.

Just Dessert Please — And Hold the Homelessness!

I’m going to be a celebrity (as if!) judge at the 4th annual Family Promise of Sarasota “Just Desserts” event on Friday, March 23 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. And all the proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s work to help homeless families regain self-sufficiency. Open to the public — the $50 entry donation gets you access to an extravaganza of desserts created and donated by local chefs. Come on by and say Hi!

For more information and/or ticket purchase, visit www.familypromisesarasota.org.

Learn more about this great organization by clicking on the link below to read a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article. Just scroll past the first story on Belize. http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120321/ARTICLE/120329924?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar

March Birds Herald Sing

Several nights, I’ve slipped quietly from the house to stand in the yard and listen. My eyes wide and searching what I call the “forest” of oaks, practically holding my breath, and unable to resist smiling; but for the life of me …
Read the rest of this week’s Sense and the City column in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune TICKET today

WSLR Community Radio — Raising Funds & Looking for New Members!

Sunday night, March 18, I’m going to be sitting in on the Louisiana Gumbo Show from 7 to 9 p.m., helping them raise funds for WSLR LPFM 96.5 radio. WSLR is a community radio station that airs programming on local politics, health and wellness, sustainable living … oh, and did I mention GREAT music? The station also hosts lecture series and concerts and community days … if you’re not familiar with WSLR, I invite you to check it out at www.wslr.org. Or stream the programs live by clicking on www.wslr.org.

If you want to support the programming, I invite you to call in from 7-9 p.m., on Sunday night and make a pledge — anything from $10 or $15 on up. There are some cool “rewards” for pledging — read about them by clicking here. — everything form free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to massage to free cd’s to cabin rentals to concert passes and architectural services. To call in and make a donation, 894.6469 or 954.8636. If you want to make a comment or ask a question ON AIR, use 954.8636. I’ll be happy to take questions and make up answers!

Women Make Great Entrepreneurs!

My Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sense & the City column this week profiles Flori Roberts, co-founder of Smart Cover Cosmetics and an honoree this year for Girls Inc of Sarasota County’s She Knows Where She’s Going award. Roberts is a fascinating, charming woman — the kind you’d like for your best friend. Click here to read Flori Roberts Serial Entrepreneur

Spring Break When You’re No Spring Chicken!

Ahhh, spring break. For the college-age set, those words signal a week of carefree bliss at the beach. It seems a tad unfair that once you grow up and leave college behind, spring break is expected to be a thing of the past. So, with that in mind, here are my top three picks for taking a well-deserved mini-break — just a few hours out of your month — guaranteed to restore your sanity and give you the glowing equivalent of a week of fun in the sun … without the sunburn.

Click here to read my suggestions — everything from Nautical Nights at Sarasota Architectural Salvage to benefit Mote Marine, Family Promise of Sarasota’s Just Desserts, and getting some meditation mojo from none other than Gary Halperin.Take a Break for Spring!

Reinvent Yourself at Renaissance Luncheon

I doubt there’s a woman alive who hasn’t wanted – or needed — to reinvent herself at some point in her life. While we don’t have to go as far as Madonna (the boy toys, coffee table sex books and faux British accent), a refresher every decade or so or whenever a major life transition occurs … get ideas for your own reinvention in this week’s Sense and the City column — Reinvent Yourself at Renaissance Luncheon — in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Event features Gail Sheehy, emceed by Michael Saunders, and put on by the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County.

Love Books? Buy ‘Em Local at Circle Books

Watch this great “City Business” (from Sarasota government) clip about Circle Books on St. Armands Circle. I was there just a few weeks ago, looking for a specific book but couldn’t remember the author’s name and of course, with just a couple of words from me about what the book was about … the booksellers knew what I wanted and led me to it (The Art of Fielding, by the way).

But watch this video for a GAZILLION reasons why you should buy your books at local bookshops as opposed to over the Internet or at the big boxes.

http://sarasota.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=68&clip_id=4671