On Sunday, Sept. 29, a large group of clergy, community members and Immokalee workers gathered at St. Martha’s Catholic Church for a community-wide assembly before marching in a procession to the Promenade Publix, where attendees sang peacefully on the sidewalk adjacent to Tamiami Trail while a clergy delegation entered the store to purchase Fair Trade coffee. The peaceful protest, although primarily tied to the campaign by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to get Publix to sign onto the organization’s Fair Food Agreement (FFA) –– which guarantees certain rights to [...]

What does it take to run a successful local business in Sarasota during a global economic recession?  It’s a difficult question and there are a lot of different answers that will always depend on who’s being asked. There’s one sentiment, though, that every answer will likely have in common: It’s not easy. That’s why this reporter, who has lived in Sarasota for almost six years and has seen a lot of businesses come and go, is embarking on a mission to gather as many of these answers as possible.  This [...]

Birth. Many living in the Sarasota area have likely never seen it. They may wonder what it’s like, and whether or not the experience could change how they feel about, well, life –– or, more specifically, the roles that mothers play in the complex process that helps to safely usher it into our world. Answers to these questions will be available soon, though, as the play is scheduled for performances on Oct. 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. at New College of Florida’s Black Box Theater, and on Oct. 7 [...]

On Thursday, Sept. 6, the Ringling Museum of Art hosted the latest event in its “Ringling Underground” series and showed college students in the area that the grounds can be a hip place to hang out and take in contemporary art of all kinds, from live bands and an emcee to a disorienting optical installation and a pair of girls wandering the lawn in the characters of master and puppy. The event marked another successful step forward in a concerted effort undertaken by Ringling curators over the past couple of [...]

Orlando native Andy White –– who releases and performs music under the moniker Andy Boay and is also one half of experimental rock duo Tonstartssbandht –– has spent the past few years living in Montreal, Quebec, getting intimate with a city known for its booming music scene. About a month ago, he decided to move back to his hometown and, despite expressing an affinity for Montreal, said he’s been looking forward to diving back into Florida’s musical underground. After performing alongside local Sarasota acts Hapeas Porpoise and Baklavabalaklava and fellow Orlando band [...]

Many adults fondly recall the day that they received their first driver’s license, which afforded them the independence to get behind the wheel of a car and go … well, anywhere! Suzy Wilburn, Director of Admissions and Student Services at Southeastern Guide Dogs, remembers that rush of exhilaration well. In an interview with This Week in Sarasota, she recounted “that feeling you get of giddiness, where you think, ‘I’m in control and I can do what I want, and I have this unfound freedom that I had no idea was [...]