Marketing professional Katherine Norman became the first Democrat to throw her hat in the ring to challenge Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, in Senate District 23.Running on a message of transparency and environmental action, she hopes before November to boost the level of public engagement voters have with elected officials.

“I want to share information before bad decisions are made so we are not all suffering the bad repercussions of government,” she said. “For too long, we have been responding to poor decision-making.”

Norman grew up in Sarasota before attending college at New York University. After time in New York City and later Orlando, she moved back to Sarasota about seven years ago and is raising two sons here. The 30-year-old is running for office for the first time, but has been active in the Sarasota County Democratic Environmental Caucus.

Gruters, for his part, took some umbrage at a challenge built on the environment, noting funding he secured for a Red Tide Institute working out of Mote Marine Laboratory and a bill he carried this year increasing fines on sewage spills. “As a fourth-generation Sarasotan, I place an extremely high value on the environment and water quality and I will continue to fight for water issues,” he said. “I welcome Emily Norman into the race and I take her very seriously but I hope she comes in a distant second.”

Norman said she’s looking forward to engaging with Gruters on environmental issues at forums and debates through the district. For her part, she sees environmental causes reaching past the shoreline. “Ultimately, he [Gruters] could be doing more,” she said. “I think water is an obvious choice, but the environment also goes to plastic use and our native plants. It’s about phosphate mining and agriculture and over-fertilization. It goes to the individual and the company level and making sure we are all on the same page— based on scientific facts.

“We just have to look at our outcomes now. And we have to ask, do we want to have a habitable earth?”

In addition to Gruters and Norman, Robert Kaplan has filed for the Senate seat as an independent. 

Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) celebrates its 76th season with a roster of world-renowned classical artists and ensembles. SCA’s 2021 Great Performers Series season, which runs January 14 through March 16, features the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra with Pavel Kogan, music director, and Blake Pouliot, violin (January 14, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel); The Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst, music director, and Yuja Wang, piano (January 24, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel); Bach Collegium Japan (January 28, 7:30 p.m., at Riverview Performing Arts Center); the Takács Quartet and Joyce Yang, piano (February 25, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel); Benjamin Beilman, violin, and Yekwon Sunwoo, piano (March 1, 7:30 p.m., at Riverview Performing Arts Center); and Emanuel Ax, piano (March 16, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel). Season subscriptions are on sale now and range from $425 to $140 for all six concerts. Single tickets go on sale on August 1. 

“The pandemic has dealt a severe blow to cultural organizations in Sarasota and around the world,” says Joy McIntyre, SCA’s board president. “Our decision to cancel our final concerts was, of course, a great loss. But it was the right thing to do for our patrons and the community.”

According to McIntyre, the SCA board still looks forward to a spectacular 2021 season, despite recent economic setbacks. “Our Great Performers Series artists and ensembles are all phenomenal,” she says. “One highlight is The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst. They performed to a sold-out audience in 2018, and we have already heard from subscribers purchasing seats this early—a great sign that SCA’s devoted supporters are here to stay!” McIntyre adds that Emanuel Ax and the Takács Quartet will also be returning—both audience favorites from the GPS series of 2018. 

Click for tickets.

As a clinical research associate and Chief Executive Officer of AgeVital Pharmacy Dr. Jenny has been selected as Top Naturopathic Doctor of the Year in Stem Cell and Cannabinoid Therapy by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for her outstanding leadership and commitment to the profession. With over two decades of professional experience in the healthcare industry, Dr. Jenny has proven that she is an accomplished professional and certainly an expert in the field. She is a talented, results-driven leader. Dr. Jenny demonstrates success not only as a health and wellness expert and educator, but she has also applied her expertise to the art of public speaking and educating physicians. She has lectured globally on the endocannabinoid system and functional integrative healthcare. Dr. Jenny is a charismatic television personality and producer with regular appearances on ABC, NBC, TBN, CBS, the CW and Lifetime.

As one of the world's top healthcare influencers, she is a mother of four beautiful children, woman of faith, celebrated TV personality and a public speaker. With kindness and a compassionate heart, she educates her patients and the medical community on treating the body by testing for deficiencies in our bodies. This is all backed up by extensive scientific medical research studies.

The collaboration between Dr. Jenny and The LWN Live with Nature Foundation is breaking new ground in the healthcare industry. Their companies offer the most comprehensive resources available for healthy transformational change. For a medical consultation about COVID19 preventative healthcare or overall wellness questions they offer a Telemedicine line where you can talk directly to a doctor. They also have a comprehensive line of nutritional products and vitamins available. 

Click for more.

BERLIN PATTEN EBLING had this category dead to rights, conquering the court of opinion and winning the Platinum Best of SRQ 2020 award this year. But WILLIAMS PARKER made a motion into the Gold slot. Readers also made a good case for BAND GATES & DRAMIS, which was picked for Silver by our jury of readers.

Our readers weign in: Richard Biter (on Berlin Patten Ebling): They know real estate law inside and out...there is no one better!! Lou Walton (on Williams Parker): They’re a unique law firm with highly qualified attorneys with graduate degrees and board certified in different areas of the law. As a retired attorney myself from “up north,” I’ve been very impressed with their depth of knowledge in particular legal areas. Greg Carlson (on Band  Gates & Dramis): Erik Arroyo at Band Gates & Dramis is a consummate professional. He goes all in to help his clients, and he is my go-to expert for any legal advice. 

Image: Best of SRQ Local 2019 feature

Read more from the Best of SRQ 2020 Competition HERE

This Mother's Day share the gift of brain health with the women who have made an impact on your life. Join the Brain Health Initiative as we stand up for your brain health and the brain health of those you care for, and fight against brain illness. Here we are in the midst of doing everything we can to prepare for, respond to and recover from COVID-19. Concurrently, we must do the same and stand up and fight against brain illness, like dementia. In honor of the more than 3 million extraordinary, strong, passionate, loving and brilliant women in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease, and their families and caregivers, we say Happy Mother's Day with gratitude.

Brain illness, like dementia, is the nation's largest under-recognized public health crisis. Even during COVID-19 it is imperative that we continue to promote and protect brain health and fight brain illness. Remember, women's health includes brain health. Brain illness, like dementia and depression, disproportionately impacts women. Women need to take proactive steps to protect their brain health. It is never too early and never too late to understand and take action on the protective factors of brain health and the risk factors of brain illness. Brain health belongs at the forefront of health, not an afterthought when symptoms present. Therefore, you must be an empowered and knowledgeable champion of your own brain health, of those you love, and of the brain health of our community. Begin by understanding the power of living a brain healthy lifestyle. 

Click to listen to songs honoring moms and women.

The Manatee County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board will meet at 10:00 a.m. and the Sarasota County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board will meet at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, to conduct business required by State and Federal law. Public access and public comment opportunities will be provided as permitted in Executive Order 20-69 for local government meetings, allowing the use of communications media technology, such as telephonic and video conferencing. Comments will be accepted before, during, and after the meeting. All comments will be included as part of the official public record. 

Click for meeting materials and details.