At 5-17, the Bradenton Marauders may be tied for last place in the Florida State League, but things could be looking up for the young buccaneers. On Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates Single-A affiliate surged to a 7-3 victory over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, blasting 10 hits and three home runs to open their six-game homestand against Fort Myers. The Marauders, who are 4-6 at home but just 1-11 away, were boosted by strong offensive nights from some of their top prospects. Infielder Garret Forrester notched a season-high three hits including his first professional home run. Minor League rehabber Joshua Palacios cracked a one-out double in the first inning and outfielder Shalin Polanco, the Pittsburgh Pirates 16th ranked prospect per MLB.com, added a two-run home run in the seventh.

The offensive outburst was a welcome sight for the Marauders. As a team, Bradenton is hitting just .181 this year and sports a -41 run differential. Tuesday night’s game, however, could be a turning point for the Marauders–Polanco, who is batting just .149 on the year, is tied for second in the league in RBIs at 14. On the mound, 15th ranked prospect Michael Kennedy is progressing well with a 3.71 ERA in his four starts. The left-hander, drafted in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB Amatuer draft, is just 19 year-old and after making his professional debut in 2023, pitched well enough late last season to earn a call up to Single-A Bradenton.

The Marauders feature a multitude of promotional nights during this week’s homestand at LECOM Park, including Thirsty Thursday–which features two-dollar beers, sodas, hot dogs and potato chips, a Friendly City Friday and Paws & Claws event on Friday night’s game and a special Star Wars Night with a post game fireworks display on Saturday, May 4.

LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton. 

Pictured: Fans and players pose for photo at the Marauders 2022 Star Wars Night. Photo courtesy of Bradenton Marauders.

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The law firm of Legler, Murphy & Battaglia, LLP, has a rich tradition of providing excellent legal services to injured individuals throughout our community. We practice in the areas of personal injury, workers’ compensation, auto accidents, premises liability, and other claims where injuries have been caused due to negligence and have been proudly serving the injured in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, and the surrounding areas for over 35 years. If you sustained personal injury or were hurt at work or otherwise, you may be entitled to various benefits. Unfortunately, in order to receive benefits, you must navigate a complicated system. Too often, injured individuals face an uphill battle to get the benefits they are entitled to. At Legler, Murphy & Battaglia, LLP, our attorneys are familiar with the resistance and delays our clients face. Our lawyers, whether in a personal injury, workers’ compensation, or auto accident case, make sure the process goes smoothly and that our clients get the best results possible. The insurance company is not concerned with protecting your rights and giving you fair compensation — As your attorneys we are. 

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Medical teams with HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital will bring a surgical robot to Wilkinson Elementary School. Sarasota orthopedic surgeon John Thomas, MD will be there to show students and their families how he uses the robot in the operating room. The event is part of Remake Learning Days, where hands-on educational events are held at various locations throughout the community for students and families. Students will be able to use the robotic arm and system that assists surgeons as they operate on patient’s knees. The hospital will also make a $1,000 donation to the school to support the science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) program. Wilkinson Elementary School is the only STEAM focused public elementary school in Sarasota County. Girls in the STEM Club on campus and school leaders will be there to accept the check.

Friday, May 3 from 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m., check presentation at 5:15 p.m., Wilkinson Elementary School, Library, 3400 Wilkinson Road, Sarasota. 

Selby Gardens is excited to announce Zuleima Martinez of Sarasota as the award recipient of the inaugural Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship. Martinez will be graduating on May 3 with an associate’s degree from the State College of Florida with a 3.72 GPA and will be pursuing her bachelor’s degree in communications at the University of South Florida in Tampa this fall. She has been actively involved with Girls Inc. for many years. The Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship, awarded in honor of and in partnership with Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki as the scholarship’s first mentor, is a merit-based scholarship aimed at recognizing and encouraging female students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievements and leadership qualities. "Knowing what a significant impact Mrs. Toulmin and her legacy had inspired me to follow in her footsteps," says Martinez. "I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.” In addition to receiving a $15,000 award from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and mentoring sessions from Rominiecki, Martinez will be appointed to Selby Gardens’ Advisory Committee to observe Rominiecki in action -- participating with local community, scientific and business leaders -- and also receive a one-year membership to Selby Gardens. 

Dozens of children got to experience where their parents work as part of Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Children of colleagues at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital learned about careers in healthcare and got a behind the scenes tour visiting the emergency room, laboratory, radiology, and tried on surgical gear. The children also got teddy bears and learned how to do some minor first aid treatment on their furry patients. Several children said they were interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. The hospital invites the children of colleagues in each year for this day. It is a way for children to learn a bit more about where their parents work and the hospital teams get to show off equipment and talk about how they care for patients in hopes of inspiring the next generation of healthcare heroes. 

On Sunday, April 28, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County hosted its inaugural Ringling Bridge 5K/10K Run and Well-Being Expo. The event, held at The Bay’s Civic Green Lawn, served to celebrate students and teachers across the county and promote resiliency and well-being. The run, which was sanctioned by the Manasota Race Club, had over 1,200 registrants. Participants followed a 10K, 5K, or fun-run course, with the 10K and 5K course crossing the Ringling Bridge. The opening ceremony featured 2023 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year Tim Ferguson playing the national anthem on the trumpet. School bands from Booker High School, Riverview High School, and Woodland Middle School played for participants along the route. The Well-Being Expo, held in conjunction with the run, included 16 organizations that provided information at booths. Students, families, and teachers learned about resources available to help them develop resiliency and find well-being. Participating organizations joining the Education Foundation included the event’s presenting sponsor, Florida Blue, as well as Also Youth, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Child Protection Center, Embracing Our Differences, Forty Carrots, Girls Inc, Healthy Teens, NAMI, Sarasota Housing Authority Youth Thrive, Sarasota Memorial Hospital – Urgent Care, Teen Court, Telement, YMCA of Southwest Florida, and Sarasota County Schools. The Well-Being Expo also featured yoga in the morning, a DJ, and food trucks. There was a raffle to win Apple AirPods for those at the Expo who visited all the booths. “The Ringling Bridge symbolizes connection and unity, which are central to supporting students and teachers,” said Jennifer Vigne, president and CEO. “To have so many people from across the community come out and unite to support public education and student and teacher well-being is so inspiring. “We are grateful to our presenting sponsor Florida Blue and to all the other organizations and individuals who made this amazing day possible.” 

Pictured: Runners crossed the iconic Ringling Bridge to champion students and teachers.

Sarasota County Schools proudly welcomed nine new teachers – all from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Education – to its ranks earlier this week. This past semester, Sarasota County Schools hosted 71 college and university students from 11 different educational institutions. The students were placed in 25 public schools throughout the district, with placements ranging from field experiences and observations to final teaching internships. Nine students from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Education completed final teaching internships – all nine students received acceptance agreements for teaching positions with Sarasota County Schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Sarasota County Schools – for the first time – was able to pay its teaching interns, and offer a stipend to supervising teachers, courtesy of the generosity of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. This builds upon Sarasota County Schools’ existing partnership with Barancik Foundation to enhance efforts relating to teacher recruitment, retention, and recognition. These nine new teachers will participate in the district’s First Year Teacher Induction program. In addition to an immersive training this summer – covering collaborative learning environments, classroom management, educational technology, and more – the new instructional hires will be matched with a mentor to help them navigate their first year on the job. 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the winning plays of this year’s annual youth playwriting competition. Now in its 33rd year, FST’s WRITE A PLAY program is an arts-in-education initiative, providing students with the example, the inspiration, and the skills to write their own original plays. Over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year, FST received submissions from more than 8,000 playwrights.This year, the WRITE A PLAY experience culminates on Florida Studio Theatre’s five-theatre campus with Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) Day, an annual celebration of children’s imagination and creativity. On Saturday, May 18, participating students, teachers, and families from across the state of Florida will come together to enjoy live performances of the year’s winning plays brought to life by professional actors. For more information about FST’s WRITE A PLAY program, please contact FST’s Children’s Theatre Associate, Kacy Jones, at kjones@floridastudiotheatre.org. 

Melton H. Little, an alumnus of Bayshore High School, asked the School Board of Manatee County during a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, March 19, 2024, to name the field at Bayshore High School’s Balvanz Stadium “Plaster/Green Field.” If ultimately approved, the facility would then be known as Plaster/Green Field at Balvanz Stadium. The name was specifically presented to honor two former educators and coaches at Bayshore: Tommy Plaster and Dan Green. According to the name nomination form, Plaster taught and coached at Bayshore from 1979-2009. He coached football, golf, supervised weight-training and served as chairman of the Physical Education Department for 16 years. Green is a member of the Bayshore Athletic Hall of Fame and coached at the school for 36 years before retiring in 2020. He coached baseball, soccer, volleyball and wrestling. He led the boys soccer team and baseball teams to regional playoff berths. In soccer, Green was a two-time Coach of the Year, led the Bruins to five district championships and one regional title. Once the name nomination was officially submitted for consideration, School Board policy called for the Communications, Family and Community Engagement Department to publish the name nomination on the school district website. The information was published on the website under “District Hot Topics & Compliance” on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Policy also calls for the name nomination to be distributed to the press, and that a period of no less than 60 days must pass between the time when the nomination is publicly presented to the School Board and the date when the School Board votes on the nominated name. The 60-day mark will be reached on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Bayshore Principal Wendell Butler and Assistant Principal Don French were in attendance at the meeting when Mr. Little presented the name nomination to the School Board.