At LECOM Park, just north of Sarasota, the Bradenton Marauders–Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates– are continuing to grind out a strong season. Although Bradenton’s record is just 20-26 and the team has skidded as of late with just three wins in their last 10 contests, the Marauder’s have used the month of May to turn their young season around. Entering Tuesday’s game against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Marauders held the second-best ERA in the Florida State League (FSL) at 3.20 in the month of May, good for fifth-best in all of Single-A. Bradenton also tallied the second most strikeouts in the FSL this month with 245 in just 213.1 innings. Much of Bradenton’s success has come from their bullpen arms, particularly Yoldin De La Paz, a 22-year-old reliever who was promoted to High-A Greensboro earlier this week. De La Paz left Bradenton in the midst of an scoreless innings streak of 8.1 and tied for the team lead in wins at five. For the season, De La Paz possessed a 5-0 record with a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings of work. With De La Paz gone, Bradenton’s bullpen will look to relievers like Magdiel Cotto, 3-3 with a 1.85 ERA and Garrett McMillan, 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA, to keep up the pressure on opposing hitters. The Marauders will need it to continue their success–Sunday’s loss to Dunedin marked the team’s 19th one-run game of the season, with the Marauder’s holding a 10-9 record in that span. Offensively, the Marauder’s have been leaning upon their top prospects to shoulder the load. Catcher Omar Alfonzo, the Pirates’ no. 28 ranked prospect, leads the team in batting average and is in the midst of a 13 game on-base streak, during which he’s slashed .310/.492/.381 with three doubles and five RBIs. Outfielder Shalin Polanco, the Pirates’ no. 15 prospect, has brought the power, tied for the team lead in home runs with five and leading the club in RBIs with 22. The Marauders return to Bradenton on June 4 to begin a six-game homestand against the Clearwater Threshers.

LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton. 

Pictured: Bradenton Marauders in their Friendly City Friday edition uniforms. Photo courtesy of Bradenton Marauders.

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Sarasota’s yummiest time of year officially starts this Saturday, June 1, 2024, with an impressive list of restaurants participating in this year’s Savor Sarasota! As the summer season kicks in, Sarasota restaurants prepare to wow palates with their prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus. Savor Sarasota restaurant week is a two-week dining program that offers artfully crafted prix-fixe menus for both lunch and dinner. Lunch menus feature a two-course (appetizer and entrée) menu for $25 per person, and dinner menus feature three courses (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) for $40 per person. Many restaurants will also offer upgraded menu items, and wine pairings to elevate the diner’s experience, and some eateries like Duval’s Fresh. Local. Seafood are offering an extra course for the same price for both lunch and dinner. “This year’s list of participating restaurants is fantastic. They have upped their Savor game this year with some very impressive menus," said Erin Duggan, President of Visit Sarasota County. “All across Sarasota County, our chefs have created dishes to wow their guests, from Chef Dino’s  ‘Sardinian Gnocchi with Zucchini, Mint, and Fresh Pecorino’ at Sardina, to Savor newcomer Chef Gino of Kolucan’s ‘Cochinita Pibil’, which is a Yucatan-style roasted pork shoulder in banana leaves with sour orange, annatto seeds, and cinnamon – they sound so enticing! What’s more exciting is that some restaurants are taking it even further to make their guests' experience remarkable. For instance, Fins at Sharky’s in Venice is offering curated wine pairings to elevate each course. Imagine Lobster Seafood Risotto with an Italian Pinot Grigio, or Short Ribs with a Bordeaux wine. These mouthwatering menus showcase our amazing restaurants’ creativity and dedication to designing unforgettable and delicious dining experiences." Savor Sarasota is sponsored by Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Sarasota Magazine, WUSF/NPR. 

Five outstanding Sarasota County Schools educators were recognized last week with the Ripple Effect Teacher Award for their expansive impact in the classroom and beyond. Leaders from the school district and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation honored the winners in a series of surprise presentations at their schools.  Created by Barancik Foundation in memory of Chuck and Margie Barancik to celebrate exceptional Sarasota County public-school teachers, the Ripple Effect Award includes a $5,000 gift. The five Sarasota County Schools teachers who received the award are: Stacy Bellanca, Literacy Teacher, Garden Elementary School, Carrie Koontz, 2nd Grade Teacher, Taylor Ranch Elementary School, Jillian Nelson, ESE Resource Teacher, Sarasota Middle School, Brittany Smith, Music Teacher, Venice High School, Shannon Wynne, 5th Grade Teacher, Pine View School. At each award presentation, Superintendent Connor read from the nomination letter submitted by the winning teacher’s principal.  The celebrations included district and school administrators, fellow teachers and staff, and enthusiastic students.  Barancik Foundation senior vice president John Annis described the affection and respect that Chuck and Margie Barancik had for teachers before he handed the winners a framed award certificate and their $5,000 check. The latest Ripple Effect Teacher Awards were presented in May to commemorate Chuck Barancik’s birthday, which was May 27.  The Foundation will present five more awards in September in memory of Margie Barancik, who was a teacher by profession.  Nominations are submitted annually by school principals at the invitation of school district leadership and the Foundation.  Since 2021, Barancik Foundation has recognized 35 educators with the Ripple Effect Award. 

Bay Haven School of Basics Plus’ Rocking World Detour Problem (Rocking World Detour) placed 3rd out of 56 teams – representing 46 states and 10 countries – in the division one Elementary category at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Competition (held from May 22 - May 25 at Iowa State University). The 2024 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals featured more than 700 teams from around the globe competing in the annual international event. Rocking World Detour’s “problem” was sponsored by Arm and Hammer, an element the team had to incorporate into their performance. The criteria for the problem also involved: the team creating a rock band that was unexpectedly transported to an unexpected location; writing a team-created original song and lyrics; and singing the song while playing a creative team-created instrument. The team was judged on creative and original hair and make-up and had to use music to transport back on tour. Rocking World Detour also had to participate in a spontaneous problem that teams must solve on-the-spot using quick thinking and creativity. These problems can help develop teamwork and the ability to deal with unexpected situations. The team scored 4 points below the highest team in this category. Bay Haven represented all of Florida at the worldwide competition and was the #1 team from the United States. A team from China placed 1st and a team from Poland placed 2nd. Rocking World Detour was comprised of (5) 4th grade students and (1) 5th grade student. The team truly “ROCKED” the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals! 

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is pleased to announce that Captain Debra Kiner graduated on May 24 from the Florida Sheriffs Association Commanders Academy, Graduating Class 15. Corrections Captain Debra Kiner completed the academy at the Florida Sheriffs Association headquarters in Tallahassee. This program, recognized as the premier course of executive study for mid to upper-level criminal justice leaders, was designed by sheriffs to ensure that these leaders have the background and training to carry out their responsibilities in the agencies they serve.

Sheriff Hoffman is also proud to announce the promotion of two sheriff’s office members in a ceremony held on Monday. Deputy Brendan Keats is promoted to sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Bureau. The sheriff’s office hired Keats in 2017 as a patrol deputy. He was later appointed to the Aviation Unit as a Tactical Flight Deputy and, in 2019, transferred to the Criminal Investigations Section as a detective. Sergeant Matt Tuggle is promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the Court Services Bureau. The sheriff’s office hired Tuggle as a patrol deputy in 2010. He has worked in several areas of the agency, including patrol, tactical, criminal, and special investigations. 

On May 24, 2024, Booker Middle School (BMS) was recognized with the Arts Schools Network (ASN) 2024 Outstanding Arts Schools Award. This award is presented to a school with an outstanding record of overall excellence in the categories of faculty and student achievement, community recognition and involvement, arts and academics integration, curriculum innovations, continuing growth and development, and state and national recognition. ASN – the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools – will honor BMS at the Awards Ceremony during the ASN 2024 Annual Conference in Washington, DC from October 23-25. BMS’s Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) magnet program – inside a Title I middle school (6th-8th grade) located in Sarasota, FL – welcomes students from all demographics and backgrounds to join in a professional and robust arts learning environment. Prospective magnet students audition for the program and come from both the general student population (students who are zoned to Booker Middle School) or from other school zones. VPA students may participate in two arts classes as part of their daily routine in addition to their general education classes. VPA class offerings include Fine Art, Band, Chorus, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Digital Design, Modern Band, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, Film & TV, Circus Arts, and Orchestra. In addition to the magnet students, their arts program also impacts the general student population. All students at BMS are enrolled in arts electives that change quarterly and the arts program staff works collaboratively with core curriculum teachers to create arts integration opportunities. Students are involved in creating academically challenging classrooms throughout the learning community. BMS takes great pride in inspiring tomorrow’s leaders. Dr. R. Scott Allen, Managing Director for ASN said, “Our organization offers guidance, inspiration, and incentives to arts schools and their leaders who strive for excellence on campuses across the country. When they demonstrate outstanding efforts toward this goal, we recognize and reward their achievements with awards such as this.”