Spice Up Your Kitchen

Four Ways to Take Your Cooking and Entertaining to the Next Level

From high-tech gadgets to organic-shaped ceramics, these finds will elevate the way your kitchen looks and works.

01/03/2020 By Megan McDonald

Best of the Year

Our 10 Most Popular Stories of 2019

MTV's "Siesta Key" red tide, the new Sarasota Art Museum and more topped the list this year.

12/30/2019 By Megan McDonald

Best of the Year

The Food Stories You Read and Loved in 2019

It was a delicious year.

12/27/2019 By Megan McDonald

Closures

Selby Public Library to Close for Repairs Starting Dec. 15

For full library services, users can visit the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library in Newtown.

12/10/2019 Photography by Staff

The Great Outdoors

Update Your Outdoor Living Area With These Chic Finds

December is one of the best months to be outside in Florida.

12/02/2019 By Megan McDonald

Sand Stars

Meet the Winners of the 10th Annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic

This year's competition drew seven teams of two and nine solo artists from around the world.

11/18/2019 By Megan McDonald

A Tropical Feast

How to Host Thanksgiving on the Beach

Venice’s beautiful beach provides the setting for a memorable holiday feast.

11/01/2019 By Megan McDonald

Coastal Classic

Lilly Pulitzer Pops Up on Siesta Key

The store is located at 5118 Ocean Blvd. in Siesta Key Village.

11/01/2019 By Megan McDonald

Shoe Obsession

Four Fab Pairs of Heels for Fall

Step into the busy season—and Forty Carrots’ “Wine, Women & Shoes” fund raiser— with these runway-ready heels.

10/30/2019 By Megan McDonald

Last Straw

What You Need to Know About Sarasota’s City Ordinance Banning Plastic Straws and Polystyrene

Sidewalk café businesses must begin following the ordinance on Jan. 1, 2020; for those who hold special event permits the ban begins on Aug. 19, 2020; and for those who lease city-owned land on the date their lease renews.

10/01/2019 By Megan McDonald

Giving Partners

Here's How You Can Help Hurricane Relief in the Bahamas

Several Suncoast organizations are facilitating donation drives for Bahamians experiencing the catastrophic consequences of Hurricane Dorian.

09/09/2019 By Megan McDonald

Guide to Giving

Team Tony Provides Cancer Support Through Friendship

"I want everyone to know that a diagnosis is not an ending.”

09/02/2019 By Megan McDonald

Big Cats

Why Are Panthers and Bobcats Suddenly Stumbling and Falling Down in Sarasota County?

Researchers are investigating why the big cats are experiencing neurological damage.

08/21/2019 By Megan McDonald

Well Played

VIDEO: Manatee County Schools Bus Driver Puts Her Spin on a Pop Anthem

Just in time for the new school year.

07/30/2019 By Megan McDonald

Environment

City Moves Forward With Ban on Single-Use Straws, Polystyrene Containers

A final vote will take place at the city commission's August meeting.

07/22/2019 By Megan McDonald

Travel Time

Planning a Vacation? Let These Pieces Do the Heavy Lifting

These four finds will take you from plane to pool—and beyond.

05/30/2019 By Megan McDonald

Grand Getaways

Grand Florida Hotels

Indulge at Florida's finest historic hotels.

05/27/2019 By Kay Kipling, Susan Burns, Cooper Levey-Baker, Megan McDonald, and Ilene Denton

Grand Hotels

The Breakers Is a Gilded Age Retreat

Real estate tycoon Henry Flagler named the hotel The Breakers because his hotel guests kept requesting rooms “by the breakers”—the place where the Atlantic breaks on the shoreline.

05/27/2019 By Megan McDonald

Architecture

I.M. Pei Left His Mark on Sarasota

The architect, who passed away this week at age 102, designed the dormitories at New College of Florida.

05/17/2019 By Megan McDonald

Bag Lady

How BSWANKY, a Line of High-End Handbags, Helps Immigrant Women

A chance meeting was the catalyst for Gretchen Bauer's line of ethically made handbags.

05/13/2019 By Megan McDonald