News & Public Affairs

Former Governor and Senator Bob Graham on Afghanistan strategy listen

11/19/09 Virginia Hoffman
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Bob Graham, Afghanistan War, Sarasota

Former Florida Governor Bob Graham retired from the U.S. Senate five years ago.

Last night, WMNF’s Virginia Hoffman spoke with Senator Graham in Sarasota. She began the interview by asking Graham about President Barack Obama’s upcoming decision concerning a possible troop increase for the war in Afghanistan.

Please tune in to the Evening News tomorrow at 6pm for the rest of this interview when we ask Senator Graham about the race for his former seat.

Be the first to comment

Musicians in labor dispute with Sarasota Orchestra management cancel concert listen

11/12/09 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: labor, Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota

A labor dispute between the Sarasota Orchestra and its unionized musicians has caused a benefit concert to be canceled. The Sarasota Orchestra Players’ Association had planned to play tomorrow night at the First Congregational Church of Christ, but because of threats from management they will hold a town hall meeting instead.

Betsy Hudson Traba is the principal flutist of the Sarasota Orchestra and chair of...

Be the first to comment

President Clinton speaks in Sarasota listen

10/07/09 Virginia Hoffman
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Bill Clinton, Sarasota

Former President Clinton visited Sarasota last Wednesday as the kick-off speaker for the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall series.

Standing in a packed hall, Clinton joked that he had second thoughts about speaking in a hostile political territory. He said today's political battles are not new.

Clinton then moved to the core philosophy that motivates him, and warned about the dangers of news dependence.

He continued to encourage civil action, saying that cynicism is a co...

Be the first to comment

Sarasota approves transfer of stadium; Orioles closer to coming listen

07/22/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Sarasota

The $31 million dollar plan to make Sarasota the new spring training home for the Baltimore Orioles was barely approved today.

The City Commission of Sarasota agreed on a 3-2 vote to turn over Ed Smith Stadium to the County. But disagreement on adding an amendment to limit the City’s exposure to costs related to environmental impacts led two Commissioners to reject the proposal.

The issue of any remedial liability for the City surfaced on Monday, forcing the City Commissioners to del...

Be the first to comment

Mandolin Magic Concert set for March 28 listen

03/23/09 Andrea Lypka
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: mandolin, Sarasota

The Hungarian American Cultural Association’s benefit concert will take place on March 28 at Glenridge Performing Arts Center in Sarasota.

The Mandolin Magic concert is organized by the Hungarian American Cultural Association Kossuth Club in collaboration with the Sarasota Mandolin Orchestra to provide scholarships for college-bound seniors in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The orchestra, conducted by Antonina Nigrelli, consists of professional musicians from all over the world who ar...

1 comments

Sarasota citizen files suit against noise ordinance listen

03/20/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Sarasota, noise ordinance, ACLU

Two Florida residents, represented by the ACLU, have filed a lawsuit challenging Sarasota’s noise ordinance. The law allows for police to seize and impound vehicles when drivers are charged with playing their music too loud. The lawsuit was filed in state court against the city of Sarasota and Police Chief Peter Abbott.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Mark Cannon, a resident of Sarasota, and Latrese Allen, a resident of Bradenton. Cannon was stopped for “loud music” and his vehicle...

4 comments

Sarasotans reject elected mayor proposal listen

03/11/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Sarasota, mayor, Sarasota City Commission

A measure to elect a mayor and expand the City Commission in Sarasota was easily defeated last night, despite the fact supporters of the measure outspent opponents by a prodigious amount.

Kelly Kirschner currently sits on the Sarasota City Commission, and was against the measure.

Currently, Sarasota city citizens elect a six-member Commission, and one of the commissioners is rotated annually to act as the sitting mayor.

The measure on the ballot last night would have eliminated the r...

Be the first to comment

Sarasota voters to consider reshaping government listen

03/05/09 Mitch E. Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Sarasota, mayor, Sarasota City Commission

Next Tuesday, citizens who live in the city of Sarasota will go to the polls to decide whether to vote for an elected mayor. They also will vote on whether to add two at-large commissioners to the current five-member board.

Currently, City Commissioners name a mayor and vice mayor through a simple rotational system. The measure would make the mayor a directly elected official.

Michael Saunders runs a real estate company bearing her name in Sarasota. Saunders, and her son Drayton, have ...

Be the first to comment

Efest brings environmentally friendly together listen

11/24/08 Colleen Krepstekies and Andrea Lypka
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Environment, efest, green, Sarasota

Efest, the Green Living Music and Arts Festival took place at the Sarasota Polo Grounds in Lakewood Ranch green community in Nov. 15-16.

The free annual event is the largest environmental festival in the Gulf Coast region, uniting private sector, non-governmental and governmental institutions that are concerned about the environment. It showcased Green-N- Healthy Expo with 175 exhibitors and green panel discussions about eco-friendly building trends, green technologies and alternative en...

Be the first to comment

Hungarian Festival held in Sarasota listen

10/27/08 Colleen Krepstekies and Andrea Lypka
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Hungarian festival, Sarasota

The Hungarian Festival in Sarasota was a unique opportunity for Floridians to enjoy Hungarian food and culture for a day. The Global Friendship Foundation organized the Hungarian Day in Sarasota on Oct. 26.

The vice president of the foundation, Zsolt Szekely, said that there hasn’t been a Hungarian Festival in Sarasota for 19 years. About 800 people, mostly Americans, attended the first Hungarian Festival last year, this year about 1,500 people enjoyed the Hungarian culture and gastrono...

Be the first to comment