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Local news and politics program, broadcasting from Sarasota's own WSLR 96.5 LP FM, every Wednesday & Friday at 6 pm (with a Week in Review on Saturday at Noon). Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or at www.WSLR.org.
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Does climate change make you act like a deer in the headlight? A conference coming up tomorrow slices the big challenge into digestible portions - small enough for action. Gretchen Cochran gives us a preview.Then: Sarasota was a global pioneer a quarter century ago when it became home to one of the first canopy walkways. Now, an effort is on to preserve and improve it. Brice Claypoole reports.Next: A busload of Sarasota clerics and activists took a ride to the Alligator Alcatraz, and our reporter Ramon Lopez tagged along.
New College has been DOGE’d by the state, and the results don’t look pretty. The bad optics come at a time when the governor’s and legislature’s financial largesse could come to an end. We try to dig deeper.Then: Community Development Districts - the developer-controlled entities that tax homeowners, often with little to no representation - have received a not too flattering spotlight. The Manatee County Commission just approved two more CDDs.Next: Should Sarasota County have a recurring funding source for its land preservation efforts? Securing the future of this program will be up to you, as this will be a ballot question next year.
The threat of for-profit operators taking over school buildings lit a fire under the Sarasota School District. The five school board members seem ready to approve this Friday a substantial reshuffle. We have the details.Then: Low school enrollment in Sarasota seems to respond more to demographics than to performance. Occupancy at Sarasota charter schools is as low as in public schools, the Suncoast Searchlight found. Next: Publix decided to invite customers who openly carry firearms. Many disagree that this will make grocery shopping a pleasure. Lynn Aragon has that report.Then: Using incentives for developers, Manatee County has produced more than a thousand units of what is called workforce housing. But rents for these apartments are still out of reach for most working people. So the county commission tomorrow will discuss changing tack.Finally: Clergy have been among the most outspoken critics of the crackdown against immigrants. Sarasota has been a hotspot of religious resistance, as Ramon Lopez reports.
Coming up: Turning Point, the organization founded by recently assassinated conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, is getting help from the governor in their push into high schools. SEE Alliance, on the other side of the political spectrum, now has ambitious plans to do the same.Then: A for-profit charter operator is asking the Sarasota School District for free access to a school for the disabled. That raises questions, and Suncoast Searchlight is seeking answers. Next: A religious coalition in Sarasota this Sunday is joining a national action in support of immigrants called Disappeared in America. We have the details.Then: A Sarasota police investigation found a neighbor who sent threatening texts about basketball playing kids in the majority black Central-Cocoanut neighborhood is not a danger to the community. The hoop is back up. But what’s next? We interviewed neighbors and activists.Finally: Is the ambitious Sarasota Performing Arts Center plan alive? The non-profit behind the $400 million project is planning a gala fundraiser, and Gretchen Cochran tried to find out what it’s about.
Manatee County’s state legislators opened yet another front in what many in the Republican county believe is a war against home rule: This time, it’s about taking away local control over one of the area’s biggest economic generators.Next: The Schools of Hope law forces districts to hand over buildings of underused schools to private operators. That, in turn, has prompted the Sarasota school district into a flurry of reorganization plans to fill school buildings with low enrollment. But now, the superintendent retracted a consolidation plan - the second turnaround within a week. Then: Jon Thaxton was an unusual recent addition to the Sarasota County Planning Commission. The former county commissioner and long-time environmental activist was expected to change the public perception that this appointed advisory board is a rubber stamp for developers. But his first vote took many by surprise.Finally: At a film screening and panel discussion about the war in Ukraine, we asked the panelists about their reactions to Trump’s peacemaking efforts.
For 24 hours, the City of Sarasota took down the hoops at a neighborhood park, after a neighbor made serious threats against teenagers playing basketball. We have the details. Next: The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office seems eager to cooperate with ICE in the crackdown against immigrants. This comes from Suncoast Searchlight. Then: A New College professor was denied emeritus status by the administration - a case of political retribution?Next: The future of the historic VanWezel Performing Arts Center looks brighter now. We explain why.Finally: Our reporter was there when Sarasota first responders practiced how to handle active shooter situations.
Coming up: ICE is catching bad guys. That’s the simple message Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem brought during a quick stop during her whirlwind tour of the United States. Ramon Lopez got to ask her a couple questions. Next: Noem’s visit came 48 hours after No Kings protests brought thousands to the streets in this area. Klaus Obermeit has that report. Then: The Sarasota School district is under pressure to prevent Schools of Hope takeovers of public schools here. But students and parents are pushing back against consolidation plans.Next: The Sarasota County Commission rejected a scaled-down project by a national homebuilder. We have the details.Finally: The City of Sarasota wants to bury power lines on barrier islands that were flooded during last year’s storms.
Coming up: He’s home. A father of two and husband of a seriously ill mother is reunited with his family after he was released from ICE detention. This comes after the surprising ruling of an immigration judge. Ramon Lopez brings us this exclusive. Next: The Bay - the big park project near downtown Sarasota - is expanding north, into the next two phases. We have the details. Then: Gotta go? Hopefully not during a city commission meeting. Suncoast Searchlight brings you breaking news about plumbing at Sarasota City Hall.Finally: Manatee County is opening up public use of a big chunk of county-owned agricultural land near Lakewood Ranch.
It’s going to be not one, but six. “No King” protests in Sarasota and Manatee County are taking shape this Saturday, and Klaus Obermeit has a preview.Next: Phillippi Creek flooded many homes during last year’s storm season. One year later, Sarasota County will soon get dredging underway. Then: Groundwater contamination keeps spreading at the historically African American community of Tallevast. They have been in a two decades-long David-vs-Goliath fight with Lockheed Martin, and going. Ramon Lopez brings you Part 2 of our three-part series.Finally: A local theater brings actual voices of immigrants on stage. We have this report from Suncoast Searchlight.
Coming up: The former Israeli defense minister who was in charge of the first year of the war in Gaza is coming to Sarasota. And that’s prompting pushback.Next: It’s raining private takeover notifications. The same for-profit school operator that wants to occupy three public school buildings in Sarasota has notified the Manatee County School District it wants access to two schools there. Then: We get an update from one of the lead plaintiffs in a case that could shut down the immigrant detention camp in the Everglades.Then: Sarasota County decided not to sell the land on which the Hermitage Artist Retreat stands. But how will it finally be fixed? Noah Vinsky brings us the details.Finally: The historic African American neighborhood of Tallevast is still dealing with the fallout of decades of soil and groundwater contamination. Ramon Lopez brings us Part 1 of a three-part series.
Wilkinson Elementary parents can breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like the neighborhood school will not end up being the first public school in Sarasota’s history to close, after all. Dania Hefley has this report. Then: The race for Bridget Ziegler’s school board seat is heating up. Brice Claypoole reports.Next: The non-profit in charge of developing The Bay park near downtown Sarasota picked a politically connected family business to run a yet-to-be-built waterview restaurant. Gretchen Cochran has the scoop.Next: At a packed community meeting this weekend about flooding and stormwater management, one county commissioner admitted to “sins of the past”. Ramon Lopez has that story.Finally: The architect of U.S. holocaust indemnification agreements is in Sarasota for a talk tomorrow. We talked to Stuart Eizenstat, to get his views on how to avoid a repeat of fascism and the Holocaust, on Trump and diplomacy, and on the Carter administration’s achievements.
Florida could make the difference in next year’s congressional elections, which is why many here are concerned about early redistricting and gerrymandering. Brice Claypoole has this report. Then: Distress is spreading amid the immigrant crackdown. Many are unable to go to work, stuck at home, or sick. A group of Sarasota churches is stepping in with help. Ramon Lopez reports.Next: Wilkinson Elementary could be the first public school ever in Sarasota to close. But many more could end up on the chopping block, as Suncoast Searchlight reports.Next: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo wants to end all vaccination mandates and ban one type of vaccines. His predecessor speaks out against this. We bring you excerpts of a WSLR interview with Scott Rivkees.Finally: It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Ringling Museum of Art is providing a big platform to local Hispanic artists. We have the details about Nuestro Vaivén, an exhibition that’s much more than just paintings on walls.
Coming up: It used to be that you paid bail, and you’re out of jail. Not anymore. Suncoast Searchlight brings us a report about ICE retainers, and how local jails are the first stop of a deportation pipeline for people held for minor infractions. Then: It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Ringling Museum of Art is providing a big platform to local Hispanic artists. We have the details about Nuestro Vaivén, an exhibition that’s much more than just paintings on walls. Next: It used to be that eating local and growing organic food was the realm of old hippies and tree huggers. Our reporter found that the chair of the all-Republican Sarasota County Commission is now a spokesperson for Eat Local Week.Then: It’s been two years since a young man in Palmetto lost his life while in police custody. His mother is putting together an event this Friday to remember Breonte, and to prevent more deaths like his.Finally: Suncoast demographics and parks make the crossover possible: A teenager from Bradenton is conquering the pickleball pro rankings. Partner station WMNF has that profile.
The “Schools of Hope” law literally makes every public elementary and middle school in Sarasota and Manatee a takeover target for private, for-profit operators. WSLR News reporter Dania Hefley has the details.Next: Open Carry is upon us, and WSLR News reporter Brice Claypoole is looking at the implications. One thing is certain: There’s uncertainty. Even sheriffs seem to disagree over what you can and cannot do.Next: A construction debris recycler is stirring up dust in the Cocoanut-Central neighborhood near downtown Sarasota. Partner station WMNF has a report.Then: A Bradenton family is going public about how deportation is tearing them apart and threatening a mother's life. Ramon Lopez reports about at a press conference. Finally: The Sarasota County-owned Hermitage Artist Retreat on Casey Key was seriously damaged by hurricanes last year, and it’s still being fixed. This week, county commissioners talked about its future, and WSLR News’ Noah Vinsky reports.
The Sarasota County Emergency Management folks want you to know: Hurricane season is at its peak - not the time to let your defenses down.Next: ICE is increasingly mining Florida jails for undocumented immigrants to arrest. That leaves in limbo many who have been arrested on minor charges. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.Then: Today, the Florida Board of Education discussed how to implement a new law that would allow charter schools to take over public schools and their buildings. We have a report on the first school in Sarasota that may close - in anticipation of "Schools of Hope" enforcement.Finally: He’s an illustrator, he wants to publish a book about hats - and he actually makes hats, too. WSLR News was at an exhibition opening in Sarasota featuring Oliver Dominguez’s art … and hats.
The Sarasota school district may end up closing down its first school since 1969. And Wilkinson Elementary is not the only Title 1 school that could end up disappearing, amid shrinking student numbers and budgets for public schools.Next: The Sarasota County Planning Commission has long been seen by activists as a rubber stamp board for developers. But at least one recent appointment could be changing that perception.Then: That same board will be weighing a 1,000-unit project on agricultural land by a prominent developer. We have the details.
Selby Botanical Gardens found itself in the awkward position of having to field legal arguments to be allowed to cut down grand trees that enjoy special protections by the City of Sarasota. We explain.Next: The ongoing immigration crackdown has thrown one Bradenton family into extreme distress. Ramon Lopez talked to a mother of two who is homebound facing a serious health challenge.Then: Sarasota clerics are organizing weekly prayer vigils in support of immigrants. We have the details. Next: Free speech on campus is in the spotlight. We talked to a watchdog group that ranks universities’ free speech environment, to find out why Florida colleges are not looking good.
The Sarasota County Commission rejected a big homebuilder’s bid to build 156 homes on pasture land next to a bird sanctuary. On Thursday, DR Horton was back with a changed plan, asking the county to reconsider. Noah Vinsky reports.Then: A small business owner in Sarasota ended up in a social media tornado, after she reposted an Instagram post on Charlie Kirk. We talked to her.Next: Florida schools are failing teenagers when it comes to sex education. Dania Hefley has that report.Finally: A first-responder ceremony in Sarasota reminded us of September 11, and Ramon Lopez has a report reminding us of this area’s close ties to the events of that day in 2001.
The Van Wezel’s lease on life seems to be expanding. Gretchen Cochran reports on the city’s latest plans with the historic performing arts hall.Next: Sarasota County is committing to keeping Midnight Pass open, after last year’s hurricanes blew open that inlet on Siesta Key. But that comes at a risk and cost.Then: New vaccine policies are creating confusion. Our reporter helps you understand what it now takes to get a COVID booster shot. Next: After nearly 70 years, Sister Cities International is as American as apple pie. But in today’s political environment, that people-to-people organization is facing headwinds. Our reporter talked to the diplomat who chairs the Sarasota chapter of Sister Cities about the challenges.Finally: Clergy in Sarasota are beginning weekly prayer vigils and protests against the treatment of immigrants.
Expect your Sarasota County water bills to go up by nearly 10 percent. That’s needed in part, the county says, because we have to spend upwards of $300 million to build infrastructure for the water needs of a growing population.Next: If you’re a homeowner in Sarasota County, there’s more rising cost: The stormwater fee on your annual property tax bill. The county commission met Friday to discuss stormwater management.Next: Here’s another radical idea coming out of New College of Florida: Privatize it. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.Then: David Jolly is a former Republican running as a Democrat for governor of Florida. Ahead of a visit to Sarasota next week, he answered a few questions from our reporter Brice Claypoole.Finally: Mark Vengroff’s One Stop Housing is on a roll. His workforce housing projects are multiplying in the area, and we bring you excerpts of a one-hour interview he gave to WSLR’s Peace and Justice Report this week.
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