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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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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.
They did it after all: On Tuesday, Manatee County commissioners voted 6-1 to join a lawsuit against a controversial state law. that restricts counties' and cities' ability to control development.Then: The Sarasota County Sheriff presented a scaled-down version of a costly jail expansion project. But if current incarceration trends continue, the expansion will need an expansion in just 10 years.Next: It's trouble at Streets of Paradise, after the board of the non-profit for homeless Sarasotans fires a co-founder.Finally: A union candidate for state senator, a 100-year anniversary for stagehands, and plenty of protest - Ramon Lopez summarizes Labor Day action in Sarasota.
Coming up: The Sarasota County Commission approved Pat Neal’s road in South Sarasota County, giving residents at his fast-growing Wellen Park development a straight shot to the beaches. Dania Hefley reports. Next: Responding to an ultimatum by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the City of Bradenton removed paintings off sidewalks at Village of the Arts. Brice Claypoole reports. Then: It’s Labor Day this Monday, and we have union news. For one, City of Sarasota employees voted overwhelmingly last week to continue to be represented by the Teamsters. In other Teamster news, hundreds of warehouse workers in Sarasota got their first contract ever, and that comes with a big bump in hourly pay. We have the details.Finally: Did you know? One union in Sarasota is turning 100 this year. They will celebrate with a cake on Labor Day, and we will tell you which union it is.
City of Bradenton and City of Sarasota work crews are sandblasting art off sidewalks, to the dismay of artists. What’s happening?Next up: Manatee County Schools have a new superintendent. Noah Vinsky tells us who the pick is. Then: Suncoast Searchlight continues its series about the hidden costs of living in a privately run development: Josh Salman reports about trouble at a subdivision in Manatee County.Next: A luxury developer is proposing to tear down a 12-story office building in the heart of downtown Sarasota and replace it with a taller tower. We have the details.Finally: Some activists believe the historical Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is facing death by neglect. But the City of Sarasota’s interim manager told our reporter this ain’t so.
The Manatee County Commission was set for a showdown this week with state authorities and developers over controls for new development. It did not happen, and WSLR News reporter Dania Hefley explains.Next up: Everybody is riled up about flooding. WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez got Sarasota County’s new stormwater management czar in front of his microphone, and he asked Ben Quartermaine a few questions. Then: After hand-wringing about runaway spending and a possible deficit opening up in a few years, Sarasota County Commissioners agreed to hold a fifth budget workshop this week. It ended with few, if any, cuts, as Suncoast Searchlight reports.Finally: A Miami judge just upended the immigrant detention center in the Everglades set up by the state government. We get local reactions.
The recently flooded Van Wezel got a few more years. The City of Sarasota is now taking steps to keep the historic performing arts hall in good shape, but there are many questions about the future of the Purple Cow.Next up: Layoffs at Sarasota County’s largest manufacturing company seem to continue, after a merger last fall that resulted in the elimination of an entire shift. WSLR News reporter Noah Vinsky has the story of a struggling couple in North Port. Then: We continue to follow the deportation of a young woman from North Port. Today, Ramon Lopez brings us the third chapter of her journey: What does the future look like for Lulu Martinez in Mexico? And what are her legal options, if she tried to return to the United States?Then: Speaking of deportations - a protest is coming up in Sarasota this weekend. Finally: Rob Lorei was not loud, but this Tampa Bay area journalist left quite the legacy. He passed away last weekend, and we bring you a eulogy.
After weeks of ICE detention, a young woman who grew up in North Port signed those deportation papers and walked across the Mexican border. She told WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez what that was like.Next up: 400 million and growing - that’s the cost of a new performing arts center in Sarasota. Suncoast Searchlight brings us a report that shows fundraising for that project is lagging. Then: Downtown Bradenton is changing fast, with little public scrutiny. We bring you a report about a city council vote that will change a historic neighborhood nearby. Next: Vaccination rates in Sarasota kindergartens have dropped below herd immunity levels. We bring you this Suncoast Searchlight investigative report.Finally: A plan for a family resource center connected to a school in Newtown is taking shape. But even before fundraising has begun, the project has mobilized hundreds of community members.
Lulu Martinez grew up in North Port and graduated from college there just last year. Last week, she walked across a bridge to Mexico, and WSLR News interviewed her about the weeks at an ICE detention camp in Texas before that. Next up: School board member Tom Edwards has been named executive director of Project Pride SRQ. Now the Sarasota Republican Party says this presents a conflict of interest and asks him to resign. Then: The Manatee County School Board narrowed its search for a superintendent to two finalists. Who are they?Finally: Rents remain high across Sarasota and Manatee, outmatching wages for most renters. We bring you a Suncoast Searchlight analysis.
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