Herald-Tribune
Smoky air lingers in Midwest, Northeast
Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada, along with fires in northern Minnesota, kept air quality at unhealthy levels across parts of the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast on July 17, shrouding cities in haze and prompting warnings that the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Acting AG Blanche grilled at confirmation hearing
Todd Blanche faced a tough grilling from Democrats at his Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general, but it’s not clear they have the votes to block his nomination. The former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump was hit with accusations...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Commissioners to revisit decision on paid parking
Sarasota’s controversial decision to expand paid parking hours, which only went into effect June 29, may soon be modified for the second time, after city business leaders took their concerns to the Sarasota City Commission on July 6. Ronnie Shugar...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why the roadside giant demands attention
Besides the “World’s Most Famous Beach” itself, what Daytona Beach attraction draws the most visitors each year? If you guessed Daytona International Speedway, you’d be wrong. The correct answer is Buc-ee’s, the mega gas station/travel convenience...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The result: Freedom and time to focus on their art
Though artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to produce images, music and text, the technology is also making it harder for the people who have traditionally produced this work to earn a living. A photographer who once was commissioned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Water, power use inspire ‘hard no’ on facilities
The Sarasota County Commission directed staff to implement a one-year moratorium on accepting any application Inside Byron Donalds on AI data center hot seat in Florida Gov. race. 1C for large-scale data centers while updating county codes to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Floods trap hundreds of people in rural Missouri
Flash flooding unleashed by torrential downpours from a wave of thunderstorms struck the Ozark Mountains in rural southeastern Missouri on July 10, trapping hundreds of people in high water along the rain-swollen Black River, officials said. National...
Read Full Story (Page 5)
Heat waves turn homes dangerous for all ages
Most people know that heat waves can be dangerous. What they may not realize is that the heat indoors can be much worse than outdoors. When the power goes out and air conditioning stops, a house starts to function like a greenhouse. Heat enters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Extinct’ colorful Florida butterfly is reborn
A Florida butterfly, notable for a brocade of blue on midnight dark wings and a firework red abdomen, was dragged from the abyss of extinction by cunning naturalists who rediscovered the ecological treasure in the late 1970s. It was a rare triumph...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Florida is growing slower, so why all the new homes?
Florida’s population growth slowed significantly in 2025 and is forecast to continue slowing in the coming years. So why are so many new homes and luxury apartments still going up? Driving through a large new residential subdivision in Southwest...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Heat wave continues in Western states
The heat wave that swept across much of the eastern and central United States in the first week of July has killed more than 25 people, according to local officials – and more dangerously hot conditions are expected to soon hit the West. Record-high...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
America puts aside divisions for July 4
Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. ● If the first eight steps, rising...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
1HÜHß·êH ßb ··¬ß qê oõ"Ð YHb« Ü·¯ êHī b·¬¬qbê·Ü
0GÛGÞ¶éG ¶÷±éī 0a¶¶«Þ a«Gĥpj XGaª ®¶Ûp éG± nô ®¡««¡¶± éGé ép a¶÷±éī éGĪ a¶««paé¶Û ĥ¡ép«j GÞ ~ppÞ ~¶Û a¶««pa顱 G Ĥ¶épÛ GAEAEÛ¶Ĥpj Þa¶¶« éGĪË ÷é ¶épÛ Þa¶¶« j¡ÞéÛ¡aéÞh ¡±a«÷j¡± 0GÛGÞ¶éGØÞ ±p¡X¶Û é¶ ép ±¶Ûéh GĤp éGªp± G j¡~~pÛp±é...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Floridians stole billions in health care funding
When it comes to trying to rip off the government, the latest U.S. Department of Justice crackdown accuses Floridians and their conspirators for going bigger than most. Officials are calling the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown announced...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sounds of the season
As he neared the end of his first season as music director of the Sarasota Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero was quickly feeling part of a large community of music lovers. Even as he spends most of his time flying around the world for other engagements, he...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Future of Alligator Alcatraz unclear as detainees moved
Alligator Alcatraz vendors are being told to wind down operations at the immigrant detention center in the Everglades, a Florida congresswoman confirmed. “While my office can confirm that contractors are being told to wind down operations, shuttering...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘IT WAS A HARD YEAR’
Tomatoes have become the new poster child for rising grocery prices. Some economists are calling it “Tomatoflation” because the savory fruit has had the biggest percentage price gains among all food items in recent months. Florida is one of the reasons...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Solution or false hope?
Most doctors will tell you that no one has survived an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but Florida is becoming ground zero for turning that contention on its head, or at least trying, for patients who have the money. • The Alzheimer’s Survivors Foundation was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A Q&A with Chris Anderson on Bradenton murders
Herald-Tribune staff reporter Chris Anderson’s Sunday June 7 cover story “Blame for Bradenton double murder extends far beyond killer’s hands,” retraces the path that led Thomas Matejcek – a Bradenton man with a history of mental illness, substance...
Read Full Story (Page 3)
What Juneteenth taught me about heritage, community
For as far back as I can remember, my whole life, Juneteenth had an address: Vernon Dahmer Park, 1000 Country Club Road, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Vernon Dahmer Park is much more than an address or a city park. It is, what I like to call, a portal....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Preliminary deal with Iran leaves uncertainty
The United States and Iran were set to begin a week of high-stakes diplomacy after announcing on June 14 a framework deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary agreement that has already pushed oil prices lower but leaves the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘We will not let these efforts push us inside’
The unassuming five-unit condominium at 173 Peruvian Ave. in Palm Beach bears little resemblance to the cottage that stood there in 1918. Buried beneath a century of renovations, the site once housed a kosher inn and restaurant operated by Emil and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Views split on White House UFC event
It was 2001, and mixed martial arts fighting was on the ropes. Banned in 36 states, booted from cable operators, derided as “human cockfighting” – it was such an outcast sport that it traded hands for $2 million. A song. The new owners of Ultimate...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Private club expands even before local debut
A private club and restaurant cofounded by basketball icon Michael Jordan is expanding its downtown Sarasota footprint before even opening. Members-only 1000 North, which first opened in Palm Beach County and is expected to debut its Sarasota location...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Big water problems need big solutions
When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city’s first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing lowflow devices. • While...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
UTC to expand shopping, dining
University Town Center continues to grow, with a dozen new brands preparing to open across the sprawling shopping and dining district, led by a major home furnishings retailer making its Sarasota-area debut. ● The latest expansion adds roughly 86,000...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you. FOR THE LATEST NEWS...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A boy’s view of dogfights, bombs and friendly G.I.s
Michael Dodds was 5 years old when the tanks and green Army trucks rolled into his British village during World War II. The Americans had arrived. And they brought candy for the children, too. “As kids, we thought it was fantastic: Tanks going...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why trees disappeared from part of Sarasota’s Bayfront
A portion of downtown Sarasota’s Bayfront Park is fenced off and several trees have been removed, drawing attention from visitors and locals who frequent one of the city’s most iconic green spaces and sunset-viewing destinations. A large black...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Florida lawmakers OK major property tax cut
Florida lawmakers approved a sweeping property tax proposal crafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, which could drastically reduce property taxes for residents but also slash revenues for local governments and usher in a wave of budget cuts on various...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump, Netanyahu clash over Lebanon, Iran talks
President Donald Trump lit into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an expletive-laden call on June 1, multiple news outlets reported, after Iran threatened to pull out of peace talks with the United States over strikes on Hezbollah in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ads for GLP-1 drugs flooding the internet
If you watched the Super Bowl in 2026, you likely saw Serena Williams share her weight-loss journey on GLP-1 medications in a commercial. • Like millions of others around the country, if you’ve ever considered taking one of these drugs, you probably...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sales of Florida homes show increase in April
Florida Realtors reported another month of improving sales of single-family homes in April, but some are expressing concerns over creeping higher mortgage rates and continued uncertainty over the Iran war. “We’ve seen a little slowness in our spring...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
In the AI of the storm
Machine learning blustered into the limelight of hurricane forecasting in June 2025 when the National Hurricane Center began operationally using artificial intelligence models, including the pioneering Google DeepMind. By the end of the season which...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cannabis legalization spurs innovation
Innovation in health care saves lives. But not all health innovations have enough evidence to actually benefit patients. Barriers to innovation are often higher in illicit or restricted markets, including cannabis, stem cells and cryptocurrencies....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A calmer year looks likely, but don’t be complacent
Unlike the government’s secret UFO stash of grainy videos of reflections, mirages, Michael Bay lens flares, and swamp gas reflected off the planet Venus, one thing credulous Mulders and skeptical Scullys can agree on is that the skies in 2025 were a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Data: Sharp decline in Canadians visiting U.S.
The last time Paul Doroshenko was in the United States for longer than a day was over nine years ago. And the Vancouverite has no plans to change that in the near future. He’s far from alone. Canadians were once America’s largest group of inbound...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Memorial Day on Main Street
Members of South Shore Community Church are joined by elected officials as they prepare for the Memorial Day parade May 25 on Main Street in downtown Sarasota.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Universities still holding Native remains, artifacts
Many universities and museums in the United States have long held Native American burial artifacts, other sacred objects and even human remains. Most of these collections were acquired in the late 19th and 20th centuries. They came from grave...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SW Florida homecoming in June for WWII soldier killed 80 years ago
Bonnie Rolquin believes she was 10 when a cousin came to visit her family on Long lsland, New York. Her cousin, Charles C. Palmer Jr., was 16. They played together during the visit, as much as they could with the age difference and having never...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The world of Disney
Floridians sometimes date things into two distinct eras: Before Disney (BD) and After Disney (AD). BD: Roadside orange juice stands, gator farms and mom-and-pop motels. AD: Theme parks and convention hotels. BD: Miami Beach getaways. AD: Orlando...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EXPENSIVE SUMMER DRIVING SEASON AHEAD IN FLORIDA
Florida gas prices this week jumped yet again ahead of what could be the most expensive summer driving season for motorists in years, according to experts. The statewide average price for regular price of gasoline as of May 21 now stands at $4.511 a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Pakistan aiming to get peace talks on track
DUBAI – Pakistan stepped up diplomacy on May 21 to hasten peace talks between the United States and Iran even as Tehran appeared to harden its stance over the nuclear issue amid new threats of strikes from President Donald Trump if he didn’t get the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Floridians could see ban on fireworks for the 4th of July
Floridians may be singing, “bye-bye, Miss American Pie,” this Fourth of July: A fireworks ban may be coming. Here’s why: Wildfires are burning the pine forests outside of Hosford in the Panhandle and scorching the sawgrass wetlands of the Everglades...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RISING COSTS
Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel have been elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But recently released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THE SHOW WILL GO ON
Theaters usually pick shows based on what they think audiences want to see, actors want to perform in and the capabilities of volunteers and staff to produce them. But for Venice Theatre, reconstruction of its hurricane-damaged mainstage Jervey...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Restaurants, retailers joining Sarasota Square
A new Sarasota development housing one of the nation’s most popular grocery chains will also include several other big-name businesses, ranging from a beloved fast-casual restaurant to a trendy eyewear retailer. The first phase of Sarasota Square —...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Finally within reach
Gloria Harris has lived in Newtown her entire 70 years. ● She knows every street, all her neighbors and every church. ● She knows where the kids play and where the elders still gather. ● What she has known equally well, for most of her life, is where...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Jimmy Buffett-themed waterfront resort coming
The spirit of singer-songwriter and beloved Florida man Jimmy Buffett will live on in Sarasota County through a new waterfront resort bearing the name of his signature song. Local restaurateur Mike Evanoff is teaming with Steven Mullen and Angus...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Serenity PLAYER
Carter Cox always performs the same ritual before he starts to pitch. He’ll crouch with his back to the plate, his hand touching the rear of the mound, and everything becomes muted. The Venice senior left-hander thanks God for the opportunity. He...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bishop Dewane retiring from Diocese of Venice
The Diocese of Venice called for a rare press conference on Wednesday, May 13, and was expected to announce the retirement of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, the longtime spiritual leader of more than 250,000 Catholics in Southwest Florida. According to the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Local waterfront business adapts amid forced move
A longtime Sarasota business says it has found a way to survive after being forced from its waterfront home by a planned county park project. The owners of Siesta Key Watersports have worked out a plan to keep most of their business going, once it...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Stalemate in Iran raises oil prices
DUBAI – President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal has fueled concerns that the 10-week-old conflict will drag on and continue to paralyze shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher, on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bungalow district faces update plan
Plans for a five-story multifamily complex that would replace a set of colorful bungalows in downtown Sarasota are progressing but have yet to receive partial sign-off from the city’s Development Review Committee. The proposed apartment building,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Which U.S. presidents would be on Florida’s Mount Rushmore? These four: Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump.
Call them the “resident presidents.” A score of U.S. presidents have connections to Florida, from significant policy initiatives to eyebrow-raising trivial happenings. But only four spent appreciable time here during their terms in the White...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AI-integrated cameras raise alarms
For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. ● Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. ● In thousands of towns and cities across the United States, automatic license plate readers have...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota moves to preserve ranch near Myakka park
The Sarasota County Commission has placed 3,040 acres of Hawkins Ranch near Myakka River State Park on its priority list for the Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection Program. This was done at the county commission’s April 21 meeting. In November,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Officials dispute grim claims of FL home insurance costs
Florida homeowners pay some of the highest premiums in the country to insure their homes and recent national reports rank the state at No. 1 with the annual average anywhere from $5,838 to $9,449. But officials with the Florida Office of Insurance...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota County may seek tax hike to fund road work
Sarasota County’s priority transportation goals can be broken down into seven projects, ranging from a hurricane evacuation route for Englewood to extending Lorraine Road north to Fruitville Road, with a projected cost of $322 million. Sarasota County...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump visits seniors
THE VILLAGES, FL — They skipped pickleball matches, softball practice and regular Friday card games, broke out their MAGA hats and No Kings signs, hopped into golf carts and gathered in one of the largest senior communities in America to make their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'My wife is not a burden.'
Hurricane Milton had blown off the carport roof, damaged the lanai and broken several windows of his Sarasota home. • But during that October in 2024, L. Paul Laramee was reeling from an even greater shock. • After months of troubling behavior –...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Commission to consider Sarasota parking changes
Visitors to downtown Sarasota may soon face longer parking hours and higher fines. Under a proposed ordinance, the Sarasota City Commission will consider May 4, street parking would be enforced earlier in the morning and later into the evening. On...
Read Full Story (Page 1)