Newspaper Clips - Friday, January 2, 2009

Resort wants to help visitors paddle Braden River
(Bradenton Herald © 01/02/2009)
skennedy@bradenton.com MANATEE — Soon visitors to Linger Lodge Resort may be able to rent kayaks and canoes to enjoy the scenic flora and fauna of the Braden River. The resort, which includes campgrounds and a restaurant specializing in old Florida-style fare, hopes to offer boat rentals at a nominal cost beginning later this month, said Mike Levine, general manager. “We’

Hard times keep some snowbirds away, but holidays busy
(Daytona Beach News-Journal © 01/02/2009)
The inflatable snowman was still up and the two golden retrievers were out, napping under a warm winter sun. Bill Heaning and Bonnie Marcoccia couldn't be happier. Back home near Syracuse, N.Y., the high temperature was 17 degrees. But here in the quiet woods of Tomoka State Park, Heaning and his wife were enjoying a near 80-degree afternoon in Ormond Beach. No financial frost was going to keep

Sanctuary scores landmark status
(Florida Today © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
Back behind the car dealerships, strip malls and crowded restaurants along State Road 520 lies a piece of Florida history that is about to get its due. Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary along Sykes Creek was named recently as a Florida Heritage Landmark -- only the second site in Brevard County to get that designation. "This is significant," Brevard County Historical Commission Manager Stephen Benn said

High school students earn credit giving group art tours in Boynton Beach
(Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
By Erika Pesantes South Florida Sun-Sentinel January 2, 2009 Boynton Beach Sixteen-year-old Jessica Rowley is no artist. And to boot, she's got stage fright. But the Boynton Beach High School student is one of eight volunteers to conduct guided group tours alon

American alligator Down Under
(Ft. Myers-WBBH (NBC) © 01/02/2009)
SYDNEY, Australia: An alligator off Australia? That's right. And officials are trying to figure out how it got there. Some vacationers caught a 5-foot reptile in a volleyball net this week and at first it was said to be a crocodile. But the head of a reptile park zoo in the state told the NineMSN Web site the captured creature belonged to a species native to the southeastern U.S. Alligators te

Norman Rockwell gets newfound respect, Naples museum show
(Lehigh News Star © 01/02/2009)
Norman Rockwell painted heartwarming slices of apple-pie Americana. And critics hated the taste. Too sentimental, they?d pooh-pooh. Too idealistic. And above all, too commercial. That was back in the mid-20th century, when commercial illustrators ? Rockwell being the king of the magazine heap ? were frowned upon as less than ?real? artists. Then, in the late 1960s and early ?70s, museums and g

Fire closes Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada indefinitely
(Miami Herald © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
Jeff and Katie Davison of England had a wedding they will never forget: a beautiful ceremony at Spa Island, a sunset cruise and dinner -- with a raging fire causing significant damage at their hotel.As they finished dinner on New Year's Eve, the main building of the prestigious Cheeca Lodge & Spa caught fire and sent guests and staff running for their lives.After hearing the words 'Fire, fire' a

Hotels, game organizers have plan for double-duty
(Miami Herald © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
Out with the old, in with the new.Not the year. College football teams -- and their traveling caravans.Orange Bowl opponents Cincinnati and Virginia Tech head home Friday morning after a weeklong stay that culminated in the OB's 75th annual classic. Arriving by evening will be even bigger headliners -- No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Florida to prepare for their Jan. 8 national-title game at Dolphin Stad

Beyond the bleachers: MIAMI
(Ocala Star Banner © 01/02/2009)
Going to Miami for the big game? Looking for something to do before or after the championship is decided? Here are some non-football attractions:Art Deco Historic District: www.mdpl.org A variety of tours, both formal and informal, are available for people who wish to learn more about the art deco, Mediterranean revival and Mi

After 'Auld Lang Syne,' it's 'long live art!'
(Orlando Sentinel © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
This is a week of "firsts." It's the first week of the year, which usually includes the 1st Thursday (at Orlando Museum of Art), first Friday (at Fifth Avenue Art Gallery), and first Saturday (New Smyrna galleries) of the month. Since the 1st Thursday event fell on New Year's Day, the event was canceled, so you didn't miss anything yet this year. The other regular monthly events are all on, so yo

don't miss: your birthday for free at disney parks
(Orlando Sentinel © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
WHAT: Disney is offering you an extra birthday treat this year: free admission to a Walt Disney World theme park on your birthday. It's part of the "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign that's replacing the two-year "Year of a Million Dreams" theme. A lot of fine print is involved, but pay attention to this: The deal is good only on the day of your actual birthday. (With the exception of Feb. 29

150 light years
(Pensacola News Journal © 01/02/2009)
At a height of 150 feet, the Pensacola Lighthouse is as tall as it is old. On Saturday, the Pensacola Lighthouse Organization will celebrate the 150th birthday of one of Pensacola's historic treasures at the lighthouse grounds across from the National Naval Aviation Museum. "Lighthouses across the country, a lot of people see them as a symbol of hope," said Wanda Mayo, lighthouse organization me

San Diego Zoo elephants shed pounds on diet plan
(San Jose Mercury News © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
SAN DIEGO—They could be the next stars of "The Biggest Loser." Seven elephants at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park have lost a combined total of 11,314 pounds ever since zookeepers enforced a nutrition and exercise regiment for them in 2000. The rotund captive elephants that zoo visitors are familiar with are mostly overweight compared to those in the wild. To get the

Drama, large and small, at Woodland Park Zoo for New Year
(Seattle Times © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
New Year's Day and what to do? Well, cuddle up under the heat lamp and chow down, of course. So it went at Woodland Park Zoo on New Year's Day, as animals rang in the new year doing what they do best. The lion strutted and roared, and eschewed his heated rock in favor of a lie down in the cool, wet grass. But then, he's said to be in love. His mate was not out New Year's morning to give her side

Sprucing up downtown
(St. Augustine Record © 01/02/2009)
Although this has been a tough holiday season for many families patting down their empty pockets, one man hopes to inspire the giving spirit in the community by restoring a historic downtown fountain. John Valdes, a St. Augustine renovation contractor and builder, will donate manhours and roughly $8,000 to restore a fountain originally built by Henry Flagler. The project is part of a fundraise

Cypress sawmill in Lacoochee is featured history topic
(St. Petersburg Times © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
ZEPHYRHILLS cypress sawmill in lacoochee is historical topic Louie Holt and his son, David, will be the featured speakers at the next meeting of the Zephyrhills Historical Association at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Zephyrhills Depot Museum, 39110 South Ave. The Holts will give a presentation on the Cummer Sons Cypress Lumber Co., which operated in Lacoochee from 1922 to 1959. The organization's bus

Gainesville utility places premium on solar power
(St. Petersburg Times © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
GAINESVILLE — James Mulhearn clambered up a ladder and surveyed a gleaming stretch of flat metal roof and a newly installed solar panel, one of 288 that would soon cover the shed's roof with 50 kilowatts of solar power. The retired electrician scanned the rows of flat-roofed storage sheds that make up his business, Interstate Mini Storage in Gainesville. If the numbers worked out, he might cover

Heritage Village to offer fun afternoon Jan. 10
(St. Petersburg Times © 01/02/2009) (Registration Required)
LARGO Heritage Village to offer really old-school fun A day of family fun is being planned at Heritage Village from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 10. Adults can take part in blacksmithing, basket weaving and other programs that celebrate the area's past. Children can enjoy a dozen new interactive outdoor exhibits. Refreshments will be served. Heritage Village is at 11909 125th St. N, next to the Pinellas Cou

Beach businesses bounce back for New Year
(St. Petersburg: WTSP (Ch. 10) © 01/02/2009)
Clearwater, Florida - Despite being a bit breezy and cool on the first day of 2009, tourists were hot to trot on Clearwater beach. The Gergoly family came to Clearwater to get out of the cold in Ontario, Canada. "It's absolutely gorgeous. The sand is so white and the weather is gorgeous," said Elizabeth Gergoly. Ron Roberts felt the same way about his hometown in the Mid-west, "To get out of

The Cigar
(Time Magazine © 01/02/2009)
For most of us, New Year's is a day for resolutions. But for Fidel Castro, it marked the culmination of a long-awaited revolution. Fifty years ago on Jan. 1, Castro's Communist revolution swept aside the hated Batista regime. The change was bad news for the U.S.; Castro's regime (and American attempts to eliminated it) prompted the Bay of Pigs debacle, closed off a beautiful country with a vibrant