Bradenton Herald's 1A Frankenstorm stars on CBS

Good morning, Bradenton! As the sun shines here, the East Coast is bracing for "Frankenstorm" -- the pre-Halloween hybrid weather monster that is looking more ominous by the hour.

And the "Eye Opener" on CBS This Morning? Your Bradenton Herald's front page! The national network news flashed today's cover, designed by 1A Editor Kelly Lipp, in the swirl of Sandy for the nation to see. Serious stuff, as they predict $1 billion in damages. But what a thrill to grab that attention! You early birds have been sending us "Wows" all morning.

(I'll wait to congratulate Kelly -- she closed up shop here at 1:30 a.m. to make sure Bradenton.com was as sharp as that print edition. The news never stops...)

Speaking of debates, Herald forums prove merit

Being in front of a camera has never ranked among my favorite moments. So you can imagine my angst when Herald Editorial Editor Chris Wille began scheduling televised candidate forums for contested races in Manatee County. And there are plenty!

Candidates for Florida Senate-District 26, incumbent Bill Galvano and Paula House, participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Bradenton Herald at Manatee Educational Television. GRANT JEFFERIES/Bradenton Herald GJEFFERIES@BRADENTON.COM

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/10/15/4240028/candidate-forum-for-senate-district.html#storylink=cpy

But now, three weeks into the debates, I realize how valuable this commitment by the Herald, Manatee Educational TV and Bay News 9 is proving. For each race, we brought the candidates together at METV for no more than an hour. They each presented their opening statements, then took questions from our panel: Wille, myself and a BN9 reporter. The videos are shown on Bradenton.com and METV continually. We also had a staff reporter and photographer cover each forum for campaign stories and galleries.

 

Without exception, the candidates opened up to allow voters a chance to hear what's at stake. In at least two races, it was the first time the candidates had faced off together. And we heard from candidates and viewers alike: This public access is a true civic service, and worth all the hours (and jitters!).

For those races that didn't find a televised slot, we brought the candidates to the Herald. One of the most interesting proved to be the Holmes Beach races for commission and mayor. We made sure to keep the forums open to the public -- and at least 30 residents attended the Holmes Beach sessions in the middle of the day. They submitted questions, listened intently, and then stayed around afterward for more discussion. The Herald literally became the debate hub. And the discussions led to today's editorial, in which the Editorial Board recommended a complete overhaul in both races.

 

You'll find video from each of the following forums at  videos.bradenton.com

Florida House District 71 (Manatee, Sarasota)

R-Jim Boyd, 

 D-Adam Tebrugge  

Florida House District 73  (Manatee, Sarasota)

NPA- Bob McCann  

R-Greg Steube  

State Attorney, District 12

R- Ed Brodsky  

D- John Torraco  

Manatee County School Board (Nonpartisan race)

District 2  Runoff

Dave “Watchdog” Miner,

Robert Moates 

Manatee County Commission

District 1:

R-  Larry Bustle

D- Corie Holmes

District 5:

R- Vanessa Baugh

D- James Golden

City of Bradenton ( nonpartisan)

Mayor

Wayne Poston

Marianne Barneby

Richard O’Brien

City Council, Ward 2

Gene Brown

George Mendez

Binnie Williams

Supervisor of Elections

R- Michael Bennett

D- Charles Williams Jr.

WRI-Rodney Smokey Smithley

Florida Senate District 26  (Manatee and others east)

R-Bill Galvano 

D- Paula House

And coming Thursday:

U. S. Representative District 16 (formerly 13)

R-Vern Buchanan

D-Keith Fitzgerald

Herald turns 90, and we want your news clips

The first edition of the Bradenton Herald was published 90 years ago, and we haven't stopped since.

So much has changed in how we remain our community's leading news source: on Bradenton.com, on iPads and iPhones, in the e-edition. But as I wrote Sunday, we still relish the sound of that newspaper hitting your front porch or driveway every morning. Just this week, several daily newspapers have ceased seven-day publishing, the largest being the New Orleans Times-Picuyane (and that sparked The Advocate of Baton Rouge to start a new daily New Orleans edition -- good for them!)

The Herald has chronicled so much local history -- often some of your proudest moments:

Engagements, weddings and anniversaries. Babies' first birthdays. Sports spotlights, biggest fish caught, championship seasons. Social galas, neighborhood barbecues, vintage recipes. Graduations, homecomings and fund-raisers. Your four-legged family members.
 
 Send us photos of your Bradenton Herald clippings! Or call and we'll set up a time for you to bring them in to the Herald for a photograph.

Email them to: Metro@Bradenton.com

Or mail them to:
Herald Scrapbook
102 Manatee Ave. W.
Bradenton, Fla 34205

Or call 941-745-7000 and leave a message.