Herald veterans launch historic blog

Two Herald staff veterans have teamed up to launch a new blog:
As Time Goes By.

Chief photographer Grant Jefferies was born and raised in Palmetto; staff reporter Carl Mario Nudi has worked just about every job in the newsroom since he moved to Manatee County in 1981. Their idea: preserve historic moments in Manatee County through their words and images.

Here's how they've branded their blog:

"As Time Goes By" looks at people, places and events inspired by pictures in the Bradenton Herald archives or in the Manatee County Library online historical photo archives. Each week the reader will take a step back in time to remember what made this area such a great place to live.

Send Carl an email at cnudi@bradenton.com if you have specific scenes for them to explore.

-- Joan

Golden Herald winners = awesome, again

One of the most important events we do came around again last night -- the 33rd annual Golden Herald Awards Banquet. Wow. Every year, I'm reminded that our community is filled with truly amazing, gifted, bright and dedicated teenagers.

This year was no exception. It might have been a record crowd, too, as the audience filled every seat on the Bradenton City Auditorium's floor and throughout the balconies. And they stayed until the last award was announced, almost three hours later.

We've listed the top winners and the runners-up here and in today's Herald. The Herald's Michele Slaughter took tons of photos, including these posted in this gallery. And on Sunday, we'll publish special tribute pages in the Herald with all nominees.

Congratulations to each of you, your families and your friends. And thank you for sharing your accomplishments with all of us. You have touched so many lives already.

-- Joan

Afternoon newsletter captures hectic day

This afternoon's e-newsletter from Bradenton.com reflects a whopper of a news day -- and the Herald's staff was on top of it.

Take a glance at the top of the local headlines -- only a fraction of what all was posted:

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

• GOP picks Tampa for 2012 convention
The Republicans have picked Tampa for their 2012 presidential convention.

• Trooper: Passenger said Hunter was driving at time of fatal wreck
SARASOTA -- A Florida Highway Patrol trooper testified this morning that a passenger in a pickup truck that crashed on Interstate 75 in March 2009 told him shortly after the accident that the vehicle was being driven by Josh Hunter at the time of the wreck.

• Villages of Lakewood Ranch South gets green light
SARASOTA -- In an historic vote, Sarasota County commissioners gave their consent today to the massive Villages of Lakewood Ranch South project.

• Judge declares mistrial in Manatee tobacco trial
BRADENTON - A judge this morning declared a mistrial in a lawsuit against major tobacco companies after a juror complained she could not go on with deliberations because her fellow jurors "are mean."

• Crist asks BP to pay for oil-spill tourism ads
Gov. Charlie Crist asked BP PLC on Wednesday to pay nearly $35 million for an emergency ad campaign to assure the world that Florida's beaches and coastal waters are untainted by the company's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Haven't signed up yet? You're overdue -- here's your ticket.

-- Joan

Sunday's updates on oil spill coverage

Here's an update on the Herald's and McClatchy's oil spill coverage, as outlined in my column:

Herald reporter Robert Napper explores how officials throughout our region are using the St. Petersburg Area Contingency Plan as a template to prepare for the worst should the Deep Horizon oil spill come to Florida’s west coast.

Reporters Rich Mauer in Anchorage and Anna Tinsley in Fort Worth dig into BP’s past, exposing a years-long history of legal and ethical violations.

Biloxi reporters Donna Melton and Patricia Mazzei wrote from the frontlines in Mississippi, covering how efforts to cap the well suffered a major setback Saturday after ice-like crystals clogged the inside of the containment dome.

And Miami's Curtis Morgan and Scott Hiaasen report on how "industry safeguards to prevent or minimize spills have failed to keep pace with the increased dangers of exploration, despite a series of warnings, malfunctions and near-misses over the years, federal studies and interviews show."

Throughout the day, reporters will be following developments on the installation of the cofferdam atop the biggest of the two oil leaks. Officials still hope the device will become functional by Monday.
-- Joan

McClatchy newsrooms team up on oil spill

The Gulf Coast has been gripped with fear since the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and blowing open the well 50 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil a day that now cover almost 4,000 square miles.

As the oil is already lapping Louisiana shorelines, and images of oil-soaked wildlife multiply, the Tampa Bay area is obviously taking precautions in the event the oil slick heads toward our shores. But even if we avoid a direct hit, the economic and environmental impact is likely to be felt for years. Even Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has described the spill as a “unique and still-evolving and potentially an unprecedented disaster.”

Recognizing the enormity of this story, McClatchy editors are coordinating all of our newsrooms' coverage, which you'll find daily in the Herald and on our home page. The Bradenton Herald has created a special report here at Bradenton.com/oilspill, with an interactive map of the Gulf where you can click on icons for incident reports.

Led by Miami Herald Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal and Washington Bureau Chief John Walcott, this effort is allowing a far deeper report for all of us.
Journalists at the Biloxi Sun-Herald are on the front line in Mississippi and Louisiana. At the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, expertise is being gleaned on the oil industry. Staff at the Anchorage Daily News have enormous institutional knowledge from the Valdez oil spill, the largest in U.S. history until this disaster. The Miami Herald has sent reporters to the Panhandle, and along with the Bradenton Herald are examining every possible angle of potential impact to Florida. The Washington bureau is digging into political ramifications, environmental enterprise and more. The Kansas City Star, Merced Sun-Star and most all of the other McClatchy properties are contributing.

All in all, we plan to bring you the most thorough coverage possible as this catastrophic event unfolds.

-- Joan
Here's one of the most recent images off the coast of Louisiana:


Oil from the Deepwater Horizon well swirls in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. (Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Columnist, editor spin out of control (on video!)

Today's post is literally some insider baseball with some strange bedfellows: a Herald baby shower, a Marauders game and the infamous Hooters Dizzy Bat Race Game.

Baby Savannah Lilly Conklin is due in a few weeks, so we were on deadline to throw a surprise baby shower for her parents: newsroom staffers Jennifer and Brent Conklin. And the dad-to-be unwittingly gave me a great idea. When gigging him about not attending a Marauders game yet, he quipped, "I just don't think I can get Preggie there."

Ha -- the challenge was on. And, thanks to the Pirates' Trevor Gooby and Rachelle Madrigal, we secured the Marauders suite for last night's game.(MAJOR bonus -- they were playing the Palm Beach CARDINALS!)

The night was grand. As Jennifer noted proudly, she might have the only baby girl serenaded by the National Anthem at her shower. The Marauders mascot paid a visit; dogs, peanuts and suds (for the non-pregnant and non-working, of course) were topped off by baby cake; and then came the grand finale.

Father-to-be/news editor Brent and columnist Vin Mannix were tapped for the Hooters Dizzy Bat Race Game. Anticipation built as we waited for the bottom of the sixth -- especially after an excruciating fifth inning where the Cards got pounded (hey, I admitted my bias up front).

Finally, Vin and Brent were on the field. They spun and spun and... Well, this video should go viral. Check it out in full-screen view. (Clue: Neither won. Neither will never live this down.)

They'd better keep their day jobs!

-- Joan

Lifelong Mets fan Brent Conklin is saved by a Cardinals player.


Mom-to-be compares tummies with the Marauder.


Some of the gang

Special Report: Making Small Business Work

Looking for signs that the economy is on the mend? So is the Herald -- and we are finding some in our small businesses throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties. That's the focus of the new series we launched today, "Making Small Business Work".

As I wrote in my column, small businesses are developing extraordinary ways to deal with the economy and be successful. We can learn from their stories -- both from their failures and from their victories.

Business/Enterprise Editor Jennifer Rich outlined the series:

The stories will focus on what makes these businesses different from their competitors — how the change is working out in generating new revenue, customers, etc.; inject some of the owner’s personality and how that impacts his or her company; what big issues have they tackled along the way; what possible other changes were tried and didn’t work; what future plans or changes are being considered.

From a national perspective, McClatchy's Washington Bureau, working with the Herald and other McClatchy papers, will be paying attention to the role that small businesses are playing in creating jobs, innovative products and services and other value as the American economy climbs out of the recession, says Bureau Chief John Walcott.

-- Joan