Capturing the caring of Just for Girls

Just for Girls' third-graders/ Grant Jefferies/gjefferies@bradenton.com

"I can't believe everybody clapped!!!"

That was the quote of my day Wednesday, followed quickly by a close runner-up:

"That's all that matters ... these caring, sharing girls."

That first was a gleeful shoutout by one of the 30 young third-graders who had just finished a trio of holiday songs to lift our spirits -- as if we needed anything more uplifting after the positive report given on the new charter school, Just for Girls Academy. The academy was the focus of this year's annual luncheon with Just for Girls' donors and volunteers in Manatee County,as seen here in Herald photographer Grant Jefferies' gallery.

The girls had just finished singing the last song -- "A Song of Peace" -- with magical untarnished belief, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

And when we sang
My magic song
All hate and war would cease
If I could write a magic song
I'd write a song of peace

 Not only did everyone clap, but they were on their feet to praise the girls. And a teary-eyed chief executive Becky Canesse couldn't have been prouder in rounding up with what we all were thinking: These girls are what matters. That's why we were there.

Grant and reporter/columnist Vin Mannix were there to capture the moments. Here's a shot of veteran Mannix in his new mode: videographer!

And in this one below, I missed the best shot fumbling with my own iPhone. They were team-tagging, Grant with the stills that make up this beautiful gallery, and Vin filming the video below. Grant almost had his head on Vin's chin. You can still see his lense peering over Vin's shoulder if you squint.

Lucky Dogs owner shares veteran's thank you

A newsroom junkie’s mantra: You should never go anywhere without coming back with a story to report.

A beautiful one fell in my lap today. It won’t get huge headlines, but it’s one that must be shared. It reminded me that every gesture counts, that goodness does pay, that telling this story might prompt someone else to do a good deed.

I found my lucky tip at Lucky Dogs, a great hot dog/sandwich café on Third Avenue west in downtown Bradenton. I had called ahead for a “Joan dog” to go -- a Lucky Dog sans onions, plus plenty of pickles.

Co-owner Sheri Clinard answered with a “Gotcha!” that almost made me turn around. “No, no, I promise I’d never surprise you with bad news without warning,” she assured me. “You have to come hear this story.” So I did.

Sheri prides herself on knowing everyone who comes into her shop more than once. But today, she didn’t recognize the man carrying a vase of flowers. She didn’t think much of it, welcoming a busy lunch crowd. But when the man turned to pay, he gave Sheri the flowers – and this amazing letter.

To that special person who works here:
Last year on Veterans Day, I came to the Lucky Dog for lunch. I had on a Dale Earnhardt Sr. jacket and a Vietnam Veteran hat.
After I finished my lunch, I tried to pay for it but the lady (I don’t know her name) said Thank You for my service in Vietnam and lunch was on her!
I was surprised and grateful because no one has ever said Thank You or bought me lunch for my service. Her thoughtfulness and words are in my heart almost daily.
I gave her a hug and said Thanks, while trying to hold back tears as I walked out of the restaurant. She changed my life without even knowing it!
I brought you these flowers today to try to show you my thanks. Each petal on the flowers represent each time I think of your kindness on that day. Thank you!!
God bless you and your family,
A Vietnam Vet

The Vietnam vet left Lucky Dogs today before Sheri could get his name. But one year later, Sheri’s act of kindness has come full circle.

And we are reminded, on this Veterans Day weekend, that millions of men and women have served in the military to protect our freedom, as Jim Jones – himself a veteran – reported today in this wrapup of events.

 Throw politics aside for at least a day, and thank a veteran. You may change a life. Sheri did. My lucky day at Lucky Dogs!

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.
 

Manatee football fans, check this out!

Get your game face on by checking out our new weekly video feature, "This Week in Preps." Bradenton Herald sports writers are on Bradenton.com and METV (Manatee Educational Television) with the week's hottest previews for Manatee/Sarasota high school football.

Here's a link to this week's show, running down all the matchups for Friday Night Lights. The Manatee Hurricanes, ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps and USA Today, go for their second victory of the season at Riverview. And they throw in a little banter on preps cross-country and golf this week.

Herald sports writer Jason Dill hosts the show and welcomes fellow Herald reporter John Lembo and other sports staff members to discuss upcoming football games and highlights from other fall sports. The video series will be posted at Bradenton.com/sports each Thursday to preview weekend events and profile some of the area's top athletes.

Another online extra:
Show your team's colors!

GOP, hurricane blogs prove popular

Two of our blogs have been getting a lot of attention from readers in the past week -- and they're both "extras" with postings coming from a lot of Herald newsroom staffers.

The 2012 GOP Convention has been supplying plenty of blog-perfect content, so we spun off this Republic National Convention blog from our regular political blogging.

We also have a special convention section on Bradenton.com: Bradenton.com/Republican-convention/

And then Isaac reared his ugly head, sparing us for the most part, but now is barreling toward Louisiana and Mississippi. We dusted off our "Hurricane Watch" blog and thousands of you visited it in the past week.

We're a partner with the Biloxi Sun-Herald, and have offered them help with production or online work. But we're hoping for the best: a non-event from Isaac. Stay tuned to the most current predictions on our blog.