Hooters partners with Bay Area Girl Scouts, sending thousands of cookies to hometown heroes

We're a week away from the official start of Girl Scout cookie season and while most are used to seeing tables set up at grocery stores, banks, or events, some might spot local troops selling their famous cookies at a famous chicken wing restaurant. 

Cold weather shelters open as Bay Area prepares for blast of artic air

As the Bay Area gets ready for a polar plunge, several counties are opening cold weather shelters for those who are homeless or live in homes without adequate heat.

North Port man meets child online, blackmails him into performing ‘heinous’ sexual acts, police say

North Port police arrested a man who they say pretended to be a teenage girl online and enticed his victim to take a nude photo – then blackmailed the child into performing disturbing sex acts by threatening to post his photo online.

Second suspect charged in connection with shooting death of Riverview grad home from college for Christmas

Nyquan Priester, 20, was charged with second-degree murder on Thursday in connection with the shooting death of Dylan Jenkins, 18, a Riverview High School graduate who was home from college for Christmas.

‘Ethan’s Law’ moves forward in honor of 10-year-old killed in boating crash

The parents of Ethan Isaacs and Rep. Fiona McFarland are trying to pass a law requiring instructors of water sports to wear an engine safety cut-off device.

Artist auctions lipstick painting of Betty White to benefit Humane Society of Tampa Bay

On what would have been Betty White's 100th birthday, Sarasota-based artist Alexis 'Lipstick Lex' Fraser started auctioning off a portrait of the actress that was painted using only lipstick.

Home carrying legacy of Sarasota's first Black community to be relocated, transformed for cultural center

A home in Sarasota's Rosemary District will soon carry the legacy of the city’s first Black community. Plans are in the works to transform it into an African American cultural arts center and history museum, but first the home has to be relocated.

Tax incentives proposed to bring filmmakers back to Florida

There are renewed efforts in Tallahassee to bring major film productions back to Florida through a proposed tax credit incentive program.

100 years after founding of Sarasota's Newtown community, first bank opens its doors

After playing football in the NFL, Carlos Yancy returned home to the Newtown. Now he's working to better his community with First Home Bank – the town's first bank since it was established in 1914.

1 arrested, another sought in shooting death of Riverview graduate, shot while home for Christmas

An arrest was made in connection to a Dec. 29 shooting at Ackerman Park that killed an 18-year-old Riverview High School graduate and budding college football player, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. 

Sarasota seabird sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates and releases thousands of birds each year

Dale Shields, a.k.a. the ‘Pelican Man’ created the Pelican Man Sanctuary in the 1980s after finding an injured brown pelican. Since then it has grown into Save Our Seabirds, which receives 5,000 calls a year about birds in distress.

Convicted sex offender rapes disabled woman in Sarasota parking lot, deputies say

A convicted sex offender is accused of raping a non-verbal woman with autism in a Sarasota parking lot while her mother was inside a store, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. 

Sarasota government votes to permanently preserve Bobby Jones Golf Course

Nestled in the middle of Sarasota, Bobby Jones Golf Course covers 261 acres. It's the only remaining green space of its kind left in the area. City commissioners just voted to protect the land, keeping it protected and out of reach from developers, forever. It's a big moment for the city and for the community.

Unpaid fines leave nearly 2,000 Sarasota residents with suspended licenses, prompting lawsuit

Nearly 2,000 drivers in Sarasota County have had their driver's licenses suspended over unpaid fees and fines over cases that aren't related to driving offenses. The ACLU of Florida says these measures are unfair and cause unnecessary problems for citizens.

City of Sarasota looks to add waterfront dog parks

Sarasota Commissioner Hagen Brody hopes to create a waterfront dog park, but the Audubon Society is concerned it may interfere with the birds that nest on the beaches.