Local Matters podcast

The January 18 episode of Local Matters was a multi-faceted show that featured Sarasota blogger DIANE DESENBERG updating us on her trip to Occupy Florida in Tallahassee, where the goal was to present Occupy demands from around the state to our state legislature. Read Diane's coverage of the Occupy movement at www.occupymysoapbox.com

Joe and JP then discussed the big news of the day: the forced resignation of Sarasota City Manager BOB BARTOLOTTA, with audio excerpts from yesterday's city commission meeting.

We then heard from TIM CALANDRA (Sarasota Film Society) and KAREN KOBLENZ (the Women's Exchange) on how the recent closing of a previously leased city parking lot is impacting the Burns Square/Pineapple Avenue business district.

At the 44 minute mark of this show, we finished this Local Matters episode with an interview with STACIA FERNANDEZ, the talented New York address who plays the lead role in Florida Studio Theatre's production of NEXT TO NORMAL, a contemporary rock musical that addresses the impact bi-polar disorder has on a modern day family.

Tickets remain for the final shows of this powerful theatrical production that runs through Jan. 20.
More info is available at www.floridastudiotheatre.org

LOCAL MATTERS...where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter on WSLR 96.5 FM in Sarasota, Florida and streaming live online at www.WSLR.org

NOTE: DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CONTROL, THE AUDIO QUALITY OF THIS RECORDING IS A LITTLE DISTORTED, BUT STILL AUDIBLE.

Hosted by Joe Hendricks and J.P Fazio, this week’s Local Matters show featured Occupy Sarasota activists Debbie Wagner, Brandon Crozier and Diane Desenberg. This trio dropped by the WSLR studio to discuss their participation in the People’s Convention of Florida. They also discussed the proposals that came from the convention, the local follow-up session that took place back in Sarasota and how and why these proposals will be presented to Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida State Legislature at the state capitol in Tallahassee on January 10 when the 2012 legislative session gets underway.

This show also featured a phone conversation with Occupy Tallahassee activist and FSU student Cecelia O’Brien, who filled us in on Occupy Tallahassee’s role as host to Occupy activists from around the state as they begin to arrive in the state capital beginning Jan. 6

Visit Occupy Sarasota on facebook and also at www.OccupySarasota.com

Read Diane Desenberg’s Occupy My City blogs at

www.occupymysoapbox.com

Visit Occupy Tallahassee at facebook and also at: www.occupytally.org

LOCAL MATTERS – Where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter…

Broadcast on WSLR 96.5 FM in Sarasota, Florida, the Dec. 21 episode of Local Matters featured a phone conversation with Richard Martin, Executive Director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, with Richard discussing the public unveiling of the Step Up: End Homelessness in Sarasota Now taking place later that day. We talked about some of the specific elements of the plan and the challenges of funding this ambitious effort.
The Step Up plan is now posted at: www.StepUpSarasota.org

The first half of this show featured hosts Joe Hendricks and J.P. Fazio discussing local and national issues and a short interview with Mike, a homeless man who shared his thoughts on homelessness and being homeless for the holidays. We also heard holiday wishes from friends and family.

Local Matters airs the first, third (and fifth) Wednesday of each month, from 9 to 10 a.m. on WSLR 96.5 LPFM and online at www.wslr.org

Local Matters...Where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter...

Merry Christmas friends and thanks for listening to Local Matters in 2011...Joe Hendricks

On Sunday July 11, Dr. Nik and WSLR hosted the Fall 2011 Bi-Annual Croquet Tournament, the fourth rendition of this twice annual fundraising event. After three years of making the finals and finishing as a runner up, Joe Hendricks final broke through and won the damn thing. This audio report recaps the tournament and includes interviews with qualifying round winners and Marian Rutkowski, the defending Spring 2011 Champion.

Visit WSLR online at www.WSLR.org

And check out the Ted Stevens Band online at www.TedStevens.FourFour.com

This week on Local Matters, downtown Sarasota business owner Ron Soto dropped by the WSLR studio to discuss a variety of issues pertaining to the downtown Sarasota business community.
Topics of discussion included the controversial proposed plan to brick Main Street, widen the sidewalks and incorporate parallel parking in privately backed effort to make downtown Sarasota more pedestrian friendly – a plan that has resulted in a petition that opposes the proposed renovations.

Ron also shares his thoughts on the paid parking program, the impact of the Palm Avenue parking garage, the current state of the downtown business community and the recently announced cancellation of the annual downtown New Year’s Eve festivities.

Visit Soto's Optical online at - http://www.sotosoptical.com/

This week's show began with former Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner discussing the Hispanic Student Festival taking place Saturday at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and then sharing his thoughts on city commission's passage of an additional mooring ordinance and the matter of building a parking garage on State Street.

The November 30, 2011 episode of Local Matters featured studio guests Bill Russell, Executive Director of the Sarasota Housing Authority, and former Surreal News host and recent STEP UP: 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness facilitator Larry Rossini.

Topics included the Step Up plan in regard to housing and the many aspects of public and affordable housing here in Sarasota, including the recently completed Janie's Garden Phase 2 development that also includes first floor retail space.

Learn more about the Sarasota Housing Authority at: http://www.sarasotahousing.org/

On Dec. 21, the STEP UP 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness will be posted at:
http://www.stepupsarasota.org/comingsoon/

On Nov. 16, WSLR 96.5 FM reporter Joe Hendricks filed this radio report on the preview unveiling of the STEP UP - 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness that will be released to the public on Dec. 21. At that time, you can read the plan at: http://www.stepupsarasota.org/comingsoon/

LOCAL MATTERS
Wednesday, Nov. 16

This week Local Matters welcomed April Glasco (Second Chance – Last Opportunity) and Veronica Brandon Miller (Project 180) to the WSLR studio.
Hosted by Joe Hendricks and guest co-host J.P. Fazio, this show began with April providing an overview of the S.C.L.O. operations taking place in Newtown, efforts that life skills classes, mentoring programs, food and clothing distribution, summer youth programs and other services provided to low income and at-risk families and individuals.
Visit SCLO online at: http://www.secondchancelastopportunity.org/

The second half of the show will feature Veronica providing an overview on the progress of the Project 180 program that when up and running will help prepare prisoners and former prisoners for life outside a prison cell. She’ll also fill us in on a fundraising event taking place this week.
Visit Project 180 online at: http://www.project180reentry.org/

This episode of Local Matters was brought to you by Pastry Art Bakery & Cafe. Located at 1512 Main Street, Pastry Art features a Cafe menu with soups, salads, and sandwiches from 11 a.m. to close 7 days a week. More information available at www.PastryArtBakeryCafe.com.

Local Matters…where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter…

Hosted by Joe Hendricks, the November 2 Local Matters show featured studio guests and Occupy Sarasota participants and organizers Chris Young, Mike Martin, Lori Frary and Jim Galiano. This quartet of local occupiers discussed their involvement in Occupy Sarasota and what they hope the local and national movements ultimately accomplish.

These guests also discussed the upcoming Saturday Nov. 5 Bank Transfer Day taking place in 5 Points Park - more details at: http://www.facebook.com/Nov.Fifth?sk=app_190322544333196

Joining the conversation by phone were WSLR listeners Devin, Jason and Francis.

Visit Occupy Sarasota online at: http://www.facebook.com/occupysarasota
and also at: http://occupysarasota.com/

This episode of Local Matters was brought to you by Pastry Art bakery cafe at 1512 Main St in downtown Sarasota. Pastry Art features locally roasted coffees and baked goods prepared on site. More information available at www.PastryArtBakeryCafe.com

Visit Local Matters on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000046317303

LOCAL MATTERS - Where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter...

On Oct. 6, 2001, more than 100 people gathered outside the Bank of America building in downtown Sarasota to show support for the Occupy Wall Street movement and to voice their displeasure with corporate thieves, ineffective elected leaders and failed economic polices.

This report originally aired on WSLR's JUMPING MULLET NEWS REPORT on Friday, October 7.

Visit WSLR online at www.WSLR.org

Hosted by Joe Hendricks, and airing on WSLR 96.5 FM in Sarasota Florida, the Oct. 26 episode of Local Matters was a 30 minute fund drive special featuring Bill Wilson and Kerry Ganter from the Resurrection House day resource center that serves Sarasota's homeless population.

Bill and Kerry provided an overview of Resurrection House and discussed some specific needs in regard to clothing, bedding and other items needed by our homeless friends.

Visit Resurrection House online at: www.ResurrectionHouseSarasota.org

NEXT ON LOCAL MATTERS: OCCUPY LOCAL MATTERS - a conversation with some of those participating in the Occupy Sarasota protests. Tune in and participate by calling the WSLR studio line (941-954-8636) on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 9 to 10 a.m.

Listen to WSLR 96.5 LPFM online at: www.WSLR.org

Local Matters - Where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter

Broadcasting from the new WSLR studio for the first time, this week's Local Matters show featured host Joe Hendricks interviewing a trio of former Sarasota City mayors that included Lou Ann Palmer, Dick Clapp and Mollie Cardamone.

Lou Ann, Mollie and Dick shared their views on the current commission's learning curve as they continue to learn the ins and outs of being a city commissioner. Topics of discussion included the feud between the city manager and city clerk, the police pension solution, crime and development in north Sarasota and the removal of park benches from 5 Points Park as part of the efforts to address the homeless population.

Local Matters – Where local folks drop by to talk about local things that matter…

This program originally aired on Feb. 23, 2011, as part of the WSLR 96.5 FM contribution to the 14th annual national Homelessness Marathon.

Hosted by Joe Hendricks, Rick Hughes and Jeff Cantor, this hour of programming includes audio taken from Rick's documentary film on homelessness, a phone conversation with Martha Childers from the Galvano One Stop Center in Bradenton and an interview with homeless advocate and Resurrection House volunteer Ali Kleber that includes Ali's thoughts on how to address homelessness in Sarasota.

This audio file is 59 minutes and 45 seconds long. The second hour of this broadcast is posted at this website as a separate audio file.

Hosted by Joe Hendricks, Rick Hughes and Jeff Cantor, the second hour of WSLR's Feb. 23 local contributions to the annual Homelessness Marathon began with a conversation pertaining to suggestions put forth by homeless advocate Ali Kleber.
This hour of programming also featured an interview with Ellen McLaughlin from the YMCA's Schoolhouse Link program and concluded with an interview with a formerly homeless man named James and a homeless man named Kelly.