2021-05-20 E-Edition

COOKED

Good restaurant jjobs are everywhere. So are unemployed workers. WhyW aren’t the workers filling the jobs?


RACHEL WALLACE IS JUST ONE, PERHAPS. But if you’re a restaurateur like Rich Rosenthal, owner of The Cooper, a Max Restaurant Group farm-to-table establishment in Palm Beach Gardens, she’s the one you want working for you or with you (the distinction is sometimes unclear) in roughest 14-month assault on restaurants across Florida and nationwide since the Great Recession. The Great […]

How Christine Carey and Valerie’s House are helping local children to grieve



Nov. 12, 2018 is a date Christine Carey will never forget. At the end of the school day, the then-kindergarten teacher dismissed her 18 students as usual, and all was right with the world. But later that night she received a text message that would change her life. It came from the mother of 5-year-old Connor Green, one of her […]

Reflections on the New South



History exists not in one, but in two places: the past, and at the point of the plow that cuts the hard dirt of what’s to come. It rolls up fragrant and new like dark soil from the furrows of each deed and every thought shared by any of us with all of us. Especially in the South, whose history […]

Punta Gorda Rotary Club to host a Healing Field of Honor

From May 28-31, United States flags will fly in a solemn formation at Laishley Park, creating an awe-inspiring panorama that will be available for everyone to enjoy. This stirring display of more than 500 flags will be a community tribute to honor our heroes. Each U.S. flag is sponsored and will represent an individual or group of people and therein […]

‘Alcohol to go’ — a “lifeline” for restaurants — legal in Florida July 1


Appearing at a Volusia County eatery, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill making permanent a COVID-19 emergency order allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks with take-home meals. Houligan’s owner Tim Curtis said the executive order that Gov. DeSantis issued more than a year ago kept sales going when indoor seating was banned due to COVID-19. “We adopted what […]

What our animal friends can teach us about money and happiness



There is a need for every living thing on this planet to have a purpose. Those who have easy lives and don’t have to work for things — whether it’s things they desire or the money to buy them — seem to miss out on this purpose for living. Many of us would love to win the lottery, or have […]

Protect your yard, pets by planting the right flora



It’s that time of year when everything is fresh and new. Everywhere I walk, I see new lawns and gardens in progress: raised beds, native plants, sod being laid. People new to pets or who have new pets and new lawns will want to make certain that both are protected from each other. Dog urine can stain otherwise gloriously green […]

Pets of the WEEK

These animals are available for adoption at the Animal Welfare League, 3519 Drance St., Port Charlotte. All animals are microchipped, neutered and current with their shots. We are open by appointments only. All of our adoptable pets are on the AWL website (www.awlshelter.org). If you see a pet that you would like to meet, call to make an appointment. We […]

Proper exercise can avert osteoporosis-related injuries


Osteoporosis is a major cause of disability in older women. A bone-weakening disorder, osteoporosis often results in fractures in the hip and spine — which can severely impair mobility and independence. Osteoporosis affects approximately 10 million Americans, according to the Office on Women’s Health. How can you reduce your risk of these life-altering injuries? Exercise can help. Certain types of […]