Lexi was a vibrant, soft-ball-playing, teenager. No one suspected that the blurry vision and headaches she started experiencing around the first of March this year could be anything terribly serious. Teenagers always have something new going on with their bodies. But Briana wanted to be on the safe side and took her to Dr. Tad Kosanovich, at Englewood Eye Center, where Briana was working.   

The optometrist discovered there was a serious problem and immediately referred the family to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, in St. Petersburg. There, doctors saw that a large tumor was present on the left side of Lexi’s brain. They acted quickly and operated, removing the entire tumor. With further examination, however, they found she still had cancer, and it was aggressive and was already at stage 4, meaning it had spread.

One of the biggest bones of contention, however, was not either of those things, but rather something that sits on the property of the big house. The Whispering Bench, created by Louise du Pont Crowninshield in the early 1900s, sits next to The Promenade and has been recognized by some as one of the last vestiges of the original Crowninshield property that once stood there, aside from the home next door that was Frank Crowninshield’s art studio and the pool and pool house at the corner of 1st Street and Gilchrist. 

More than 100 angry people showed up for the North Port City Commission meeting earlier this week to object to what they see as the city’s attempt to railroad through the development of the Warm Mineral Springs property by private investors. Many believe something “smells funny,” and it is not the minerals in the Springs.

“As a volunteer, you can learn more about the island you love, or teach us all the stories you know!” said Diff. “We’re looking for volunteers to help foster our island’s vast culture, while having fun and meeting new friends in the process. History spans so many different topics and we’re sure to find something that satisfies anyone’s interests.”

It’s not every day that a photographer with the body of work that Susan Wood has is featured in a slideshow on the side of a building on a tiny island like ours. It happened, though, on March 30, as the second in a series that celebrates the senses called “Art After Dark.” The J.McLaughlin store hosts the events, which are held for charity. Wood, a world famous photographer to the stars of movies, music, fashion, and politics, as well as a highly skilled photojournalist capturing down-to-earth happenings, was thrilled to be part of it.