Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/215277
If it seems as though we have a wealth of stories this week about addressing homelessness in Sarasota, it was not planned that way. I daresay no one knew consultant Robert Marbut would release a draft of his recommendations for the community just one day before our publication deadline. Along with tackling the report itself, County Editor Roger Drouin covered Marbut's Nov. 15 presentation to a local chapter of the League of Women Voters, City Editor Stan Zimmerman attended a regular focus group meeting this week on homelessness issues, and I covered a County Commission discussion on a funding source for community action. While some publications might have pulled one or all of those other stories after Marbut's draft appeared, I felt it important to include them. Few topics over recent years have garnered as much public attention as homelessness, and the more you know about the many facets of the issue, the better able you are to develop an opinion on how it should be handled. This was a very big week for Sarasota County's 2050 Plan, too, but Associate Editor Cooper Levey-Baker has done a masterful job of gathering the material into one article that easily will let you know the most important facets of what transpired. Thankfully, after all the hard news, Staff Photographer Norman Schimmel — with a little help — spent a lot of time at both the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition and the Chalk Festival. Production Manager Cleve Posey has incorporated those photos into lovely looks at the work of the tremendously talented artists. By all means, do take your time with this issue. Editor and Publisher