Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/90018
"Diversity" might be the theme of this issue of The Sarasota News Leader. With few local government meetings, our staff roamed widely for story ideas and found more than a few we believe you will enjoy this week. Stan Zimmerman, in fact, ranged as far afield as Bradenton. Lest readers think we are broadening our coverage area, Stan makes it clear in reporting on the new Riverwalk complex that he was taking it all in with an eye on how it com- pares to Sarasota's offerings. You don't have to be a "Stan Fan" to appreciate the thoughtfulness he has put into this article. He's also proving to be pretty capable with a camera. In his scouting work, Scott Proffitt searched out some portables on school campuses. Scott not only has an interesting piece this week on the status of those facilities in the school district, but he also delves into new School Board policy on electronic gadgets in the classroom. Cooper Levey-Baker had some pretty diverse story assignments this week, too — from covering bogus threats about voter registration to the Tourist De- velopment Council meeting with the County Commission. Beyond our news coverage, our editorial offers a recap this week of our endorsements for the Nov. 6 general elec- tion. More details about the candidates — and why they won our support — are provided with this link in that ed- itorial. Let's just say our editorial board put a lot of effort into compiling the longer version for that link. Finally, I am very pleased to introduce a new regular contributor to our staff, Tyler Whitson, who will be pro- viding coverage of all sorts of fun things to do around town. Tyler is a freelance journalist and New College of Flor- ida alum ('11) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in polit- ical science. In addition to contributing to the News Leader, he is a regular contributor to This Week in Sarasota and a news production intern at WSLR 96.5 LPFM. He is helping to put together the station's "Jumping Mullet" local news report and related po- litical coverage, among other responsibilities. Tyler says he is a proponent of localism and diversi- ty in the media, arts and politics and is passionate about journalism, music, literature and technology. I can affirm for you that his writing reflects an in- fectious joie de vivre. With warmest regards, Editor and Publisher