County

Your South Lake County Calendar

Your South Lake County Calendar
Find out all the events going on in your community, and planyour week’s activities with The Times.

Read more on The Times of Northwest Indiana

County

County produces top international biathletes

County produces top international biathletes
OMAK — This could be a pretty good year for Okanogan County biathletes who compete in a combination of Nordic skiing and precision marksmanship at the international level.

Read more on The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle

County

DuPage County 2009 newsmakers

DuPage County 2009 newsmakers
If you want to look into the soul of a place, you must start by looking into the faces of its people.

Read more on Daily Herald

County

Around the County

Around the County
Cascadia Community College students recently took part in an interactive cultural exchange. In a video conference, Cascadia students talked with students from Madinat Zayed College in United Arab Emirates and from Osaka Jogakuin Women’s College in Japan.

Read more on Everett Herald

County

City, county officials dedicate Phase 2 of Cushman Trail project

City, county officials dedicate Phase 2 of Cushman Trail project
John Barry of Puyallup attended the dedication of the Cushman Trail last week. He and his mentor, Bob Myrick, braved the cold, wet and windy conditions to enjoy the newest addition to Gig Harbor.

Read more on Peninsula Gateway

County

East Coast Beaches to West, Florida Beach Locations in Sarasota County Are Some of the Best!

Whether you are a winter visitor, vacationer or full-time resident, Florida’s 1,200 miles of coastline is yours to enjoy and we’re going to help you by giving you all of the details on the top west Florida beach locations including special amenities, recreational offerings, hours, pet regulations and more. Sarasota County is home to many well known towns including Sarasota, Venice, Englewood, Siesta Key and Longboat Key. Beautiful Sarasota Bay separates the county’s barrier islands from the mainland. With its 40 miles of beaches, Sarasota County is one of America’s most desirable places to live and to vacation.

Sarasota accommodations are varied and many, from Sarasota inns, to Sarasota resorts, to even Sarasota motels and the same is true throughout the County. You can find Sarasota vacations rentals in Siesta Key condos, Sarasota condominiums and Sarasota villas. Sarasota Restaurants throughout the County are many and palate pleasing! In Venice, Café Venice Restaurant & Wine Bar is the place to go. Cork on St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota was named “Best New Restaurant.” It’s a pretty exciting place with exciting food! Ophelia’s on the Bay offers beautiful alfresco dining overlooking Sarasota Bay and Euphemia Haye on Longboat Key is legendary. Try them all!

On to the beaches!

Here are 6 of the 17 beaches in Sarasota County:

Blind Pass Beach
Location: 6725 Manasota Key Road, one mile north of the
Charlotte County line on Manasota Key
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: ½ mile of beach and 66 acres gulf to bay, canoe
launch, picnic shelter, nature trail, playground, restrooms,
handicapped accessible
Activities: swimming, fishing, sunbathing, surfing, walking
canoeing, kayaking
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: In addition to enjoying this beautiful beach,
canoeing, kayaking and fishing are popular in the coves and
lagoon on the bayside.

Manasota Beach
Location: 8570 Manasota Key Road, west end @ Manasota Beach
Road.
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: parking lots are free and plentiful
Amenities: 1500 foot beach, 14 acres gulf to bay, lifeguards,
boat ramps, boardwalk, docking facilities, dune walkovers,
picnic shelters, restrooms, volleyball courts, handicapped
accessible
Activities: swimming, boating, fishing, shelling, walking,
sunbathing
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: The beach is situated between the Gulf and
the Intracoastal Waterway. On the Intracoastal side, a boat ramp
and docking facilities are available allowing access to the Bay
and Gulf. The 620 feet of dockage becomes a scenic boardwalk
that meanders through the mangroves.

Casperson Beach
Location: 4100 Harbor Drive, Venice, south of the airport
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lots
Amenities: 2 miles of beach, 177 acres, 1100 foot boardwalk,
.34 mile nature trail, picnic area, restrooms
Activities: swimming, shelling, walking, fishing, handicapped
accessible
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: Caspersen is recognized as one of the most
enjoyable shelling beaches in this area. This is an exceptionally
good area to find prehistoric sharks’ teeth. You can see
freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangrove areas, and tidal
flats. Enjoy a 20 minute walk through Caspersen’s nature trail
which has been developed through a coastal hammock. The
southern two thirds of beachfront has been left in its natural
state. A dune restoration system with walkovers has been
implemented to preserve the shoreline.

Brohard Park
Location: 1600 Harbor Drive on the Venice Airport property
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: 84 acres, Venice municipal fishing pier, bait shop,
Pelican Man Sanctuary, restrooms, food concession, restaurant
nearby, Paw Park
Activities: bird watching, swimming, fishing, sunbathing,
walking, shelling
Pets: yes, in Paw Park
Of Special Interest: For dog lovers, at the south end of Brohard
Beach is the Paw Park, with doggie drinking fountains, showers
on decks for dogs only, fire hydrants and leash posts. Dog lovers
have declared this park and beach to be the best doggy park in
the state, where dogs are allowed to roam free.

Service Club Park
Location: 1190 Harbor Drive, north of and adjacent to Brohard
Beach, Venice
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Website:
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: playground, picnic tables, restrooms and showers,
handicapped access, playground, dune walkovers
Activities: swimming, fishing, shelling, sunbathing, walking,
fishing
Pets: no

Venice Beach
Location: 101 The Esplanade, west end of Venice Ave., Venice
Phone: 941-861-5000 Sarasota County
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: 2 miles of beach total, 7.5 acres, lifeguards,
handicapped accessibility and handicapped wheelchairs,
concessions, dune walkovers, pavilion, restrooms, volleyball
courts
Activities: scuba, snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, volleyball,
walking
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: A reef containing fossilized material is
located a quarter mile offshore making it a favorite spot for
local divers.

We hope you enjoy your stay on a west Florida beach, whether it’s for the week, or for the rest of your life. Now what are you waiting for? Get swimming!

County

Napa County Has Many Unique State Parks

Part of living in Northern California means actively preserving the natural beauty of the land, and Napa County is no exception. Teaming with robust agricultural and viticultural lands, home to many endangered species, and full of natural wonders, the terrain of Napa County is both diverse and functional. Like most of Northern California, the climate is also temperate, which makes the area in and around Napa County an enjoyable place to explore throughout the year. The natural beauty of Napa County has been preserved by zoning laws and the State Park system to provide incredible places to hike, bike, horse ride, boat, and sightsee. Napa County maintains wildlife refuges, designated agricultural lands, lakes, rivers, and state and local parks so that everyone who goes there can easily appreciate the distinctive landscapes of this beautiful region.

The State Park System provides the most outdoor recreation, with the city parks providing towns with localized recreation. The Skyline Wilderness Park, located in Napa County, is 850 acres of wilderness where visitors can enjoy picnics, horseback riding, hiking, and camping. There are also buildings for meetings and events. Kennedy Park is 350 acres of land situated along the Napa River and offers sports, boat launching, and the public 18-hole Napa Golf Course. There are also picnic areas and facilities for meetings, weddings and private parties.

The Bale Grist Mill State Park in St. Helena and the Bothe Napa Valley State Park in Calistoga are connected state parks that feature a real working historical mill and a Native American plant garden. However, this is only the beginning of things to do in this protected wilderness. This State Park encompasses nearly 2,000 acre of land and includes fifty camping sites where visitors can sleep among the famous giant red woods of Northern California.

The Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is the gateway to Mt. St. Helena, the county’s only mountain. There is a monument to the author, who used the mountain as a backdrop for several of his books and also a rustic hiking trail that goes to the top of the mountain. Here, you can see the geyser country of Calistoga, where the California version of “Old Faithful” is located.

For fishing enthusiasts, Lake Berryessa is one of the largest manmade lakes in California. Located in the eastern part of Napa County, this lake is stocked with bass rainbow trout, brown trout, bluegill, crappie, and catfish. A variety of facilities include a four lane boat launch ramp, tackle shop, fifty three shaded waterfront RV hookups, wooded campgrounds, picnic areas, restaurant, convenience store, fuel dock, jet ski rentals, and boat rentals.

Westwood Hills is a great example of the kind of parks that are located in the cities of Napa County. This heavily wooded Napa city park features the Carolyn Parr Nature Museum, whose exhibits depict the plants and animals found in Napa County’s five different natural habitats. Like most city parks, Westwood Hills is a great recreational retreat right in the city. Most residents appreciate the fact that the towns of Napa County take great pains to preserve these parks so that they are readily available to enjoy for residents and visitors alike.

County

County to deny permit for helicopter skiing at The Canyons

County to deny permit for helicopter skiing at The Canyons
Some commercial helicopters will not be landing near the resort base of The Canyons ski area this winter because a permit for officials to build a

Read more on Park Record

County

Minimum wages don’t pay the rent in Contra Costa County

Minimum wages don’t pay the rent in Contra Costa County
According to a recent study published by the Washington D.C.-based National Low-Income Housing Coalition, to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Contra Costa County, a person earning minimum wage would have to work 125 hours per week for an income high enough to afford this rent — the equivalent of 3.1 full-time jobs more…

Read more on Martinez News-Gazette

County

Schuylkill County property transactions recorded

Schuylkill County property transactions recorded
Property transactions were recently recorded at the Schuylkill County Courthouse. They included: Robert J. Rita Sr., to Pamela L. Rehrig, property at 305 Penn Street, Tamaqua, $1 (full consideration $53,000). M. Joseph Simoes, as administrator of the estate of Carl A. Simoes, late of Pinellus Park, Florida, to Simmerrow Properties, LLC, Coatesville, property at 721 East Mahanoy Avenue, Mahanoy …

Read more on Times News

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