Three reasons to get a Slurpee today at 7-Eleven: It’s Monday. It’s hot outside. The Slurpee’s free. Participating 7-Eleven’s nationwide are giving away small Slurpees from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today to fete the convenience store chain’s 50th birthday. It’s even unveiling a new birthday cake flavor, which sounds ah-mazing! And that’s not all: The … MORE>>

Despite the objections of some downtown dwellers, Cask and Ale will open this summer at 1548 Main St. after winning approval Tuesday from city leaders. City commissioners voted 4-1 on the controversial plan granting the high-end restaurant and bar a permit despite its proximity to a liquor store and against the wishes of some residents … MORE>>

Here’s the second installment of unravel’s newest recurring feature: Pairing News & Booze. The concept’s simple: We pick a trending news topic and ask a wine expert to pair it with the perfect adult grape juice. Our wine expert in this case is Jeremy Osment, general manager and owner of Selva, an upscale Peruvian eatery in … MORE>>

Welcome to unravel’s newest recurring feature: Pairing News & Booze. The concept’s simple: We pick a trending news topic and ask a wine expert to pair it with the perfect adult grape juice. Our wine expert in this case is Jeremy Osment, general manager and owner of Selva, an upscale Peruvian eatery in downtown Sarasota. … MORE>>

THREADS Vengroff stormed out of a previous meeting over objections to a proposed city property inspections. He plans to construct as many as 393 apartments in five, six-story buildings, with rents ranging from $650 to $950 per month. The City Commission on Monday cleared the way for Sarasota’s first large-scale affordable housing project, unanimously agreeing to … MORE>>

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus will open a new student veteran center for its roughly 180 undergraduates who served their country and now seek a college degree. It’s a BFD for these proud men and women who, after several years in the military, often feel out of place on a college campus. Seriously, think … MORE>>

10 THINGS TO KNOW 1. Whole Foods wants to locate one of its markets at the corner of Honore Avenue and University Parkway as part of a development that also would bring Wawa convenience store/gas station and some restaurants and retail stores. 2.  The proposed site is 8.25 acres, of which 4.5 is a wetland … MORE>>

City Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to change Sarasota’s panhandling ordinance in response to a federal lawsuit filed last year by a group of homeless men. The men, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, argued the ordinance unfairly targets the homeless by restricting panhandling but not other kinds of solicitation – such as the request … MORE>>

Three years after removing park benches in an attempt to rid Five Points Park of homeless people, city commissioners unanimously voted Monday night to explore the idea of reintroducing them. “Removing benches does not stop those who are not compliant from frequenting the park. They just lie around now instead of sitting down,” said Peter Fanning, … MORE>>

Threads Nonprofit would be created to control homeless program Other nonprofits pitching their services as alternatives    The city of Sarasota’s plan for ending chronic homelessness calls for a new nonprofit agency to take the reins on a Housing First program costing an estimated $31.4 million to permanently shelter some 300 street dwellers in the … MORE>>