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Community News Collaborative

Four people stand outside for a group photo. — The Community News Collaborative consists of reporters Sarah Owens, left, Catherine Hicks and Jim DeLa. Editor Eric Garwood, center, leads the team.

Community News Collaborative

The CNC produces journalism on a variety of topics in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties for about a dozen media partners including newspapers, radio and television stations and magazines.

Arts / Culture

A Newtown complex opens its doors to social services

Catherine Hicks - Community News Collaborative

The Janie’s Garden apartment block offers more than just a place to live.
Arts / Culture

Antique shops put Arcadia on the map

Sarah Owens - Community News Collaborative

Alongside the treasures of the past on Main Street are some new ideas.
Economy / Business

Christmas tree disposal can be more than a trip to the curb

Sarah Owens - Community News Collaborative

Green alternatives to trash day can actually make your garden grow better.
Arts / Culture

Anna Maria students make their marks with art

Catherine Hicks - Community News Collaborative

The fifth-graders’ work was featured on a Guy Harvey line of travel cups.
Transportation

Roundabouts are rolling out in greater numbers in Sarasota, Manatee, and across Florida

Catherine Hicks - Community News Collaborative

Sarasota, Manatee, developers and FDOT say circles make sense, in some locations, to boost safety.
Politics

A former diplomat is taking a new approach to fighting poverty

Jim DeLa - Community News Collaborative

Ex-U.S. ambassador Daniel Speckhard will speak in Sarasota in early January.
Economy / Business

A report recommends changes to Bradenton’s city golf course

Eric Garwood - Community News Collaborative

The popular River Run Golf Links continues on a trend of more rounds, but an assessment urges upgrades and price adjustments.
Education

Home-schooling parents in Manatee and Sarasota find a niche that works for them

Catherine Hicks - Community News Collaborative

Since spiking during pandemic, numbers of home-schooled children remain consistent.
Environment

Bird experts sound the alarm about rat poison in Sarasota, Manatee

Catherine Hicks - Community News Collaborative

Eaglet deaths on Lido Key prompt an Audubon volunteer to try and raise awareness about danger to birds of prey.
Education

Sarasota-area colleges offer help to students facing food insecurity

Jim DeLa - Community News Collaborative

Campus needs vary, but assistance programs make a difference.
Sports

A Sarasota golf course reopens with a classic design and new features

Eric Garwood - Community News Collaborative

The renovated Bobby Jones facility now includes a nature park meant to help improve stormwater runoff.
Health News Florida

Sarasota County asks residents to provide feedback on community conditions

Sarah Owens - Community News Collaborative

The Department of Health launches walking tours in four neighborhoods to collect data and residents' impressions.

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Four people stand outside for a group photo.

About The CNC

The four-member Community News Collaborative team produces journalism on a variety of topics in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties for about a dozen media partners including newspapers, radio and television stations and magazines. Launched in 2022 with funding provided by the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, the CNC operates in conjunction with WUSF Public Media to provide an additional level of community news coverage in the region at a time when many newsroom staffs are shrinking.

Meet The Staff

Executive Editor Eric Garwood most recently served as managing editor of the Observer Media Group’s news operations in Sarasota-Siesta Key and Longboat Key. Garwood, 60, has been a reporter, page designer, editor and newsroom leader for 39 years at newspapers in Florida and North Carolina. If you have story ideas for the news team, reach out to Eric at ericgarwood@cncfl.org.

Sarah Owens is a graduate of Milligan University, where she played intercollegiate soccer before joining the staff of the Johnson City Press in Tennessee as a reporter. She has focused on issues of social justice, cultural practices, mental health and criminal justice. Owens was the editor in chief of her campus newspaper and is a native of Alabaster, Alabama. Sarah can be reached at slowens@cncfl.org

Catherine Hicks is a graduate of University of South Florida where she is also finishing a Masters degree in digital journalism. She served as a digital producer for Fox 21 TV in Denver, Colorado, while also running a freelance reporting and copy writing business. She is a native of Pinellas County and served as a graduate teaching assistant at USF. Hicks is particularly interested in issues of mental health and the environment. She can be reached at chicks@cncfl.org

Jim DeLa is a veteran of the news business, serving in a variety of roles over four decades. He’s worked in television, newspapers and radio while reporting, editing and supervising teams of journalists. He was the night metro editor of the Bradenton Herald, worked in university offices of communications and was director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. In his spare time, DeLa is a baseball and softball umpire. He most recently served as a digital producer at WWSB-TV in Sarasota. Jim can be reached at jdela@cncfl.org

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