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SRQ DAILY Jul 31, 2015

Friday Weekend Edition

Friday Weekend Edition

"They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones who do what they do."

- Mark Binder, WSLR Community Radio
 

[Music]  Grateful for The Dead
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

Mark Binder still remembers his first Grateful Dead concert. It was April 7, 1972, Binder was studying abroad and the Dead came to The Empire Pool. Binder and his roommate made sure they had tickets. “I was blown absolutely clean away,” said Binder. “I had no idea there was music like this.” A lifelong Deadhead, today Binder hosts the Dead-themed radio show on WSLR Community Radio Yesterday’s Dead Today,” and this Sunday, he’ll be hosting WSLR’s 7th Annual Very Merry Jerry Day, a musical celebration of the life and times of Jerry Garcia and the Dead, on the 20th anniversary of Garcia's passing and the 10th anniversary of WSLR. Recounting that first concert, Binder chuckles, “They ruined my life that day.”

But Binder’s not alone in his love for Garcia and the Dead, as the many Deadheads who convene on this week between Aug.1 and Aug. 9 (Garcia’s birth and death dates, respectively) to show their respects would attest, as well as the four bands scheduled to perform this Sunday at WSLR. Given 55 minutes onstage, each band will be performing a selection of their favorite tunes from the Grateful Dead and the members’ related projects, with Binder curating to ensure no overlap.

Must Be Jelly opens the concert at 4pm, followed by Not Tuna, veterans from Very Merry Jerry Day 2009 who signed on over eight months ago to secure a spot. Steve Arvey and Friends take the stage as the sun goes down, the international blues guitarist and singer putting his own spin on some Dead classics. “The beauty of Dead tunes is that you can almost play what you want; it’s the ins and outs of jams,” said Binder. “And we’re just lucky [Arvey’s] based right here in Sarasota.”

Kid Red and Friends close out the night’s celebration with some bombast. A seasoned performer straight out of the 1970s New Orleans scene, Binder describes him as  something of a Tom Waits figure, tall and slim with a voice like angry gravel, but offset by a shock of bright red hair and matching guitar. “He dances around like a marionette,” said Binder. “You have to see him as well as hear him.”

Backed up with food and drink from DaVinci’s Coffee, Gelato and Angry Mike’s Food Truck, family-friendly activities and tie-dye stations, Binder envisions strong community turnout. “I know, come August 2, 4 o’clock, I’m going to be standing in front of the microphone,” he says, “with Must Be Jelly behind me, saying, ‘Sarasota, thank you so much for supporting the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead and everything we all feel it stands for.'”

The Seventh Annual Very Merry Jerry Day begins at 4pm at WSLR Community Radio at 525 Kumquat Court. Tickets are $10. 

Pictured: Ship of Fools performs last year's Very Merry Jerry Day. Photo by: Mark Binder

[Health]  Venice Regional Medicare Agreement At Risk

Federal officials say Venice Regional Bayfront Health will lose its Medicare provider agreement if the hospital can not adequately address concerns about a May sewage leak that might have exposed patients to danger. Hospital CEO Peter Wozniak resigned this week amid concerns about how the leak was addressed. 

Wozniak, who has helmed Venice Regional since January 2010, praised his staff as he announced he will leave his post after today. “I am extremely proud of Venice Regional and the employees and physicians who provide personalized, quality care for patients each day,” Wozniak said in a statement. “Significant work is underway to strengthen the facility. This is a committed team of professionals and I wish them all the best in the future.” 

But that announcement came barely a week after a report from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services was sent to the hospital identifying numerous deficiencies in the handling of a May 26 sewage leak in a post-surgical orthopedic nursing unit. Nursing staff saw water leaking from the ceiling and running down walls in the early afternoon, according to the report. The source of the leak was determined to be a six-inch main sewage line serving the third and fourth floors. A restoration company was called in and worked to clean up the area over the course of five days, but “at no time during the restoration project and cleanup were patients moved,” the report states.

The report found lapses in notification of superiors as well. The hospital’s risk manager told CMS officials on July 1 she had not been made aware of the scope of the sewage leak until that week. The same day, Wozniak told CMS he also was not made aware of the scope of the matter, and that the facility “thought we did the right thing and fixed it, but trusted the restoration company too much.” The director of Infection Control, who was on vacation at the time of the leak, was not immediately told details of the incident beyond that plumbing had overflowed and shorted out an elevator, according to the CMS report.

CMS administrator Sandra Pace informed hospital officials on July 21 that a plan of correction addressing all areas of deficiencies, as well as monitoring and tracking procedures to ensure the plan is effective, must be submitted to the Agency for Healthcare Administration, and that if all condition level deficiencies are not corrected by Oct. 19, the hospital’s Medicare provider agreement will terminate. The federal government will conduct on-site visits to verify corrections, the report said. 

[Daily Shop]  Beach Daze

With the abundance of rain and lack of rays, everyone has been missing days at the beach. Marmalade Salon and Boutique has all that you need during this streak of grey skies. Burn the Marmalade Beach in a Can candle and your senses will be in the sand. Throw on a beach therapy T-shirt with a paradise pouch and your spirit will stay tropical as you wait for the sun. 

Marmalade Salon and Boutique, 1927 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-362-0276

[Recognition]  SCF Earns Gold Standard

A performance funding system for state colleges approved last week by the State Board of Education ranked the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) sixth in the state, placing it in the top tier of Florida’s 28 colleges. The performance funding model consists of four measures: job placement/continuing education; completion rates; retention rates, and completer entry wages. This distinction promises an additional percentage of the state’s education budget. 

State College of Florida

[Recognition]  Sperry Van Ness Recieves National Ranking

With offices in downtown Sarasota and downtown Bradenton, Sperry Van Ness Commercial Advisory Group has been recording record-breaking commercial real estate closings, earning them a top ranking with Sperry Van Ness International Corporation. Their team of 16 commercial real estate advisors have logged over 120 transactions since the beginning of the year, over $60 Million in transactions, which has earned them the Number 5 ranking from Sperry Van Ness nation-wide, for the first six months of 2015.  

Sperry Van Ness

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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