Clinton Engelberger/Suncoast Searchlight

Two decades ago this summer, a bottlenose dolphin made international headlines after he was spotted swimming through Sarasota Bay wearing an extra-large men’s Speedo. The dolphin, named Scrappy, was found caught in the swimsuit, unable to escape as the fabric cut deep into his soft, gray skin. Today, Scrappy is still alive, still swimming in Sarasota Bay — and thanks to researchers who freed him — helping tell a much bigger story about dolphin conservation.

Sophia Haakman is something of a bird whisperer. The 16-year-old Pineview School student doesn’t just notice Sarasota’s birds. She wants to understand how they live, what they need to survive and whether efforts to protect them are actually working.

New signs posted at Publix stores now state: “Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.” The message appears near the bottom of a broader list of store rules, alongside more routine policies like no pets and no soliciting.

Yes — A presidential pardon excuses the punishments of a felony, but the crime isn’t automatically overturned or erased from one’s record.