Former Holmes Beach resident Dave Viens has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife in Los Angeles County.

The arrest follows two bizarre weeks in which police say Viens tried to kill himself by jumping off a cliff after he found out authorities were going to charge him. Investigators are still trying to find the wife's body. More...

Heritage Day Festival a winner

While the overcast early morning was perfect for setting up booths, the sunshine that followed brought out a huge crowd to enjoy the AMI Historical Society's annual Heritage Day Festival Saturday.

Booths filled with artwork, jewelry, woodcarvings antiques and T-shirts filled the Island Historical Museum parking lot and the park. Vendors reported brisk sales throughout the day, and at times it was difficult to get through the crowd. More...

City reviews cell tower rules

BRADENTON BEACH – The city commission and the planning and zoning commission have some decisions to make regarding a telecommunications ordinance so they decided to hear from the experts at a joint public meeting on Feb. 24.

Jackie Hicks and Rusty Monroe, from the Center for Municipal Solutions, fielded questions from the elected and appointed city officials. The Center was hired by the city to come up with an ordinance to regulate cell phone towers in the city. More...

Tour of Homes offers boutique and wine tasting

The Island Community Center's 18th Annual Anna Maria Island Tour of Homes is set for Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to touring six distinctive homes in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach, at the home of Jim and Bonnie McMillan in Holmes Beach, you will find the unique boutique offering original arts and crafts, and culinary delights. More...

Roadwork snarls bridge traffic

Motorists using the Anna Maria Island Bridge to get on or off the Island on Monday, March 7, might have gotten caught in a traffic jam caused by construction activity, but when the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) found out what was going on during high season, it acted quickly. More...

Artist's reception for Charles Townsend

The public is invited to an artist's reception for Charles Townsend at the Studio at Gulf and Pine on Friday, March 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. The exhibit includes recent oils, monotypes and pastels.

In this show, Townsend's contemporary landscapes explore light, color and atmosphere in scenes from Florida, Vermont and the Haute-Garonne region of France. The show contains 34 works of art.More...

Affaire to feature Lee Greenwood and his band

ANNA MARIA – Electricity was in the air last year when country music star Lee Greenwood took the stage at the Affaire to Remember and rocked the room.

This year's Affaire could prove to be better as Greenwood has agreed to return and bring his band for a "Magic Moment with Lee Greenwood" on April 2 at the area's premier fundraiser at the Island Community Center. More...

Springfest offers outdoor art, music, more

HOLMES BEACH –The 23rd Annual Springfest: Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts will fill Holmes Beach City Hall Field on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The free event, sponsored by the Anna Maria Island Art League, draws more than 100 local, regional and national fine artists displaying all types of art, including paintings, glass, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, fiber arts, photography and wood. More...

Seagrass: a healthy resource?

The seagrass beds that carpet Anna Maria Sound and extend south through Sarasota Bay harbor a tremendous array of living creatures. This critical and diverse ecosystem is mostly out of sight, except at extreme low tides. While it might be hard to believe, seagrasses are flowering plants that serve a number of important functions. Because they flower, seagrasses require sunlight and are limited to clear, shallow waters. They produce oxygen, bind sediments and baffle wave action while cleansing coastal waters.. Seagrass roots, their leaves and the epiphytes and micro algae that cling to them clean water by converting dissolved nutrients into plant matter. Besides giving us clean and clear water, sea grasses are home to the organisms that provide food and shelter for fish, crustaceans, shellfish, manatees and wading birds. More...

The future of the home mortgage

We've heard a lot about change over the past couple of years, and we've sure had a lot of it. Some of the biggest changes have been in the real estate markets, most of it not good, and most of it not done.

On Feb. 11 a report to congress was published by the Treasury and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regarding the country's mortgage system. The report, entitled "Reforming America's Housing Finance Market," discusses the nation's mortgage complex during the years leading up to the crash of 2008. More...

Business focuses on eco-education

Karen Fraley's past 12 years have taken her around the bend many times as she leads residents and tourists into the wilderness on land and in the water, but it might never have been had she not dealt with a spate of free time on her hands as a mother.

"I was looking for something to do while my kids were going to school," he said. "I didn't want to return to school, so I started my business. It was great because I could schedule my job around my other duties as a mother." More...

High savings rate could be a mixed blessing

Savings has to be a good thing, right? Moms have told their kids for generations to "get an education, get a good job, save some money, get married and give me some grandchildren." The timeless advice from moms is usually reliable in the big picture of things, but sometimes a little simplistic, so let's go a bit deeper.

First, what is the savings rate? For a nation, or a family for that matter, the savings rate is the money earned minus the amount spent on consumption. The amount left over – the savings, can then be used to invest, pay down debt, or to literally be stashed in a non-productive environment like the mattress. More...

Third place Bills upset first place Bears

The Sun sports Game of the Week was a Division I game between the first place Beach Bistro Bears and the third place 1st American Bank Bills. This was also the concluding game of the regular season schedule.

The 1st American Bank Bills set the tone early. The team was primed and ready to take on the challenge of the first place team. On the Bills first drive, Jack Shinn took a handoff and scampered in for a 10-yard touchdown. The point after failed and left the score 6-0. On the ensuing next play, there was a bad snap for the Beach Bistro Bears which turned into a safety and just like that the score was 8-0. More...

Senior Games redux

I originally got on Facebook to make sure my kids were alive and well. I also wanted to keep them posted on my life. Scattered all over, it was the only way. I am very grateful for the ability to do that easily.

Then as my literary agent began shopping my book around a few years ago, she told me all publishers cared about was how many friends I had on Facebook and how many Tweets I twitted on Twitter. Whatever. More...