History on the move - slowly

Levengood closes Island career

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary School had him a little more than four years, but when Tom Levengood leaves the principal's office for the last time, he will be closing the door on a 35-year career in education in Manatee County Schools.

Levengood is known by many in the upper echelons of the district not only for his job performance, but because he has been around for so long and started his career when many of them did. More...

Snook's Kids Day Saturday

For more than a half of a century, one of the highlights of summer vacation on the Island has been Snooks Adams Kids Day. It usually comes after school lets out, although this year it comes about a week before that special day.

The Anna Maria Island Privateers to host the 57th Annual Snooks Adams Kids Day, sponsored by Whitney Bank, on Saturday, May 28, at Bayfront Park, 316 N. Bay Blvd., Anna Maria, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. All kids and their parents are welcome. Admission is free. More...

Fire board reduces rate increase

BRADENTON – West Manatee fire commissioners, unhappy with a 4.13 percent increase for the 2011-12 assessment rates recommended by Chief Andy Price, lowered the rate to 3.75 percent.

"These rates are within the allowable limit of the Florida personal income growth factor," Price said in making his recommendation. "We have no other way to raise money."

"I can't go for it," Commissioner Jesse Davis declared. More...

Fire district presents Civilian Service Award

Capt. Chris Kiernan, of the West Manatee Fire & Rescue District, presented a Civilian Service Award to Jim O'Brien, of Bradenton, at last week's fire commission meeting.

According to the award, O'Brien was working in his yard at 4201 15th Ave. W. when he heard children yelling frantically in the yard of a neighboring home. He investigated, observed a home on fire and made sure all the occupants were out of the home. More...

Cortez veterans remember WWII

CORTEZ – It will be 70 years this year since World War II began for the United States, and only a handful of veterans from the historic fishing village of Cortez are left to remember.

They marched through the African desert with Patton, transported bombs across the Atlantic Ocean and flew Mustangs over Axis Europe.More...

Historical Society awards scholarships

ANNA MARIA – Members of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society awarded $2,000 scholarships to two graduating seniors, Ourania Lardas and Christopher Perez, at their annual meeting last week.

Ourania is the daughter of Lisa and Steve Lardas, of Holmes Beach. She has had a dream to become a teacher since ninth grade when she mentored twin sisters. More...

City begins budget work

BRADENTON BEACH – The city commission wants to get a head start on this year's budget process to take care of an approximately $15,000 shortfall due to another expected drop in property tax income so it has scheduled a budget work session for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25.

In a memo to the commissioners and Mayor Bob Bartelt, City Clerk Nora Idso made some suggestions to balance the budget and have something left over to pay for capital improvement projects. More...

No memorials for manatees

It was a rare and breathtaking sight.

Nine manatees off Bradenton Beach were visible from the shoreline in shallow water as they traveled slowly south, to the delight of the beachgoers who followed them.

A few days later, 13 manatees were spotted off Holmes Beach in ankle-deep water. More...

Crosswait tournament fosters high ideals

The Annual Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend at the Bradenton Yacht Club. The tournament was established 28 years ago as a tribute to Col. Sam Crosthwait and to further his high ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie among Florida west coast anglers. The popular tournament has grown over the years due to the professional manner in which it is organized and by being sensitive to the trends that have developed in the sport fishing industry. Over the years the tournament has adopted a photo and release policy on inshore fish and billfish and this year added a fly fishing division. While final results were not available at press time anglers fishing the offshore division battled large seas and managed to catch and release two large blue marlin along with numerous other species. More...

Want a mortgage? Not so fast

Pink & Navy – Fifth Avenue meets Pine Avenue

Pink for girls and blue for boys has been a tradition since the beginning of the 20th century, even though no one is really sure why dressing all babies in white stopped being the norm. Since the pink and blue tradition is still very much alive for babies, why not pink and navy, women and men.

Pink & Navy on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria opened in December of last year, occupying space in one of the Pine Avenue Restoration project buildings. But to owner Janae Rudacille this building is a lot more than just a location for her smart new shop. It's literally where she was born and lived for a good part of her childhood. More...

Inner workings of immediate annuities

Sales of annuities tend to increase after periods of financial uncertainty. So, even though the last couple years have been pretty good for stock and bond markets, the impact of the last decade where there were two major stock market declines, a real estate bubble burst and a full scale financial crisis, investors still like the sound of the word guaranty.

An immediate annuity is a contract with an insurance company. You give them a lump sum of cash, which is immediately annuitized into a stream of income. The income is usually a monthly payment and the amount is based on your age, the term over which you wish to receive the income and additional factors like whether or not you want your beneficiaries to continue to receive the income for a limited time if you die early in the contract period. More...

Fielding strikes twice

The Sun sports Game of the week was a dramatic double overtime division I basketball game between Eat Here Restaurant and Holy Cow Ice Cream Store. The game took almost an hour and a half to play, but for players and spectators, it was worth every second.

Both teams matched up really well, player for player, with size and speed. During regulation time, neither team could pull away from the other. In the second half, each team shared the lead multiple times, and it looked like whichever team had the ball last was going to win or, in this case, tie. More...

Where to dine on veggies

Since my diet is plant-based for health reasons (mom, aunt and both sisters had breast cancer, for starters), I often get asked, where do you eat local vegetarian food? It is actually much easier than you think. I'm still surprised that no serious vegetarian restaurants have opened here. I know many who would support it as they have at Leafy Greens in St. Petersburg. Their desserts leave most saying, "Vegan? Really?!"

At first, I thought that living almost literally between two fishing piers, it would be impossible to find options. But some of the best vegetarian entrees have been at The Waterfront across from the Anna Maria City Pier. I have eaten a vegetarian burger there that tasted like it was freshly made, although I was told it had been ordered in bulk pre-made. More...