Vol. 12 No. 1 - October 19, 2011

news

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Bayfest perfection

ANNA MARIA – The weather could not have been better Friday and Saturday as the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce hosted the 11th Annual Bayfest.

By the time Friday evening rolled around the sky was clear, but the sunlight was no match for the falling temperatures. The field in front of the main stage w as full of people listening to the music, children playing and couples dancing. More...

Fire merger goes down in flames

BRADENTON – A week after the first joint meeting of the Cedar Hammock and West Manatee fire commissions to discuss consolidation, Cedar Hammock's commissioners voted down the idea.

"They voted 4-1 to drop the talks," Cedar Hammock's Commission Chair Steve Litschauer confirmed Monday. More...

County embarks on no-kill campaign

Manatee County took a bold step last week to become one of the first, if not the first, county in Florida to adopt a no-kill policy for pets brought into shelters.

The Manatee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday, Oct. 11, to accept a 15-page plan from animal services with a goal of 90 percent live release rate. The current live release rate is 61 percent and the plan calls for increasing it two percent each month starting this month. More...

Resort tax collections up

The redesigned Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce website launched on July 12, Chamber board member Larry Chatt reported to the Manatee County Tourism Development Council on Monday.

When a potential visitor looks up Anna Maria Island online, the Chamber's website most often comes up on top, he said, adding, "We want to provide a great first impression." More...

Parks committee busy

HOLMES BEACH - The city's parks and beautification committee is continuing to look for grants to fund a boardwalk and observation tower at Grassy Point Preserve, Chair Jerry West told the committee last week.

About $18,000 in Sarasota Bay Estuary Program funds has been spent on removing invasive species such as Brazilian pepper and planting native plants, he said. More...

City responds to rental problems

The city of Holmes Beach is addressing citizen concerns about trash and parking violations at rental properties, according to Mayor Rich Bohnenberger.

The city's code enforcement department is working weekends and off-hours issuing citations for trash violations, and Commissioner Pat Morton has met with property management companies and Waste Management to seek solutions for trash overflow, according to the mayor. More...

Publishers express concerns on news rack ordinance

BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor Bob Bartelt hosted a meeting between city staff and newspaper representatives last week to hear their concerns about a proposed news rack ordinance. After they aired their concerns, they agreed to meet later to finalize their recommendations and work out a plan to make the ordinance work. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Rare red knots visiting AMI

Small flocks of red knots have been appearing on the Island in recent days. The birds, which are members of the peep family, are small, plump birds with short legs.

The red knots are named for the orange-red coloration that they display on their breast and belly during mating season. More...



features

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Ghosts of hurricanes past

If you haven't left Anna Maria Island by now, it's too late, warned the announcer on WTRL-AM 1490, broadcasting from the Pier in downtown Bradenton.

It was 1972, and we were listening in the second floor kitchen of a wooden, two-story cottage called East o' the Sun in Bradenton Beach, near where the Anna Maria Island Club is now. More...



OUTDOORS

Anna Maria Island Sun News StorySarasota Bay Watch event protects seabirds

On Oct. 1, members of Sarasota Bay Watch teamed with Save Our Seabirds, and Audubon Coastal Islands Sanctuaries to conduct a monofilament clean up of bird rookeries in Sarasota Bay. The event was organized to remove fishing line from mangroves during the season when birds are not nesting. The event was a great success, despite the arrival of an early cold front that roiled local waters. During the morning event, participants collected yards of line from Roberts Bay to Manatee County. More...


real estate

Nano House provides affordable shelter

I've written about living in small spaces before, but apparently I must have been either a cave dweller or resided in a tree house in a former life because the concept of living with less is a continuing source of fascination. My latest attraction in this area is the Nano House, the definitive less is more statement. More...

business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Kernels of optimism in a sea of negativity

Investment Corner

In my article two weeks ago, I highlighted a reason for optimism for the stock market related to the very high levels of insider buying by corporate executives since the start of the recent correction. For those who didn't read that article, the implication of high levels of insider buying is generally higher prices in the future. Obviously, these insiders wouldn't be buying a lot of additional stock if they thought that prices were going to continue much lower or that their company's survival was in question. More...



SPORTS

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Bowes Imaging lights up third quarter

The Sun sports game of the week was an adult co-ed basketball game between Agnelli Pools & Spa and Bowes Imaging. This was a matchup to see who would move into the second place spot in the six-team league. More...

The real cost of disease

Feasting on Fitness

I felt that this story is so important, I thought I'd "retweet" it from USA Today and others. It illustrates why I am spending the rest of my life trying to reduce this problem with relatively easy (compared to heart surgery, stomach stapling, losing limbs to diabetes) solutions such as simple diet and lifestyle changes. More...


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