Short-term rental meeting to be set

HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach residents concerned about short-term rental problems may have the chance to propose solutions at a special work session next month.

After lengthy discussion last week, the Holmes Beach Commission assented to new Commissioner Jean Peelen's request to hold a meeting on the issue. More...

Local performer seeks role on 'Glee'

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary School alumnus and local rising star performer Trina Rizzo took to the small stage recently to tryout for the national television show, 'The Glee Project." More...

Beachfront property sold

BRADENTON BEACH – It went from a collection of beachfront mom and pop resorts to a condo-on-the-beach project that never got off the ground. Now the four lots at 2508, 2510, 2512 and 2516 Gulf Drive N. have been purchased, and plans call for luxury single-family homes fronting 250 feet of the Gulf of Mexico. More...

Randy Cooper to chair West Manatee Fire Commission

BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire commissioners last week elected Randy Cooper as the chair, David Bishop as the vice chair and Scott Ricci as the secretary/treasurer for the next year.

Cooper presented his plans for the Citizens' Fire Academy, which is slated to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. one evening per week for six weeks. More...

'Brawn on the Beach' to help victims

The BeachHouse restaurant, which sponsors "Brains on the Beach," a free lunch for the top scholars in Manatee County high schools at the end of each school year, will host an event of another kind on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., called "Brawn on the Beach." More...

Wedding Festival plans evolve

HOLMES BEACH – It all began five years ago with a plan to bring wedding professionals to the Island to see what it had to offer in services, accommodations and beaches. Now it's one of the largest wedding festivals in this part of Florida. More...

Island Players performance opens

The Manatee County Commission voted to amend the county's tourist development tax ordinance on Monday, prioritizing how funds are spent.

The 5 percent tourist development tax, imposed on hotels, motels, condominiums and other accommodations rented for six months or less, is the funding source for the county's $3.9 million tourism budget for 2012-13. More...

New pro settles in at Key Royale

HOLMES BEACH – Don Findlay has taken over the duties of instructing the golfers at Key Royale Club and he's impressed with what he's found.

"I played here before and I love it," Findlay said. "I'm impressed with how friendly everyone here is." More...

Twilight to twinkle at holiday boat parade

The Eighth Annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade will delight spectators as boats decorated for the holidays cruise the Intracoastal Waterway on Saturday, Dec. 17.

The parade begins at dusk at the docks at Mar Vista and Moore's restaurants on Longboat Key, and will travel north along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Seafood Shack restaurant in Cortez, where an awards celebration will be held. More...

The monster bones of Aitutaki

Ian Dollery, director of the Aitutaki Bonefish Management Committee, told us to bring heavy fly tackle that could handle the large bonefish that swam this Cook Island atoll. My three choices were a nine weight, a 10 weight and an 11 weight. It didn't take long for me to find out that even with this tackle I could be defeated by some of the monster bones of Aitutaki. The recommendations were spot on, but there were times when the use of a floating line and bead chain flies was required. The high winds we experienced and the deeper water where the big bones often lurk required us to get our flies down quick much of the time. Most of the effective flies were variations of Clousers and the McVey Gotcha with large and medium weight lead eyes. More...

Review: The Hell's Bay Biscayne

I have to start this boat review with a disclosure. I've owned a Hell's Bay boat for close to eleven years and I count it among one of my prized possessions. When I got a call from Captain Todd Fuller with an offer to try out the Biscayne, Hell's Bay's newest boat, I jumped at the chance. Not only was there the opportunity to drive and fish the new model, but  I would also have the chance to meet and fish with Captain C.A. Richardson, host of "Flat's Class" a popular TV show that airs on Sun Sports, The Sportsman's Channel and The World Fishing Network. More...

Program helps pay energy costs

Last week was Thanksgiving, and I'm sure we all gave thanks to our families and are thankful for our homes, especially in these difficult times. However, not everyone may be as fortunate, and for those families that need assistance in maintaining a comfortable home there is help. More...

New recession unlikely, at least for now

Investment Corner By Tom Brieter

There always seems to be some sort of distraction for investors to deal with. The distraction may be either fear inducing or greed inducing, depending on its form, but both usually cause investors to make mistakes when viewed with the benefit of hindsight. At present, we have a lot of fear-inducing factors to digest, so many, in fact, that they seem to be covering up a few kernels of good news. More...

Island adult sports explosion

The adult sports programs at the Anna Maria Island Community Center have seen a dramatic increase in popularity. Exactly two years ago, the Center started an adult co-ed sports department. Since that revitalization of Island adult athletics, the Center has formed 56 different teams and had 514 adult participants. More...

All is fair in love and desserts

Feasting on Fitness By ellen Jaffe Jones

I should have written this column last week, but I didn't know then that the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine was going to feature two recipes from my book, "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," in its Thanksgiving menu recipes. The president of this organization of doctors, registered dieticians and health care professionals wrote the foreword to my book. He also started The Cancer Project. I had the honor of teaching cooking classes for TCP for six years before I got busy traveling on my book tour. So perhaps it shouldn't have come as a big surprise that PCRM would choose two of my recipes, one of which has special meaning. More...