‘Joy rider’ in jail

A teen-age runaway from Arcadia remains in jail today on at least 23 different criminal counts after police say he stole a truck and led authorities on a crazy high-speed chase through the Island last week that left 23 vehicles damaged and the Cortez Bridge closed for about four hours.

According to police, Fernando Sanchez Ibarra, 16, stole the red F-350 from a Bradenton window tinting business then drove it out onto Anna Maria Island, back to the mainland then headed back to the Island with a train of law enforcement vehicles following him. He was finally caught after police used spiked stop sticks to puncture the truck’s tires, and the vehicle got wedged in with other cars the suspect hit on the Cortez Bridge.

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City businesses looking for a sign

ANNA MARIA – The scene is set for city commissioners to hear from business owners at a work session scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, concerning sandwich signs, which the city banned when it adopted a new sign ordinance.

The new law would have made the signs illegal as of March 1, but the commission extended the deadline to April 3, at an emergency meeting March 3. More...

Island going green once more

HOLMES BEACH – Irish eyes will be smiling next weekend with two days of celebration and a parade at the conclusion. The big news is the return of Sham Rockin’ the Island Fest at Holmes Beach City Hall field.

Sponsored by the Anna Maria Island Community Center and the Island Sun, Sham Rockin’ the Island the Fest begins Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. featuring the music of Rick Quimby, Jesse Sliger and Shotgun Justice. There will be food vendors, beer, wine and soda Saturday. More...

Board seeks adopters for parks

HOLMES BEACH – Beautification board members plan to seek businesses, groups or individuals willing to adopt the city’s parks and traffic islands for maintenance purposes.

Member Dennis Groh told members that while they are unhappy with how the city’s parks and some traffic islands are being maintained, they might be unrealistic. More...

Committee reports on parking agreements

HOLMES BEACH – Congestion committee members recently discussed responses to their contacts with churches and banks regarding parking agreements for alternate parking sites for beach goers.

The group has been working with sites near the Manatee Public Beach because people can have access to the facilities and enter and exit the Island easily. More...

Board to explain major charter changes

HOLMES BEACH – With four major changes to the city’s charter possible, members of the charter review commission want voters to have a good understanding of those changes and give their input on whether they agree with them.

The four major changes are:

• Adding the position of human resources analyst to the current four charter positions, which are police chief, city clerk, city treasurer and building official/public works supervisor; More...

Naked man caught after streaking on Bridge St.

Commissioners debate staff oversight

BRADENTON BEACH – How many captains does it take to steer the ship?

According to the 3-2 vote rendered during last week’s discussion on department head and charter official oversight, it takes five commissioners to oversee the city’s highest-ranking employees.

This was the opinion of Commissioners Jack Clarke, Ed Straight and Jan Vosburgh, while Vice-Mayor Janie Robertson and Mayor Bill Shearon felt the mayor should have greater authority over key personnel. More...

Springfest fun as ever

HOLMES BEACH – Sunny skies and cool temperatures provided a perfect setting for the 26th Annual Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts last weekend.

Droves of art fans descended on the popular festival at Holmes Beach City Hall field, soaking up southern cooking and country, folk, zydeco and beach music from the Anna Maria String Band, Dan Mobley, Howie Banfield and Scott Blum, the Gumbo Boogie Band and Koko Ray, while soaking up some rays. More...

A taste of the winter banquet

One of the pleasures of living in Florida is the excellent fishing opportunities that are available during the winter months. Here on the west coast we’re blessed with a large variety of species that inhabit the Gulf and bays when most of the nation is locked in snow and ice. Some days can produce exceptional results, making a venture into our local waters a worthwhile proposition. Recently I had the pleasure of experiencing a great day of fishing on a cool but sunny day with Ben Ford and Captain Rick Grassett, of Sarasota. More...

Too good to be true?

Recently I’ve been thinking about a Chinese proverb I read a long time ago, “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” I’ve decided that every visitor to Anna Maria must have changed during their time on the Island, which is one of the reason they keep coming back.

Last month TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Island awards named Anna Maria Island the Number 3 island in the United States. This was up from last year’s Number 4 ranking and well ahead of some of the most famous and beautiful beaches in other parts of the country. Anna Maria ranked higher than beaches in the Hawaiian Islands, Nantucket, Massachusetts and Key West, among others. More...

Stages of widowhood

The very sad idea of a woman being suddenly alone due to the death of a spouse is not my most favored topic to write about. But, statistics tell us that 70 percent of women will outlive their husbands. Throw in the fact that, for a majority of baby boomer couples, the male has taken the lead on handling financial decisions, and we have the recipe for disaster.

Widowhood can be divided into three basic stages, with the duration of each of these different for every individual. The whole process may take years and should not be viewed as being on a set schedule. More...

Ravens rally past Falcons in flag football

The Sun Ssports game of the week an 11-to-13-year-old division playoff game between the number four seeded Bark & Company Realty Ravens and the number five seeded Will C Photo’s Falcons in the Anna Maria Island Community Center’s co-ed recreational NFL Flag Football League.

The Will C Photo’s Falcons jumped out to an early lead. On the second play of the game, quarterback Silas Banyas threw a quick slant rout to Dylan Doyle. Dylan got it to the edge and raced down the sideline 43 yards for the touchdown. Banyas threw a converted extra-point pass to Eli Brashear and made the score 7-0. More...

Healthy food can taste great

As a TV reporter ages ago, I used to get paid the big bucks (ha) getting all sides to a story and doing the research it takes. So this volunteer column is the result of my week’s experiences and what I can write in two to three hours time. I always hope to inspire and prevent needless suffering of humans and animals that occurs way too often.

It is my belief that in our area, it would be a huge financial benefit if we had more vegan restaurants. Really vegan restaurants.

Like the exclusively vegan restaurant Ionie’s in Sarasota. My friend, Carl Lovejoy, is the amazing chef there. Check out restaurants’ Facebook pages or websites to see what they’re serving. More...