Army exploring for explosives

PASSAGE KEY – Now a peaceful bird sanctuary, Passage Key was a bombing and aerial gunnery range during World War II, and the military plans to explore it for unexploded munitions within the next year.

The U.S. Army Air Corps at MacDill Field (later called the U.S. Air Force at MacDill Air Force Base), used Passage Key as a target during World War II, leaving behind several items that were discovered in 1998 that interested the Army, said Amanda Parker, public affairs officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, declining to disclose what the items are. More...

Holmes Beach elects Johnson as mayor

HOLMES BEACH – An exuberant crowd filled the home of Commissioner Marvin Grossman on election night and went wild when they learned that Grossman and Commissioner Judy Titsworth would retain their seats and that Bob Johnson would be the city’s next mayor.

David Cheshire, who served with Johnson on the Charter Review Commission, playfully slapped a sign reading “Mayor” on Johnson’s chest and the crowd called for speeches.

“What a great two months it’s been getting to know the community,” Johnson said. “Thanks to all the voters in the city. I’m looking forward working for you as mayor.” More...

U.S. Supreme Court considers Yates fish case

WASHINGTON – Some U.S. Supreme Court justices question whether a law designed to prevent documentary evidence destruction passed in the wake of the Enron scandal should have been used to convict and jail Cortez commercial fisherman John Yates for catching undersized fish.

The court heard oral arguments on Nov. 5 in the case, stemming from Yates’ 2011 conviction of destroying evidence in a 2007 federal investigation of 72 undersized grouper discovered on his boat at sea by fisheries officers.

According to trial testimony, he ordered his crew to dispose of undersized grouper at sea, and officers calculated that three illegal grouper were missing when the boat docked at Cortez. More...

Whitmore retains county seat

MANATEE COUNTY – Lifelong Island resident Carol Whitmore is pleased to be serving another term on the Manatee County Commission.

Whitmore, an incumbent Republican, defeated first-time Democratic challenger Terri Wonder in last week’s election by 21,787 votes. Whitmore received 68,085 votes (56.2 percent) compared to Wonder’s 46,300 (38.2 percent).

At the four Island voting precincts, Whitmore’s support ranged from 61 to 54 percent.

She celebrated her re-election at the Pier 22 restaurant in Bradenton, surrounded by campaign supporters, friends and family members. More...

New mayor, incumbent commissioners win in Anna Maria

ANNA MARIA – Dan Murphy will become the next mayor of this city after he defeated Mayor SueLynn 461 to 327 in the Nov. 4 election.

SueLynn was appointed mayor two years ago when Mike Selby did not run for a second term. She has spent the past two years trying to deal with the rapid influx of large rental homes that are replacing residences where people sold out and moved away.

Murphy, a retired engineer, Vietnam veteran and longtime resident of the area, might have scored a plus with voters because he attended every meeting after announcing his candidacy. More...

Vosburgh decisively defeats Martin

BRADENTON BEACH – Incumbent commissioner Jan Vosburgh retained her Ward 4 city commission seat last Tuesday with a landslide victory over challenger Tjet Martin.

Running unopposed, incumbent Commissioner Ed Straight will join Vosburgh in serving a third and final term on the commission.

In last week’s election, Vosburgh received 347 votes and 67.6 percent of the vote, compared to Martin’s 143 votes and 27.8 percent. Of the city’s 763 registered voters, 490 participated in the city’s only commission race, producing a local turnout rate of 64 percent. More...

Support wanes for returning tourist tax to AMI

SARASOTA – Amending the tourism development tax law to allow one cent of the five cents-per-dollar tax revenues to be repaid to the municipalities that generated them will not be a 2015 legislative priority for the ManaSota League of Cities.

The board decided on Nov. 6 to continue to discuss the issue next year, but declined to include it as one of its legislative priorities.

Manatee County’s 5 percent resort tax is collected from owners of accommodations rented for six months or less who charge the tax to their renters, in most cases, tourists. The majority of the tax is allocated to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism marketing efforts, with one of the five pennies allocated to beach renourishment. More...

Thompson is interim director of Community Center

ANNA MARIA – The Island Community Center board of directors has named Cindy Thompson as interim director during the transition period between the departure of current Executive Director Dawn Stiles and the selection of her replacement by the board.

“I was humbled and honored to be asked to step in as IED during this transition,” Thompson said. “I do feel I am uniquely qualified, and most importantly, I have a desire to see the Community Center thrive once again.”

Effective Monday, Nov. 10, Thompson will work with Stiles to ensure a smooth operational transfer. More...

Sand artists have a blast at Coquina

Cool weather helped teams of sand artists enjoy making their creations last Saturday in the America Recycles Day at Sandblast, on Coquina Beach, just prior to the Symphony on the Sand performance by the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra.

The rain held off long enough for the entries in America Recycles Day at Sandblast to be judged and when it finally rained, it was gentle enough to not wash away all the features of the entries immediately.

The Sandblast competition helped raise money for Keep Manatee Beautiful. More...

Project Healing Waters aids vets

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc (PHWFF) is a nonprofit organization that started at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in 2005. The name PHWFF was established in the fall of 2006, and the organization was incorporated in the state of Maryland in 2007. PHWFF is currently represented with 173 programs in 49 states.

Programs are managed locally by volunteers and were originally based at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. The program has now expanded to locations in over 15 geographic regions throughout the United States. PHWFF also has affiliate programs in Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia. More...

Bed and breakfast without the breakfast

So you live in a fabulous place,– so fabulous that when you travel, everything looks un-fabulous by comparison. Maybe it’s time to take advantage of your home’s fabulousness by sharing it with others and making a little pocket money while you’re at it.

Remember, well maybe you don’t, when taking in lodgers was a sign that you were having problems making ends meet. Then lodgers were converted into guests and vintage homes with multiple bedrooms all around the country were turned into a bed and breakfast.

The latest incarnation of the lodger and bed and breakfast concepts is now renting rooms within your home to guests who would like to enjoy the benefits of living in your home for a short stay without the impersonal and expensive aspect of a hotel. More...

Be safe on the Web

The Internet is now ubiquitous in our lives. We bank online, trade stocks, check the news and shop, all whenever and from wherever we desire to do it with the aid of wireless devices. Of course, pursuing much of this activity involves placing private information on certain Websites, including account numbers or credit card numbers.

In an ideal world the process would be wonderfully convenient and safe. Unfortunately, the convenience comes at a cost as the bad guys are out there attempting to gain access to our private information to use for their personal gain. Being safe when using the Internet has become vitally important from a financial standpoint, as well as from a personal safety standpoint for our children and grandchildren. More...

On the road to the championship game

Division III (8-to-10-year-olds)

Feature Youth Game of the Week

Monday night found the four remaining teams in Division III youth soccer go head-to-head at the Anna Maria Island Community Center in the semi-finals. The night’s first game was a showdown between the second place season finishers, Bowes Imaging Center, and the third seed team, Miller Electric.

In goal to start the game for Miller Electric was Nicholas Yatros, with the other goal covered by Tres Maddox. With solid defensive play by Luke Bowes and Mariella Ferrari, Bowes Imaging was able to hold Miller Electric to just one goal after one half of regulation play. Twenty minutes into the game found Connor Allan and Gavin Johnston down by Bowes Imaging’s goal. Allan’s assist to Johnston’s goal brought the half to an end with the score of 0-1. The half saw defensive prowless by Aubrey Barkley, Juliet Greene and Kylie Huffman, accompanied by huge stops made by Ozzy Lonzo. More...