Sun staff writer/photographer covering the environment, tourism and Cortez.

Green named 2020 MHS Outstanding Alumna

Cindy Lane - May 23, 2020

CORTEZ – Dr. Mary Frances Fulford Green, valedictorian of the Bradenton High School Class of 1942, has been selected as Manatee High School’s 2020...

Coast Lines: Save the refuge for the birds

Cindy Lane - May 11, 2020

Friday, May 15 is Endangered Species Day, a great day to get outdoors and try to spot local birds, turtles and manatees that are...

COVID-19 worse than red tide for tourism

Cindy Lane - May 4, 2020

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – COVID-19 has overtaken red tide as tourism’s worst nemesis in Manatee County. For the first time since October 2018, when a...

First turtle nest of season early

Cindy Lane - April 23, 2020

ANNA MARIA – A loggerhead sea turtle jumped the gun and laid the first nest of the 2020 season on Anna Maria Island’s north...

Coast Lines: Happy Earth Day from Anna Maria Island

Cindy Lane - April 19, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the Florida Department of Health is no longer monitoring water quality at local beaches because they are closed. Likewise,...