Vol. 9 No. 16 - January 7, 2009

news

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryWeatherman turns tide for AMI

Bing Crosby dreamed about a white Christmas in 1942 when he first sang the Irving Berlin song in the movie "Holiday Inn," but merchants on Anna Maria Island are singing the praises of a green Christmas this year, thanks to the weatherman.

"We had warm weather down here and people came over the holidays to get away from the cold weather up north," said Jackie Estes, owner and manager of Paradise Café in Holmes Beach. "It’s a good thing because the first two weeks of December were abysmal." More...

National publicity sparks interest in Island

Vacationers longing for a laid-back, old-time Florida beach vacation during the holidays found it on Anna Maria Island, courtesy of USA Today, Baltimore Magazine and the Internet.

"It was more crowded than ever over the holidays," said resort owner David Teitelbaum, whose interview on Bay News 9 on Monday contributed to the media momentum, causing phones to ring persistently at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryFootball winner breaks streak

Sandy Baldwin said she never won anything before becoming our grand prize winner in the 2008 Anna Maria Island Sun Football Fever Contest. In fact, while she won in the overall standings, she never did win a weekly competition.

Baldwin, who lives in Bradenton, chose the three-day cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Lines to Nassau’s Paradise Island in the Bahamas. She said she would take her sister, Midge Fultz, as her guest. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryCode officer says parking is the issue

ANNA MARIA — Mark Alonso is well-known throughout the community as an exuberant, friendly man who loves riding around on his three-wheeled bicycle/rickshaw.

The 81-year-old can be seen just about any day of the week riding the colorful contraption from a friend’s house to a coffee shop to an ice cream parlor and back home again. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryGloria Dei history spans 50 years

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, began in the mid-1950s, when a few Lutherans living on Anna Maria Island dreamed and hoped for a church of their own.

The closest Lutheran church on the mainland was too far away to keep children interested, so they attended the Island churches of their friends. There was no bus service and even though two new bridges eliminated a scary ride on rickety planks, the 30-cent toll was a barrier, and the price of land was going up every day. More...

Pipeline path change proposed

ANNA MARIA – In response to concerns from governmental agencies, environmental groups and others, Port Dolphin has rerouted its proposed underwater natural gas pipeline away from the north end of Anna Maria Island.

The pipeline was slated to be built through underwater sand reserves off Bean Point, disturbing fine, white sand used for beach renourishment on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key in both a permitted sand reserve area and a potential new sand source. More...

$5,000 reward offered in missing woman case

HOLMES BEACH - The Gold Star Club of Manatee County is offering a $5,000 reward for information on the location of missing Haley’s Motel co-owner Sabine Musil-Buehler, or information leading to whoever is responsible for her disappearance.

Musil-Buehler, 49, was last seen by her boyfriend, William Cumber, 39, after they argued on Nov. 4, according to a statement Cumber made to police. More...

Flood insurance meeting Jan. 15

Anna Maria residents with questions about their flood insurance and the new rules can now find out what they need to know.

The city is hosting an informal meeting on Thursday, Jan. 15 from 3 to 7 p.m. at city hall.

Experts will be on hand to discuss issues one-on-one with property owners in the city. More...



feature

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryCrabber Tom takes his business on the road

ANNA MARIA – When long-time commercial fisherman Tom Garbacz closed his Crabber Tom’s restaurant in 2006, it was a blow to his plans to stay in the business without having to go out fishing.

Faced with a faithful clientele, just not enough business to keep going, Garbacz salvaged his secret recipe tartar sauce and started bottling it, using the facilities of the Sign of the Mermaid. That’s when he decided to take a different route toward becoming a chef, not an angler. More...



reel time

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryThe best resolution: Simplify your fishing

It’s January and time again for New Year’s resolutions. If I had to choose the best resolution for anglers to make in the coming year, it would be to simplify their fishing. With so many choices in lures, the smart angler finds a couple of lures that work and then concentrates on finding fish and making good presentations. Of all the lures in existence the jig would have to be my number one pick. The jig is one of the oldest and most productive lures known to man. With the plethora of modern computer designed lures, holographic patterns and life-like action, this simple design remains one of the most productive lures in an angler’s tackle box. Choose the proper size and color for any given situation, impart the appropriate action and it's possible to elicit a strike from any game fish, fresh or salt, that swims local waters. More...



real estate

Will we ever start moving again?

Right around Christmas three national reports were published, none of which did anything to enhance our Christmas spirit. One was published by the Pew Research Center, another by the Census Bureau and a third by local and national real estate boards reporting 2008 November statistics compared to the 2007 November numbers. If you think I’m about to give you good news, better stop reading right now. More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Shape up in the new year with Body by Jeffery

How are you doing with your list of New Year’s resolutions? By now you’re either feeling pretty good about yourself or wishing it was still 2008, but don’t get discouraged. In Jeffrey Levine’s world it’s always Dec. 31 and it’s never too late to start.

Levine started working out at the same gym in Boston as the then Boston Patriots. He learned a lot from the players and their professional training standards, which ultimately led him into a career as a personal trainer starting in 1975. Since relocating his home and business permanently to Anna Maria, he has trained all ages from four years old to 86, and says he can add five to 10 years of life to anyone willing to give it a try. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Here’s to better times in 2009

Investment Corner

As 2008 was dawning, the stock market had begun to struggle and the bursting of the housing bubble was not only evident, but was picking up speed. Few, certainly not me, had any inkling of the magnitude of events which would continue to unfold during the rest of the year. More...



SPORTS

Golfers enjoy summer weather

The golfers at Key Royale Club don’t need the Weather Channel to tell them how unseasonably warm it’s been lately. They’re out there every chance they get.

Nell Bergstrom, Earl Huntzinger, Fred Meyer and a proxy came in first in the co-ed handicap tournament on Friday, Dec. 26, with a score of 90. Second place went to Frances Smith-Williams, Terry Westby, Jim Finn and a proxy with a 93. More...



HORSESHOES

Tossers end year on high note

The last day of the year found 21 players at the pits hoping to finish the old year with the winged trophy. Only two teams scored the perfect three wins and old pro Al Norman and old horseshoe shirt Gene Bobeldyk defeated runners up Steve Doyle and Larry Liverado. Unfortunately the score was not available for print. More...


 

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