Speakers support low bridge

WMFD takes first; firefighter takes knee

West Manatee firefighters took first place in team fund raising and second place in the competition at the 4th Annual Climb Tampa event, but also took part in a carefully planned wedding proposal.

Team member Lt. Ryan Moore proposed to his girlfriend, Marissa Crosby, while atop the Bank of America building in downtown Tampa. More...

Affaire auction dazzles with prizes

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and you could be the lucky bidder for an AMI destination bracelet and matching pendant necklace at this year’s Affaire Under the Starfish Sky on Saturday, April 4, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.

The jewelry from Bridge Street Jewelers in Bradenton Beach was designed for the Affaire and is valued at $7,400. Its total weight in diamonds is 1.5 carats. Visit www.amibracelet.com for more info. More...

Chopper lands on beach

Beachgoers had an unexpected surprise when a Coast Guard helicopter landed on the beach near Bean Point in Anna Maria last Wednesday about 3 p.m.

"We made a precautionary emergency landing," Lt. Bill Friday, the aircraft commander, explained. "We had an intermediate transmission chip light, which means possible metal chips in the transmitter. Our procedure calls for a landing as soon as possible." More...

Changes in works for Tidemark

HOLMES BEACH – The saga of the Tidemark Lodge project has taken yet another turn.

The Tidemark sales trailer will be converted to a marina office to service the yacht basin, Lance McNeill, general partner of Lakeland-based Reliance Realty Partners, the project’s developer, announced last week. More...

April 1: Sea turtle, shore bird nesting begins

When you see Suzi Fox driving the beach on the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch ATV every day, you know that spring has arrived, and summer’s just around the corner.

Although turtle nesting season doesn’t officially begin until May 1, the state requires the county to monitor nesting beaches beginning April 1 just in case there are any turtles who forgot to check their calendars and nest early. More...

Gala to benefit chorus & orchestra

For 17 years, the Anna Maria Island Community Chorus and Orchestra AMICCO has been making music on the Island.

During that time, it has grown from a group of musicians gathered together by Holmes Beach resident William Bartelsman, who played for the love of the music, to a well-trained orchestra and chorus that offers quality performances to large crowds. More...

Commissioners ask mayor to investigate electronic read file

ANNA MARIA — City commissioners voted last week to accept an electronic mail policy dealing with e-mail. Included in the approved motion was a request that the mayor investigate the on-line open records policy of the Manatee Clerk of Courts and to explore the possibility of maintaining an electronic read file.

The city had a tradition of maintaining a paper read file that was available to the public. Over the course of several administrations and as there was increasing use of electronic mail to conduct city business, the contents of the read file slowed to a trickle. More...

Winds whip AME’s entry in Bottle Boat Regatta

Last Saturday was a good day to fly a kite or sail a boat, but it was a bad day to launch a bottle boat.

Winds whipped the waves at the Palma Sola Causeway where the DeSoto Heritage Festival’s Bottle Boat Regatta was held. The force of both tore several boats apart and even caused boats from West Manatee Fire Rescue, Manatee County and the U.S. Coast Guard to toss and pitch in the water, where they kept an eye on the festivities. More...

Saltwater fly tackle evolves through the years

Less than 50 years ago, the fishing tackle available to anglers was vastly different than what we have today. For example, there were virtually no pre-made rods available, and anglers had wrapping machines to build their own rods from blanks made by US Fiberglass.

Florida fly fishing legends Lefty Kreh and Flip Pallot remember how they would take a blank, wrap the guides, glue the individual cork rings, turn and sand them on lathes and head to the street to try them out. It was a common practice to make a few casts, find the rod too whippy or a guide that trapped line and immediately break them apart and rebuild them. More...

We’ve been fooled by the feds

Happy April Fool’s Day! If you’re feeling like you’ve been fooled, guess what, you have. Every American has been fooled not only by Wall Street’s investment bankers, at least you can wrap your brain around that, but we’ve also been fooled by the federal government, or at least have been let down. More...

Service is first at Waterside

If you’re mood has been less than jolly recently trying to make sense of the doom and gloom being plastered all over the airwaves and newspapers, I know a place you can go for a shot of cheerfulness without even leaving the island.

You wouldn’t ordinarily think of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach as a location where serious business is conducted. But right alongside restaurants, miniature golf courses and T-shirt shops is Waterside Lending, conducting the serious business of helping people acquire financing for home purchases and home refinancing. More...

Tax-free yields advantageous for many

Thanks to the readers for the positive feedback on our recent article regarding the attractive yields currently available on both high-quality and high-yield corporate bonds. While these investments do carry a higher level of risk than government bonds or bank savings instruments, we believe they offer a high enough current yield to compensate for that risk, and with time may prove to be a very profitable investment as we ultimately recover from the current economic slowdown. More...

NFL Flag Football under way

As the season approaches the halfway point, the competition is heating up for the Majors and Minors teams. This week both squads were matched up against some of the strongest teams in the league which caused problems for Islander batters and pitchers. Both teams are fairly young in age by comparison to the teams playing at G.T. Bray, and the playing inexperience for Island players poses an advantage for the in-town teams. More...

Shank and Samuels win Wednesday

Wednesday, March 25, and the madness continues, with nine teams waiting for availability of the five pits. Three teams qualified for the playoffs. Justin Zirwes (Herb Puryear's grandson) and Dave Long won the bye. In the first match, Sam Samuels and Adin Shank defeated Art Kingstad and John Johnson 22 to 15. In the final match, Samuels and Shank destroyed Zirwes and Long 21 to 4. Grand pop is not happy. More...