County makes oil priority one

The Manatee County Commission has ranked its opposition to oil and gas drilling in state waters in the Gulf of Mexico first among its three legislative priorities.

The other two are requiring that all remote vendors, including Internet retailers, collect and remit Florida’s state and local option sales taxes, and the creation of SunRail, the Central Florida Commuter Rail project. More...

‘Twin piers’ has rocky future

BRADENTON BEACH – Three erosion control structures, including two that form the popular “twin piers” surf spot, are likely to be demolished in 2014, according to Manatee County.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has notified the county that its permit for the beach renourishment scheduled in 2014 will require the demolition of the crumbling structures, said Charlie Hunsicker, director of the county’s Conservation Lands Management Department. More...

Port Dolphin gets pipeline OK

Port Dolphin has acquired certification to build its 42-mile-long pipeline from Port Manatee to the future site of its liquefied natural gas port 28 miles off Anna Maria Island in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a certificate of public necessity and convenience to build and operate the pipeline, the Norwegian-based shipping company announced Monday. More...

Pier project funding could double

ANNA MARIA — The long-planned boardwalk and landscaping project slated for the city pier may get a shot in the arm more than doubling the original $371,025 the city is to be awarded in a transportation enhancement grant.

City Commissioner JoAnn Mattick wrote the grant that secured the original funding. She’s been working with a committee for more than a year to design a project that includes a boardwalk along the base of the pier, reconfigures the parking there with the installation of driveways for entering and exiting the parking area, moving the trolley stop closer to a covered picnic area and landscaping the entire area with native plants. More...

City commission to form parking committee

ANNA MARIA — City commissioners met last week to take a look at how they can answer concerns about the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians in the residential/office/retail district, particularly along Pine Avenue.

There have been no accidents yet, but residents and commissioners alike are concerned that cars parked at businesses along the thoroughfare must back across the sidewalk to enter the flow of traffic. More...

Investigators turn to radar in search for Sabine

ANNA MARIA – With the Gulf on one side and the chalet-style homes along Gulf Boulevard on the other, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigators teamed with two Sarasota County counterparts to use ground-penetrating technology in search of the body of Sabine Musil-Buehler, who has been missing for more than a year.

The search for the missing motel owner was unsuccessful Tuesday morning, Dec. 1, but investigators for the sheriff’s office special homicide team, led by Sgt. Pete Ramone, are undaunted. More...

City pier reopens to anglers

BRADENTON BEACH – Two days after shutting down the Bridge Street Pier due to damage from high waves, the city reopened the historic structure to the public, but the floating day dock is still closed to boaters.

The city reopened the pier Friday afternoon after an engineer called to inspect the structure approved the temporary fix that public works made, according to police chief Sam Speciale. More...

FISH acquires church property

CORTEZ – A historic church and parsonage dating from the 1920s will be preserved by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) in Cortez.

The group has purchased the Church of God property on 124th Street West for $295,000, and will renovate the two buildings, along with a Sunday school probably built in the 1960s, said Roger Allen, site manager of the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez. More...

Sister city wins gold for flowers

Mooskirchen, Austria, the sister city of Holmes Beach, has been awarded a gold medal in the annual European Floral Competition, Entente Florale Europe.

The competition was founded 25 years ago and is sponsored by the European Association for Flowers and Landscape. Its purpose is the improvement of the quality of life for urban and village communities. More...

'Montooth and the Canfield Witch' a winner

Every once in a while, a novel is written that strikes a chord with readers of all ages.

“Montooth and the Canfield Witch” by Robert Jay is just such a novel. It tells a story that will resonate with readers of all ages and all backgrounds.

Meet Catherine “Carty” Andersson, and you meet the innocence and promise of a childhood in a cleaner, less equivocal moral time. More...

Catch, photograph and release

Technology is increasingly making it easier for anglers to catch, photograph and release their catches. Once a joke, the new generation of cell phones now features cameras that can take 3.2 mega pixel photos. My new Palm Pre, like many new models, even features an LED flash. Photos of a special fish, magic light on the natural world or an outing with a friend hold the promise of years of enjoyment. Digital cameras make capturing a moment in time easy, fun and allow you to develop your vision in the digital darkroom. The best part is that you can enjoy this amazing technology no matter what your level of expertise. More...

What happened to mortgage relief?

If you were still digesting your Thanksgiving feast on Monday, Nov. 30, you may have missed the Treasury Department’s announcement to pressure mortgage companies to complete more loan modifications. According to the Treasury Department they will be sending in “SWAT” teams, their words not mine, to monitor the eight largest lenders out of the 71 that agreed to participate in the government’s program to modify home mortgages. More...

Time to focus on quality

Scary bear markets generally end with a reversal to the upside that catches most investors by surprise and creates a feeling of disbelief and doubt that the move higher can be sustained. Investors commonly look to headline news items like high unemployment and other systemic troubles and wonder why the market can move higher when the news still isn’t good. More...