Vol. 10 No. 21 - February 17, 2010

news

Committee asks about purchasing Perico

ANNA MARIA – After a week of digging on the beach at Magnolia Avenue, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office homicide investigators and crime scene specialists are no closer to solving the mystery of Sabine Musil Buehler’s disappearance.

The department brought out two front-end loaders to dig 3 to 4 feet deep in the sand from the Magnolia Avenue entrance to the beach north 200 feet. The only thing they found was a pair of flip-flops buried about a foot down. Homicide Detective John Kenney said they are looking for a possible link to the missing motel owner who disappeared Nov. 4, 2008. He would not say whether they feel she might have been wearing flip flops when she disappeared. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Peaceful oil drilling protest held at beach

HOLMES BEACH – About 180 people braved 47-degree temperatures and brisk 17-mile-per-hour winds Saturday afternoon to peacefully protest proposed oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most wearing black, to represent the color of oil, they lined up on Manatee Beach and held hands for about 45 minutes, briefly chanted “no drilling” and sang the national anthem. More...

Fest offers education, seafood

CORTEZ – The 28th Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival this weekend offers much more than the food and fun it’s famous for.

Marine life lovers will find lots of learning opportunities, with informational booths on everything from sea turtles to scallops. More...

Fridays are for celebrating

ANNA MARIA – All together now, “Thank goodness it’s Friday!”

The Island Music Festival, sponsored by the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce and the AMI Sun, kicks off another season this Friday, Feb. 19, from 3 to 10 p.m. at the field at the corner of Pine Avenue and Bay Boulevard in Anna Maria. Electric service is provided by Miller Electric.

Get in the mood with live music, food, refreshments and a chance to shop for the unique and unusual. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Buehler to move forward with Haley’s plans

HOLMES BEACH – Tom Buehler received the green light on Friday to move forward with his plans to rebuild a burned-out building at Haley’s Motel as a wedding destination.

Manatee Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas issued a declaratory judgment on Friday that Buehler is a corporate officer of Haley’s, and has legal authority to act on behalf of the corporation. More...

January tourism not chilled by cold

Despite record cold weather, January tourism on Anna Maria Island was up compared to last year, while the Manatee County portion of Longboat Key saw a steep decline, according to the latest statistics from the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The cold did not chill hotel occupancy on Anna Maria Island, which reached 51 percent, up from 44.2 percent in January 2009, while on Longboat Key, occupancy was 49.5 percent, down significantly from 63.9 percent last January. More...

Wedding festival coming together

CORTEZ – The annual Island-wide festival is on track to be bigger and better than last year, thanks to a lot of volunteers.

The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Wedding Festival Planning Committee met on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Weddings on Water floating chapel docked at the Seafood Shack and it was “all systems go” for the event on Sunday, Feb. 28. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Mote dolphin program turns 40

CITY ISLAND – This is the 40th year that Dr. Randall Wells, manager of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, has been hanging out with dolphins in Sarasota Bay.

But there’s another local resident who’s been at it even longer.

Nicklo, a 60-year-old female dolphin, is the oldest dolphin identified in the program, which is a collaboration between Mote and the Chicago Zoological Society. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Holiday Cove wins national recognition

CORTEZ - Holiday Cove RV Resort is rated in the top 4 percent of 8,000 private RV parks and campgrounds in the country by two leading directories, according to Best Parks in America.

The group of independently-owned and operated RV parks, resorts and campgrounds says the park earned top ratings in Woodall’s Campground Directory for both facilities and recreation and earned the Best of the Best Top 100 rating in the Good Sam Club Trailer Life RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Heron chick dead in weekend tree cutting

HOLMES BEACH – Manatee County officials are investigating why a crew contracted by a seawall contractor cut down an Australian pine at Kingfish boat ramp with a heron’s nest in it on Sunday, Feb. 14, killing one of three chicks in the nest.

According to Holmes Beach City Commissioner David Zaccagnino, residents of West Bay Cove alerted police Sunday morning that somebody was cutting pines at the boat ramp and that one tree that was felled had a nest in it. More...



feature

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryAppraiser draws crowd for Garden Club

Julie McClure, who has an appraisal and sales business and writes a column in the Bradenton Herald about antiques and collectibles, held an antique appraisal affair for the Anna Maria Garden Club on Wednesday, Feb. 10, and many people showed up with items ranging from delicate pottery to huge oil paintings taken off the walls of their homes. More...



reel time

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryRemembering Mel Berman

To most people on Florida’s West Coast, Captain Mel Berman was the voice of fishing through his weekly radio program. Berman found his passion and his most avid audience on Tampa’s 970 WFLA where for three hours every Saturday he held court with listeners that included anglers and non-anglers alike. This past Friday Berman passed away after complications from heart surgery. Berman was a seasoned broadcaster when he arrived in Florida close to three decades ago, but to me and most of the angling fraternity in Florida he was known for his love of the outdoors, his radio show and Web site, capmel.com. More...



real estate

Remodeling and repairing bring big returns

Last week, we talked about getting your home ready to sell during the traditional busy selling season. Most of that advice centered around minor improvements and basic cleaning and de-cluttering around the house. But what about actual remodeling or more costly repairs that may be needed? Are they worth the time, money and effort or will just a little nip and tuck do the job? More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Build America bonds

Investment Corner

The Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created a new form of municipal bond that may be worth considering for investors who see a need for a fixed income investment with government backing, but perhaps are not in a very high tax bracket where traditional tax-free municipal bonds provide an advantage. More...



SPORTS

Sandbar Saints upset undefeated Tortilla Bay Dolphins

A streak of eight consecutive wins came to an end for the Dolphins when the Saints showed up ready to play on Monday, Feb. 8. The Saints earned their fourth win on the year, a decisive 31-12 victory which gives them a chance to compete for second place with only two games left until the playoffs. The Saints’ Michael Latimer ran for 98 yards and had two trips to the end zone, including 20 passing yards and a touchdown thrown to Joe Rogers. Andrew Proctor played a big role in this win as he finished with 101 total yards of offense with one rushing touchdown and another touchdown pass to Rogers. More...



HORSESHOES

Horseshoe tossers brave the elements

Twenty-three frozen players, two of whom actually wore shorts, showed up to test their skill against the north wind and warm sun in Anna Maria on Wednesday, Feb. 10. A record six teams achieved the required three wins to enter into the playoffs for the winged trophy. In the preliminaries, Norm Good and Bob Lee easily won over Gene "Horseshoe-shirt" Bobeldyk and Dave Lansaw, 24 to 8. Leo Hutton and Jesse Brinson won over the walker Jim Rush, 21 to 11, and John Johnson and Art Kingstad beat Tom Skoloda and Rod Bussey, 21 to 18. Good and Lee went on to defeat Hutton and Brinson, 21 to 16. In the final, Good and Lee won over Johnson and Kingstad, in a close contest, by 24 to 17. More...



WEEKLY CALENDER

Events are free unless otherwise indicated.

Wednesday, Feb. 17

Dr. Alan Grindal will speak on “In Search of Memory,” The Studio at Gulf and Pine, 10101 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, 11 a.m.

Art demonstrations, product demonstrations, gifts and door prizes, AMI Art League, 5312 Holmes Blvd., Holmes Beach, 1 to 3 p.m.

Lecture on Charles Darwin by Dr. Tim Berra, Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 18

Karen Cunningham will demonstrate polymer clay and Jill Luisi will teach., Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island, 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Bring clay to experiment.

Friday, Feb. 19

Cheryl Jorgensen will hold a workshop on Watercolors and Values, AMI Art League, 5312 Holmes Blvd., Holmes Beach, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., $40 for members and $48 for non-members.

Friday fest featuring Koko Ray & The Soul Providers and Bootleg, Pine Avenue and Bay Boulevard, Anna Maria, 3 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 20

Bridge Street Market, 107 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival, Cortez village, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pam McMillen will demonstrate gourd/basket making, Island Gallery West, 5368 Gulf Drive in S & S Shopping Plaza, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m., to noon.

Naturalist led wagon tours, Robinson Preserve, 99th Street N.W. and 17th Avenue N.W., Bradenton, 3 and 4:30 p.m., $3 per adult and $2 per child. Call 742-5757, ext. 1, to reserve.

Sunday, Feb. 21

Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival, Cortez village, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb 25

Naturalist led wagon tours, Robinson Preserve, 99th Street N.W. and 17th Avenue N.W., Bradenton, 9 and 10:30 a.m., $3 per adult and $2 per child. Call 742-5757, ext. 1, to reserve.

Sunset and Stars Shutter Stroll, Robinson Preserve, 99th Street N.W. and 17th Avenue N.W., 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call 742-5757, ext. 9, to reserve.

Friday, Feb. 26

Pam McMillen will hold a workshop on Gourds, Two Days, Two Techniques today and tomorow, Anna Maria Island Art League, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., $68 for members and $78 for non-members.

Saturday, Feb. 27

United Way Volksmarch, three mile walking course, Robinson Preserve, 99th Street N.W. and 17th Avenue N.W., $5 donation to United Way, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 748-4501, ext. 3107, to reserve.

Bridge Street Market, 107 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kathy Storm will demonstrate mosaic inlay with hand-painted glass, Island Gallery West, 5368 Gulf Drive in S & S Shopping Plaza, Holmes Beach, 10 a.m. to noon.

Shelley Massey will speak about Costa Rica at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 28

Reception for Jean Blackburn's new work, The Studio at Gulf and Pine, 10101 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, 3 to 6 p.m.

 

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