Davis, three businesses honored by Chamber, Rotary

HOLMES BEACH – Mark Davis gave his dad a big hug after he was named the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island’s Business Person of the Year award at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Installation Banquet at Key Royale Golf Club Monday night.

The manager of Harrington House and past Chamber Board Chair stepped up to the microphone, took the award, started to speak and when emotion caught up with him he excused himself and went to the table where his parents, Jo and Frank Davis were seated. When his dad stood Mark hugged him and came back to the podium. More...

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Local firms making oil claims

Some local business owners who have lost money because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill already have received payment for their claims, while others are hurrying to file before a Nov. 23 deadline.

The deadline applies to emergency claims for compensation for lost earnings caused by the spill, but filing after that date will not disqualify a claim, although it may slow the payment process, according to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), which took over the claims process from British Petroleum in August.

The deadline to file a final claim is Aug. 23, 2013. More...

Election Results

Whitmore re-elected
Selby new AM mayor
Two incumbents, one newcomer win fire commission seats
Vosburgh wins in Bradenton Beach
How the Island voted

Legal actions taken in recent drownings

The families of two people who drowned in the waters off Anna Maria Island have filed wrongful death suits against governments and individuals they claim were partially at fault. More...

Mayor confirms commitment to settling lawsuit

Mayor Bob Bartelt released a statement late last month in regard to a lawsuit filed against Bradenton Beach by two developers – Island, Inc., and Beach Development, Inc.

His statement confirms the city’s commitment to settling the lawsuit by accepting an offer from the developers to sell the land, which the city deemed in unbuildable, in exchange for an agreement to end their attempts to get permission to build condominiums on the beach-front land. More...

Cortez Folk Art Festival scheduled

The fourth annual Cortez Village Folk Art Festival is scheduled for Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez.

Local musician and songwriter Andrew Eddie has written a new song, “The F.I.S.H. Cortez song,” which he will debut at the festival. Other performers include Tampa musician and singer Mike Jorgensen; Brian Smalley, from Clermont, who has performed at the Sarasota Folk Festival; Bee and Boo, who perform in Eastern Canada and the Maritime Provinces; the Myakka Blue Grass Band, returning for its third appearance; the museum’s own Main Hatch Motley singers; and Soupy Davis and friends. More...

Enjoy a weekend of events at artsHOP

CORTEZ – Like the mangroves that line local shorelines, Manatee County’s historic roots are in the water, and the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez is bringing two chapters of local history to life, in wood.

Wooden boats were integral in the landing of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1539 in west Bradenton and in the escape of Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin from the Union in 1865 in east Manatee County. More...

Putting an end to dog waste

AmbassaDog teams hit the trails of Robinson Preserve for the first time on Saturday, armed with free doggie bag dispensers and the motto – Clean Yards, Clean Waters and Clean Shoes! The three-month pilot program is aimed at reducing dog waste in the preserve, where water quality has declined due to runoff contaminated by the bacteria in dog waste. Volunteers will keep track of the dispensers they give away, while rangers will measure the dog waste left on the trails and compare it to pre-program levels. If dog owners do not clean up after their pets, the preserve could prohibit dogs. The project is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Manatee County’s Natural Resources Department and Simply Green Solutions. More...

Sandblast celebrates America Recycles Day

Keep Manatee Beautiful will celebrate America Recycles Day at Sandblast 2010 on Nov. 17 through 20.

The annual sand-sculpting contest, will be held at the BeachHouse restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach.

The competition pairs youth groups with local business sponsors to raise funds to support the environmental group’s programs for a cleaner, more beautiful community. More...

Outgoing mayor plans to relax, enjoy 'paradise'

ANNA MARIA — After four years in office, former Mayor Fran Barford took a look back at her two terms as mayor.

She came to the city with a long history of public service as a commissioner and then mayor in Temple Terrace.

“I’ve always loved serving my community, and I’ve always loved local politics,” the former occupational therapist said.

More...

Second volume from Norwood a winner

Carolyne Norwood has done it again. Her second book, “Tales of Three Cities: From Bean Point to Bridge Street” is full of amusing and interesting tales about Anna Maria Island.

Norwood’s first book, “The Early Days” covers the time period of 1893 until 1940. That first book is a wonderful chronology of the settlement and establishment of a community on the Island. More...

John Wayne and the wine snobs

There is more BS in wine conversation than there is in teabag politics.

Wine snobs are everywhere. They talk about broccoli fleurets in their cabernet – asparagus in their chardonnay.

So how does a real person who wants to learn more about wine, navigate the sea of wine BS – vintages and tons per acre, sugar measured in brics, late harvest and ice wine, screw caps and corks, French oak and blah, blah, blah. More...

Catch and release: Investing in a fishing future

Catch and release isn’t a new concept. Even in the early part of the 20th century, far sighted anglers could see the potential for depleted fisheries. Over the last decade, it should have become apparent to all but the comatose angler that there isn’t an inexhaustible well of fish in our waters. We’ve fought battles to limit netting and made a commitment to be better stewards by agreeing to reasonable restrictions on size and bag limits. We’re better educated in the press and at the docks about limiting our catch and being less concerned about catching our limit. As Lefty Kreh says, it’s only common sense, only common sense ain’t so common! More...

Closing costs on the rise

There’s always a good news/bad news story in real estate. The good news is the house you love is directly on the beach; the bad news is the cost of the homeowners insurance. The good news is the vacation condo you made an offer on is priced way below market; the bad news is it’s a bank foreclosure, and it will take months to get an answer. And in the world of mortgage finance, the good news is the rates are really low; the bad news is that it will cost you a lot more to close the deal. More...

So what’s the talk of QE2 all about?

It sounds like the Federal Reserve Board of Governors is planning a holiday cruise. The financial media has recklessly been throwing around the term QE 2, which before the financial crisis was a widely known abbreviation for the large cruise ship – the Queen Elizabeth II. The context of today for QE 2 is stimulation of the economy through a practice known as quantitative easing. The 2 in the term refers to the fact that this would be the second round of quantitative easing as we have emerged from the 2008-2009 financial crisis. More...

The Studio is bursting with turtle art

As of Nov. 6, more than 75 artists had answered the call for turtle-themed art for the annual artsHOP silent auction at The Studio at Gulf and Pine on Nov. 12 and 13.

“People want to participate because it’s a community event and they don’t want to be left out,” Deborah Webster, co-coordinator with Rhea Chiles of the show named Calling All Turtles.

This week’s featured artists who have submitted work are Christine Predd, Debra Rigdill, Regina Gurland and Robert Johnson. More...

Beach Bistro bounces back

This week’s Sun sports Game of the week featured play from the 14-17 year old league. Wash Family Construction desperately needed a win over the Beach Bistro to take the first place position. This was a critical game for Wash Family, and you could feel the sense of urgency from both players and coaches. Wash Family came out like gangbusters and Kyle Parsons scored all three early goals. Julius Gomes finally got the Bistro on the scoreboard with a beautiful shot to the left corner. His second goal came soon after when he dribbled around Wash defenders side to side before perfectly placing the ball into the left corner. Elijah Clay-Chapman, of Wash Family, then dribbled down the right side past two defenders, shot the ball across the crease and in, making the score 4-2. More...