Friends rescue victim of shark attack

Charles "C.J." Wickersham, 21, of Longboat Key, has a lot to be thankful for following his encounter with a bull shark last Saturday. Despite the pain and the medical procedures he faces to get back to normal, he is lucky to be alive, thanks to his friends.

Seven young men and women took off for a day of spear fishing and free diving off the north end of the Island. They had known each other for years and many had grown up on or near the Island. More...

Millage hike protested

ANNA MARIA – Commissioner Dale Woodland declared at the beginning of the second public hearing on the budget that he would not vote to approve it because he feels that the millage is too high.

"I haven't been pleased with this process since the beginning," he said. "We started with an increase in the millage at our first workshop. It wasn't just a simple increase; it was 11.8 percent. More...

Nyad forced to abandon swim

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad was forced to end her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida Sunday morning after suffering painful stings from jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war.

The 62-year-old swimmer was pulled from the water at 11 a.m. Sunday, having completed 67 miles of the 103-mile journey. More...

Cell tower plans proceeding

ANNA MARIA – The Island Community Center's Board of Directors last week authorized its cell tower committee to negotiate with a provider and come back to the board with an agreement.

"The ad hoc committee has been meeting with groups to get the best proposal for the Community Center," member Blair Schlossberg told the board. "We got four proposals originally and whittled it down to two groups. More...

Neighboring cities dispute new gate

HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach officials are scheduled to discuss a dispute with Bradenton Beach officials over a gate added to a fence along the boundary between the two cities.

Sandpiper Resort, on the Bradenton Beach side of the fence, recently added a gate to the opening in the fence on 27th Street North, which residents from both sides have long used to reach their neighbors and the beach access at the western end of the street. More...

Anna Maria closes on six lots

ANNA MARIA – Mayor Mike Selby announced at last week's commission meeting that the city closed on the purchase of the six lots at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard.

Commissioner Jo Ann Mattick asked if she should convene her committee that plans to explore uses and grant and fund-raising opportunities for the property. At a previous meeting, she suggested that committee members include Mayor Michael Selby, former Mayor Fran Barford, Public Works Director George McKay and native plant specialist Mike Miller. More...

Road closures for sewer project

Manatee County utilities will begin replacing an eight-inch sanitary sewer force main along Magnolia Avenue, Crescent Drive and Palm Avenue in Anna Maria. Palm Avenue and Crescent Drive will be closed from Sept. 30 to Oct. 14.

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Bayfest offers a sound choice

ANNA MARIA – The area's brightest and most popular musical performers make sure Bayfest is one of their venues each year, and this year is no exception.

DJ Mike Sales hosts the music on Friday, Oct. 14, from 5 to 10 p.m. on the main stage in the field at Bay Drive and Pine Avenue. More...

A day of peace

Redfish light up local flats

Redfish are one of the area's premier species. They are not as highly prized as snook, but are one of the area's most prolific inshore species, second only to spotted sea trout. Mature redfish spawn in estuaries from mid-August to mid-October where they can be found in large schools. More...

The new world of glass

When you live on the beach or at the top of a mountain or in the middle of a beautiful forest, you want to maximize your view; you want to bring the outside in. Well science and technology have made advances that can help you live inside, but feel like you're outside. More...

Dealing with short-term volatility

Investment Corner By Tom Brieter

It's no secret that the financial markets in recent years are more volatile on a daily basis than we were used to before the financial crisis of 2008. A recent study by the New York Times found that since the beginning of 2010, 30 percent of all trading days for the New York Stock Exchange saw daily moves up or down of greater than 1 percent. During the decade of the 1990s, only 20 percent of trading days experienced changes of that magnitude. More...

Soccer teams off and running

Adult co-ed soccer results:

Island Pest Control – 9
West Coast Air Conditioning – 2
Scott Eason and Tony Fradukis each scored three goals, and Enrico Bissert, Lyn Clarke and Oliver Petereit each added one goal for Island Pest Control. Damir Glavan and Ryan Moss each scored a goal for the West Coast Air team. More...

Timing is everything

Feasting on Fitness By ellen Jaffe Jones

It has been one of the most amazing months. I really didn't set out to have another career, but when you do your passion, who knows? Getting published in an e-book age is a miracle in itself. What has happened to my book and my life recently is miraculous, I'm told. I know that many Islanders and beyond are hoping to write the next great book. So I decided it is worthy of a column, in my humble opinion. I'll try to maintain the humble part. But I sure could get used to the life of an author. More...