LaPensee new Chamber chair

Darcie Duncan was the star at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Installation Banquet Monday night, taking home the Rotary Club of Anna Maria's Businessperson of the Year award.

Duncan, owner of Duncan Real Estate, Inc., of Anna Maria, came onstage and accepted the award from Rotary Club President Melissa Williams and Chamber Board member Lynn Zemmer. More...

Plumber finds more than just leak

HOLMES BEACH – Jerry Laliberte has taken a lot of things out a lot of holes in the wall, but nothing like what he found on Oct. 20 in a Holmes Beach house.

"I was looking for a water leak from the second floor to the first and didn't want to make a hole in the first floor ceiling, so I opened the vent return," the Air and Energy plumber said. "I found two packages that were camouflaged and shaped like bricks." More...

ArtsHOP to take center stage

Anna Maria Island will be a sea of artistic activity this weekend as the Cultural Connections ArtsHOP begins Friday evening and runs through Sunday. To help you organize your artsy schedule, The Sun offers the following listing of all the events. More...

Island radio station to open

ANNA MARIA – The buzz on the streets is about to turn into the sweet sound of Island music.

In case you missed the upside-down ad in The Sun last week and in this week's paper, it's all about the buzz.

WAMI Radio is expected to hit the airwaves on Dec. 31, 2011. A low-powered radiostation, radios will be able to receive the signal from one end of the Island to the other and not much more than that, according to Robert and Casey Herman, who are behind the project. It will likely start as an AM station and expand to FM and soon after, Internet broadcasts. To start off, they're planning a few weeks of nothing but Island musicians playing Island songs. More...

Ungarelli Preserve plan approved

BRADENTON – The Manatee County Commission has unanimously approved the Environmental Preserve Management Plan for the Ungarelli Preserve.

The 35-acre preserve on the eastern shore of Palma Sola Bay at 4000 Palma Sola Boulevard has 24 acres of wetlands and will have a hiking trail and boardwalk leading to the bay, an observation platform, a kayak launch and trails, picnic shelters and two shell or grass parking lots with 12 parking spaces, according to the plan. More...

Comp plan amendments approved

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners approved two ordinances amending the comprehensive plan regarding density in the residential/office/retail (ROR) and residential future land use categories.

The ordinance for ROR district was the result of court-ordered mediation from a lawsuit filed by William and Barbara Nally over construction in the ROR district, particularly parcels owned by Pine Avenue Restoration. More...

Mayor, commissioner say goodbye

BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor Bob Bartelt and City Commissioner Janie Robertson said goodbye during their last city commission meeting last Thursday night. There was applause from the larger than normal crowd and some tears from the elected officials as people voiced thanks for their service.

"I want to thank you very much for your service," said developer and tourism booster David Teitelbaum. More...

Pat Martin's mosaics a hit at Relish

ANNA MARIA – Pat Martin was the first featured artist at Relish Vintage and Artisan Boutique on Pine Avenue last week.

Martin's selection of colorful mosaic art called From Bits and Pieces is one of the store's most popular offerings, said owner Rhonda Grote. Martin, who has done mosaic tile work for 15 years, began her new line about six months ago. More...

Destination: TARAWA

HOLMES BEACH – Jim Finn was 17 when he convinced his mother to sign the papers letting him join the U.S. Marine Corps.

It was 1943. He would have joined up right after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, but he was only 15 at the time.

More...

The monster bones of Aitutaki

Ian Dollery, director of the Aitutaki Bonefish Management Committee, told us to bring heavy fly tackle that could handle the large bonefish that swam this Cook Island atoll. My three choices were a nine weight, a 10 weight and an 11 weight. It didn't take long for me to find out that even with this tackle I could be defeated by some of the monster bones of Aitutaki. The recommendations were spot on, but there were times when the use of a floating line and bead chain flies was required. The high winds we experienced and the deeper water where the big bones often lurk required us to get our flies down quick much of the time. Most of the effective flies were variations of Clousers and the McVey Gotcha with large and medium weight lead eyes. More...

Harp 2.0 offers a new way to refinance

Another day, another attempt by the federal government to resolve the never ending housing crisis. Is it just more smoke and mirrors or does this latest refinance program have enough teeth to finally take a bite out of the real estate downturn apple? More...

H.B. Merchants Association launched

HOLMES BEACH – The new Holmes Beach Merchants association is officially up and running, with a mission to assist the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce to increase business and beautify the city. More...

Using stocks for income

Investment Corner By Tom Brieter

Money funds and certificates of deposit continue to pay woefully low yields of less than 1 percent. Ten-year government bonds pay just over 2 percent and carry temporary price risk if interest rates were to rise. None of this is likely to change much in the next year or two with the Federal Reserve Governors advising that they anticipate keeping the short-term rates they control at very low levels into 2013. More...

LaPensee Plumbing secures top spot

This week's Sun sports game of the week was a Division II, 10-11- year-old, matchup between first place LaPensee Plumbing and the second place Jen Crady Massage. These two teams have been neck and neck for first place all season.

Jen Crady Massage came out with the hot foot right away. One minute into the contest, Cameron Pasco dribbled down through the middle of the defense and scored on a nice hard low shot, 1-0. Approximately five minutes later, Olivia Glavan found the left side corner of the back of the net and just like that, gave her team a 2-0 lead. The team's defense held strong led by Aidan Grumley in goal and the solid defenders Hannah McCracken, McKenna Gauntt and Michael Potter. More...

Ellen answers your questions

Feasting on Fitness By ellen Jaffe Jones

I get a lot of questions about being a vegetarian and about fitness in general, especially when I'm doing public speaking. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I get. More...