Vol. 12 No. 15 - January 25, 2012

news

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryUnpaving Paradise

Slowing down traffic on Pine Avenue by removing the yellow lines and narrowing the lanes is the goal of the city's environmental committee members.

"We're trying to unpave paradise and reclaim the ambiance of our city," member Jane Coleman said. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryResident calls for moratorium on 'big box' construction

HOLMES BEACH – A resident heartbroken about her neighborhood's transition to rentals asked the Holmes Beach Commission to institute a moratorium on "barns with bedrooms" last week, a request that has been voiced more than once in recent months. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryTourism frustrations aired

BRADENTON BEACH – Island elected officials did not let lack of attendance deter them from sharing their frustration with issues regarding residential rentals, including local efforts to increase tourism. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryGate border quarrel widens

HOLMES BEACH – The dispute over the gate in the fence bordering Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach at 27th Street has widened, involving a mortgage bank, a title company and the FDIC in addition to the two cities and a mobile home park.

The issue is now too large to be settled between the two cities in an intergovernmental conflict resolution proceeding, Bradenton Beach City Attorney Ricinda Perry told officials from both cities last week at a dispute resolution conference. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Cortez Bridge still on FDOT's list

With the fate of the Anna Maria Island Bridge sealed, the Florida Department of Transportation is now eyeing the Cortez Bridge.

Manatee-Sarasota Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Executive Director Michael Howe reminded everybody an initial study of the 54-year-old drawbridge is in the works. More...

City denies beach market extension

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

BRADENTON BEACH – The Beach Market held in the chickee hut at Bridge Street Café on Sundays will not be around after this Sunday.

After listening to 10 people talk for and against the market, the city commission failed to get a motion to extend permission for the market past its January trial period. More...

Concerts in the Park begin Friday

HOLMES BEACH – The first in a series of free, monthly Concerts in the Park begins Friday, Jan. 27, from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Holmes Beach Pavilion in the field next to city hall.

Concertgoers will enjoy live music by Highway 41 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Shotgun Justice from 7 to 10 p.m., with D.J. Chris Grumley from 5 to 5:30 p.m. and in between sets. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryGoing to the dogs?

HOLMES BEACH – Dog owners want to change Birdie Tebbetts Field from a ball field/dog park to a dog park/ball field.

The fenced field, named for the late Anna Maria Island resident George "Birdie" Tebbetts, a professional baseball player, manager and scout, is designated as a ball field, but if no one is playing ball, dogs are allowed to run off leash. More...



features

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

I've looked at clouds from both sides now...

Spending a lazy day doing absolutely nothing on an Anna Maria Island beach is like a tonic for the soul - relaxing, restorative and exhilarating all at the same time. What better place, then, to be a complete slug, plop down in the sand and watch a shifting caravan of towering clouds drift by. It's a lot of work, to be sure. More...



OUTDOORS

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryTailor angling plan to suit your surroundings

It's good to have a plan, but anglers have to be careful not to get hooked to it when fishing. When heading for a destination to "work" a plan, it is important you are not so caught up with where you're going that you miss opportunities that might be passing you. Being present and aware with each moment can yield some unexpected results. I'm sure everyone has experienced that in one form or another. As you run an edge, the subtle flash up on the flat catches your eye and, upon inspection, you find a school of fish that may be in a totally different area than you expected. On many occasions over the years I've had a plan in mind and never gotten to it because something better shows up along the way. More...


real estate

Turning over a green leaf

It's a new year and time to take stock of our lifestyle, bad habits and sagging bodies. It's also a time to take a good look at our finances and ways to save money, and one way to save in a tight economy is by going green.

If you're worried about your carbon footprint, the amount of greenhouse gas you produce, there are a lot of simple ways to reduce that footprint as well as more aggressive ones. Start by analyzing your energy bill by comparing your usage to some on-line calculators, the Berkeley Lab at the University of California has one of these, which gives you a really broad feel for what your home's average should be. More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Shop chic at Chelsie Danz

Downtown Bradenton is on the verge of a renaissance and the heart of the change is along Old Main Street. Although Bradenton's renaissance may not be a European cultural movement, there are trends that do provide some of the same character. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Investors stay away

Investment Corner

As a group, individual investors are voting with their parking spot for capital, and they voted for safety during the first 11 months of 2011. In fact, according to data from market research firm Trim Tabs, the investing public at large put eight times more money into checking and savings accounts, which pay little if any interest, than they put into stock and bond mutual funds. Even more astounding, the pace of favoring safety over potential accelerated toward the end of the reporting period. More...



SPORTS

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Broncos blitz Bears

The Sun sports game of the week was an interleague game between the undefeated East Division Eat Here Bears and the West Division Ross Built Construction Broncos in AMICC 10- to 12-year-old flag football action. More...

Eating veg for the environment

Feasting on Fitness

A blogger asked me to write a guest blog about how eating vegan (nothing with a face) helps the environment.

There are many reasons to eat a plant-based diet. One of my favorites is what it does for the earth. The Pugh Commission released a report that said factory farming is not sustainable. More...


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