Home invasion jolts city

HOLMES BEACH – Police are looking for three suspects in a home invasion that took place on Tuesday, Nov. 20, around 11 p.m. at 3602 Sixth Ave. There were no life-threatening injuries, but one of the occupants was hit in the head with a gun butt and another was thrown to the ground.

Officer Stephen Wolfe was driving through the shopping center near that address when he was flagged down by Christine Stumpf, 43, who lives at the home with four other victims. She told him about the invasion, according to a police report. More...

Aubry is fifth commissioner

ANNA MARIA – The spirit of compromise reigned last week as commissioners unanimously approved former Commissioner Gene Aubry as the city’s fifth commissioner.

Last month, after approving SueLynn as mayor, and one black male and one of them had a shotgun. They awakened the other four people in the home and forced all of them into the bathroom, where one of the residents, Scott Sobek, 42, was struck in the head by the shotgun when he tried to resist. He suffered a small laceration. More...

Noise ordinance revisions in the works

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners plan to hold a first reading on an amended noise ordinance on Dec. 13

Building Official Bob Welch said he made some minor changes to the city’s current noise ordinance. The first is regarding commercial construction.

“Over the years I’ve heard a number of complaints about construction on Sundays and holidays and hours of operation,” he said. More...

Crosswalk plan raises questions

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners asked Public Works Director George McKay for more information regarding a plan to increase the number of crosswalks in the city.

McKay submitted a memo proposing 20 crosswalk markings on Pine Avenue and Gulf Drive. He said the cost would be $5,500 to $6,000. More...

Active storm season ends

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) says this hurricane season, which ended officially last Friday, continues a decades-long era of high storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean.

In a news release, the agency that includes the National Weather Service said the 19 named storms this year was above the average of 12, the 10 hurricanes that developed was above the average of six but the one major hurricane that occurred was well below the average of three. Based on the combined number of storms, intensity and duration of all tropical storms and hurricanes, NOAA rated 2012 as an above average season. However, they said of the last 30 years, 10 were busier than this year. More...

Viens sentencing delayed

The former owner of a Bradenton Beach restaurant who admitted killing his wife and cooking her body in his Lomita, Calif. restaurant fired his attorney at his scheduled sentencing on Tuesday, Nov. 27, delaying his sentencing until Feb. 1.

David Viens, 49, who was convicted of second-degree murder in September for killing 39-year-old Dawn Viens, would have received a 15-year sentence last week. Superior Court Judge Rand Rubio, granted Viens’ request during a brief hearing, according to reports. More...

Concert in the Park draws crowd

HOLMES BEACH – With a cool breeze blowing, a lot of people decided to start their weekend at the park south of Holmes Beach City Hall last Friday. They were greeted by a variety of music, aromatic food being served under tents, arts and crafts for holiday shopping and a couple of causes that need some Christmas cheer. In addition, there was a bounce house and a G-rated movie for the kids and family. More...

Board debates hiring interim building official

HOLMES BEACH – At the first of their weekly work sessions, the city commission heard Mayor Carmel Monti say he had met with a couple of candidates for building official and announced he wanted to hire Bradenton architect J. Thomas (Tom) O’Brien on an interim basis.

O’Brien formerly teamed with Bradenton Beach designer Emily Ann Smith and he was also the architect on the refurbishment of the Bridge Street Pier several years ago. More...

Explore nature this winter

• Saturday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to noon, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program's Neal Preserve Bay Wise Kayak Tour. Get ready to explore Neal Preserve by water. During this trip you'll have the opportunity to check out the preserve in the company of fabulous marine biologist Brad from Mote Marine before it opens.

Discover the plants, animals, and habitats that make Sarasota Bay an Estuary of national significance. Participants must bring their own kayaks and safety gear. This program is sponsored by Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. More...

Local businessmen support scallop restoration

On Wednesday Nov. 28, Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) released another million scallops (spat) into Sarasota Bay. The latest release brings the total stocked in its first year of a multi-year effort to almost 10 million. Wednesday’s release was unusual in that it was accomplished under the auspices of a group of Island businessmen and businesses that understand SBW’s mission that “A Healthy Bay is Everybody’s Business.”

Anna Maria Island’s Ed Chiles, of the Chiles Group, teamed up with Ted LaRoche, of the LaRoche Family Foundation, and Michael Coleman, of the Pine Avenue Restoration (PAR), to provide the funding for the release. More...

Home prices could fall over the fiscal cliff

The election is over, but the president doesn’t have much time to celebrate with the country’s economy still faltering. Smack dab in the middle of our fiscal problems is the challenge of a still weak housing market, which can go either way, taking the country’s financial recovery right along with it.

The fiscal cliff we’re facing on Jan. 2 could spell the end of what little housing recovery we’ve been enjoying for the past six months. According to Standard & Poor’s, the automatic tax increases and spending cuts that will take effect could result in a 20 to 25 percent chance the economy will go into a double dip recession. More...

Energy independence a boon for economy

As a young teen growing up in the early 1970s, I remember my parents’ complaints when gasoline went from 20 or 30 cents per gallon up to 40 to 50 cents – the horror! Sometimes there were long lines to get fuel because everyone wanted to keep their tank full because we might run out and supplies had to be rationed.

In 1978 gasoline prices went over $1, and none of the pumps were built to accommodate any price higher than 99.9 cents. So, they set the meter at half price, and doubled it when you went in to pay. Yes, this was before you could pay at the pump with a credit card. More...

NFL Flag Football is back

The Anna Maria Island Community Center is officially kicking off its winter NFL Flag Football program this week with the annual tryouts and draft. Boys and girls age 5 to 17 and men and women ages 18 and up can still sign up to be part of this fun co-ed league.

For the first time ever, the Center is adding a 30-year-old and over co-ed league. The increasing popularity of the league’s participants have asked for this change and it will now happen. Adults 18 through 29 and 30 and over will be selected into two different leagues now depending on their age and by their own choice. Participants over 30 can still play in the younger age group if they wish. More...

More reasons to go vegan

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my fav reasons to go vegan: 1. It saves money 2. It reduces pain and suffering for all animals 3. It’s great for the environment and 4. Many people including yours truly, report improved health and reversal of many diseases from heart, diabetes and even cancer.

There are so many reasons to go vegan, entire books have been written on just this. One of my favorites: “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows.” When you think about it, considering pigs have been considered by many to have higher IQs than dogs, just the title alone of this book gets you thinking. More...