Vol. 14 No. 2 - November 6, 2013

news

After five years, still no Sabine

HOLMES BEACH – The last time most of her friends saw Sabine Musil-Buehler was at a Halloween party she threw for guests and trick-or-treaters who stopped at Haley’s Motel, which she owned with her estranged husband, Tom Buehler. It was Oct. 31, 2008, and they had set up a spooky trail around the hotel’s yard. They decorated the large building they used for gatherings for the season with a bedroom that had a “dead body” in it and the floors were eerily covered with “blood.”

In the weeks that followed, a story few were aware of became public about Musil-Buehler, who many knew as a generous woman with a big heart, and about her boyfriend, William Cumber, whom she befriended as he served time in prison for setting a girlfriend’s house on fire. More...

Court says: ‘Go fish’

CORTEZ – Fishermen are pulling out their dusty gill nets for the first time since 1995, but few are venturing out to use them.

The historic fishing village is abuzz with doubts after a Tallahassee judge lifted the net ban on Wednesday, Oct. 30 for the second time, not quite believing they can legally use their gill nets again.

Cortez commercial fisherman Junior Guthrie said he asked an officer the day after the ruling what would happen if he went gill net fishing. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryThompson named Businessperson of the Year

HOLMES BEACH – Business leaders gathered at Key Royale Club Monday night to celebrate an improved Island economy and prospects for the future at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Installation Banquet.

There was also celebration of the three businesses that won AMI Chamber Business of the Year awards. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Rain can’t stop Privateers raid

ANNA MARIA – The pirates lurking to invade the Island Saturday had to wait for a storm to pass before taking on our defenders.

The rain began around 9:30 a.m. at the site of the first skirmish and as spectators took cover, the San Cristobel, ship of the Hernando De Soto Crewe, was waiting near Rudy’s Subs for the Privateers and when they did arrive, there was little fire from cannon due to the damp condition of the powder, so they moved on after firing a few pistols – the San Cristobel followed by the Privateers’ Skullywag. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Annual artsHOP promises three days of fun

The Island will be jumping with cultural activity this weekend during the Seventh Annual artsHOP.

Presented by Cultural Connections, artsHOP will take place Friday, Nov. 8 through Sunday, Nov. 10 in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.

“ArtsHOP shines a light on the fantastic arts and culture we have on the Island,” said artsHOP Director Marsha Bard. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Mary says thanks, not goodbye

ANNA MARIA – There was a cake and lots of accolades for Mary Cheaves, property manager for the Norfolk Southern Railway’s vacation spot for executives recently. It was her 40th anniversary of working for the railroad in the spacious compound that is normally closed to others at the beach near the Anna Maria-Holmes Beach border.

Cheaves, who started as a housekeeper at the vacation spot on the beach at White Avenue, known to railroad executives at the Lay-By, was not retiring, just celebrating working at one place for twice as long as most people. More...

Sun earns Press Club awards

Six staffers at the Anna Maria Island Sun have earned eight awards in the Florida Press Club’s 62nd Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards competition.

• Steve Borggren – Second place, Editorial Cartooning

• Pat Copeland – Second place (tie) Government News; Third place (tie), General News; Third place, Community News Writing More...

Proposal would delay flood insurance rate hikes

Responding to an outcry over flood insurance rates that began skyrocketing on Oct. 1, federal lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation last week to delay the hikes mandated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.

The proposed Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act would postpone rate increases for four years and enforce the Biggert-Waters mandate that FEMA develop a more affordable plan.

Biggert-Waters phased out subsidized flood insurance rates to make the National Flood Insurance Program more financially sound after it was drained by flood damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. More...



features

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryManatee tales

The manatee was in knee deep water off Bradenton Beach, and hadn’t moved for a long time, not even to raise its nose above the water line to take a breath.

A few careful steps in his direction to check for injuries got his attention. He swam straight over, stopped, and turned to one side, revealing a long propeller cut on his side.

Asking someone with a cell phone to call the FWC for help was futile – they were using the phone to take photos and post them to facebook. More...



OUTDOORS

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Enjoy the Sarasota Bay Water Festival

Geographically Sarasota Bay is the defining landmark of Sarasota and Manatee counties. A sparkling, natural treasure, it is not only a unique ecological habitat but an economic engine that contributes to the financial health of the region. The non-profit organization Sarasota Bay Watch has a slogan, “A Healthy Bay is Everybody’s Business,” recognizing the importance of Sarasota Bay to everyone who resides close to the bay. On Saturday, Nov. 2 at Ken Thompson Park, residents and tourists alike can take part in a celebration of the bay at the Sarasota Bay Water Festival. The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) is the presenting sponsor and HDR, Inc. the host sponsor for this year’s event. The Water Festival is being supported by more than 80 exhibitors, 44 sponsors and volunteers from throughout Sarasota and Manatee County. Triple 3 Marketing (T3M) is managing the event. More...



real estate

Website offers ways to organize home records

Some of us are better organized than others. You have the list makers, the write-everything-down personalities and the I-can’t-live-without-Post-it-Notes folks, who I am definitely one of. But what about the generation who are physically and emotionally attached to their electronic devices and may have forgotten the ability to use a pen and paper? When it comes to home ownership even this generation is getting a helping hand with an app and website that has the ability to remember everything about your home. More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

A Resilient Stock Market

Investment Corner

Over the last several months the stock market has weathered a decline of more than 10 percent in the value of long-term government bonds, worries about the situation in Syria including use of chemical weapons, and the dysfunction in our own government which took us to the brink of a default on some U.S. debt obligations.

Stock investors can be very fickle and for us to go through the last 6 months with only a couple very normal corrections on the order of 5% or so, is a testament to the health of the market at the present time. More...


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