Island Easter shared by thousands

Suspects lead police on wild chase

BRADENTON BEACH – Police are still searching today for two men who led a Bradenton Beach Police officer on a wild chase last Wednesday through and around gridlocked, spring break traffic on Anna Maria Island before running from their vehicle and eluding arrest.

The incident began about 6 p.m. when Officer Tom Ferrara was dispatched to the Coquina Beach parking lot on a report of as many as 80 people who were about to get into a fight. More...

Cumber admits violating probation

BRADENTON – Former Anna Maria Island resident William Cumber admitted in court Tuesday that he violated his probation and will be sentenced May 14.

Cumber, 39, could get a maximum of 30 years in prison for the violation, according to prosecutors, a fact his defense attorney has strongly criticized. More...

Red tide research at risk

A preliminary state budget that would cut $3 million of the $5 million previously allocated for red tide research and programs could mean a step backward in managing its effects, said Sandy Gilbert, chairman of the board of START (Solutions To Avoid Red Tide). More...

Sunrise, message wow worshippers

HOLMES BEACH – The weather was perfect as a crowd estimated at more than 1,400 people gathered at Manatee County Beach for the 45th time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. More...

Commission concerned about big box homes

ANNA MARIA — City commissioners last week agreed that they’d like to see their planner work up a way for the city to control the huge, flat-sided, flat roofed homes that maximize lot coverage all the way up to the second living floor.

In the 1970s, city commissioners passed an ordinance that mandated that no construction in the city could be taller than 37 feet from the crown of the road. More...

Art exhibit at The Studio is ‘A Family Affair’

Mary DuCharme, along with her daughter, granddaughter and grandson will be exhibiting their artwork this month in a show called "A Family Affair" at The Studio at Gulf and Pine. DuCharme thought the family show would be a fun way to celebrate her 81 years and 50 of painting. More...

Historical Society director begins work

ANNA MARIA – Nelson Roberts’ enthusiasm is contagious.

As the new director of the AMI Historical Society, Roberts has been spending every afternoon in the museum meeting docents and visitors, greeting everyone with his warm smile and friendly manner. More...

Tricky dogs a hit

ANNA MARIA – Lucy finally got to be in Ricky’s show after more than 50 years of trying.

No it wasn’t "I Love Lucy," but when you have a dog show called Ricky’s Tricky Dogs, there is a chance one of the pooches might get Lucy for a name. More...

The fish of a lifetime

There are some mornings when magic in the air, and you have a feeling that something special might happen. That feeling might actually be a portent or it might just be the optimism that springs eternal in the fly angler. It was one of those mornings as Captain Bryon Chamberlin and I headed north from Summerland Key through Niles Channel into the back country of the lower Florida Keys, a day when optimism, forbearance, skill and a little luck would produce the fish of a lifetime. More...

Tax wrte-offs for homeowners

Happy tax day. It’s April 15, and hopefully, everyone has survived another tax year. By now most people have submitted their paperwork to the IRS, written their checks and are pretty confident they won’t being going to jail any time soon.

For those of us who are property owners, tax time can actually have its up side.

Although purchasing a home may not be the most popular topic of conversation right now, there are still a multitude of benefits to homeownerships, not the least of which are tax write-offs. More...

Trust your pet to beach vet

The lives of humans would be so much easier if animals could talk. Not only could they inspire us with their bias free view of the world, but they could also let us know where it hurts when they’re not feeling well. Until the average human learns the language of animals, there are veterinarians who can thankfully translate our pets’ needs and wants. More...

Stocks stage rally – worst may be over

After a terrible 2008, major stock indexes continued their declines for the first two months of 2009, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average went below 7000. Then, abruptly, just as most were predicting a decline for the Dow to below 5000 a four week rally has ensued taking the Dow back to the 8000 level.

What does this mean for investors and for the economy? With the admission that my crystal ball isn’t any clearer than anyone else’s with regard to short-term news and market action, I think we may look back and say that Mr. Stock Market once again tricked the masses a little and may be showing us that the world as we know it is not about to end. More...

Flag Football teams improving in week 2

The second week of flag football proved to be even more exciting and action packed than the first, as teams showed off some trick plays and played higher quality football on both sides of the ball. The signs of first-game jitters are starting to disappear and teams have learned from their early mistakes; including what types of offensive plays are most effective and how to read a defense’s positioning. More...

Horseshoe season winding down

The pits are less populated these days with some of our northern friends departing, there were only four teams waiting on both days for the available pits. On Wednesday, 8 April three teams qualified for the playoffs. More...