Tempers flare at parking safety meeting

About 300 people will sit down to a Thanksgiving feast this week at Our Daily Bread – a special meal of turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and bread.

It’ll be a little bigger and a little more festive than the hot meal served to the homeless the other 364 days of the year. More...

Economy generating creative marketing

Anna Maria Island businesses are adapting to the tight economy with a variety of creative approaches, from exclusively selling local products to staying open on holidays to forming alliances with other businesses to boost commerce.

Several tourist accommodations are offering free room nights – a third night free at Bridgewalk, Dawg Daze Villa and the SilverSurf Gulf Beach Resort, a fourth night free at Bungalow Beach Resort, Seaside Inn Beach Resort, Tortuga Inn Beach Resort and Tradewinds Resort, and a seventh night free at some Island Real Estate rentals. More...

State questions collections

BRADENTON BEACH – The Florida Attorney General’s (AG) office wants the city to explain how it intends to collect delinquent sanitation and stormwater utility bills using a professional collection agency. More...

Island restaurants repeat as wedding champs

Two of the Chiles Group restaurants, the BeachHouse and the Sandbar, have again been selected as the 2009 picks for The Knot’s Best of Weddings magazine, a coast-to-coast guide to top wedding-related businesses. New York based, The Knot Web site is recognized as the number one wedding Web site and The Knot magazine, published in more than 40 key cities across the United States, is the most trusted wedding resource for brides to be. More...

Center identifies top 10 critical needs on the Island

ANNA MARIA – Assistant Director Scott Dell reported to board members the results of the Island Community Center’s critical needs assessment.

He said the Center surveyed community leaders to determine the following top 10 list of needs:

• Free child care so parents can look for work or go to work;
• Food;
• Money for rent, electric, phone and water bills;
• Medical and mental health care;
• Christmas gifts for kids;
• Tutoring/mentoring services;
• Resume writing and help;
• Transportation, especially for the elderly;
• Fun, free family activities;
• Job training.

More...

Bradenton Beach to host Waterfronts Florida managers

BRADENTON BEACH – For the second time since its certification as a Waterfronts Florida city, managers of the state-run program to promote and protect waterfront access will meet in this southernmost city of the Island.

The Florida Department of Community Affairs has promised Bradenton Beach Projects and Programs Manager Lisa Marie Phillips a good turnout for this quarterly meeting on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 7 and 8 after the first one held here drew a small crowd. More...

SHARE a holiday meal with those in need

When Pam McMillen walked into a rehearsal of the Magic of Manatee Sweet Adelines chapter three years ago, director Lois Van Beek had a déjà vu experience.

“Lois walked up to me and said, ‘I know you. You look just like your mother,’ ” said McMillen, now the costume chairperson and assistant choreographer for the group. More...

Neighbors open art show

SHARE’s holiday meal campaign is seeking donors to purchase Christmas meal packages for those in need on the Island. Please bring cash to the Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, prior to Dec. 4 in order to make the deadline for the food order.

SHARE holiday and monthly food packages are also available to anyone. A basic SHARE package costs $18 (cash only) and consists of frozen meats, fresh produce and grocery items. More...

Calendar sales to benefit Community Center

ANNA MARIA – Robert Harper captures the beauty of Florida sunrise and sunsets and is using this beauty to benefit the Island Community Center.

"A few weeks ago, I read an article in the newspaper that said the Community Center needed donations, and I thought about making a calendar of my oils and donating it to the Community Center,” Harper explained. “It came about really quickly.” More...

Catch, photograph and release

Technology is increasingly making it easier for anglers to catch, photograph and release their catches. Once a joke, the new generation of cell phones now features cameras that can take 3.2 mega pixel photos. My new Palm Pre, like many new models, even features an LED flash. Photos of a special fish, magic light on the natural world or an outing with a friend hold the promise of years of enjoyment. Digital cameras make capturing a moment in time easy, fun and allow you to develop your vision in the digital darkroom. The best part is that you can enjoy this amazing technology no matter what your level of expertise. More...

Zapping real estate with Cap and Trade

With so much stuff going on in Washington, it’s not easy to keep track of where proposed legislation is in the process and what exactly is being proposed. The House of Representatives passed the health reform bill and sent it on the Senate last month, and we can look forward to a healthy debate about the content of the bill.

Another bill, however, that passed the House of Representatives in June has been quietly sitting in the Senate without too much discussion, but homeowners should be paying attention to this one and make their feelings known. More...

Time to focus on quality

Scary bear markets generally end with a reversal to the upside that catches most investors by surprise and creates a feeling of disbelief and doubt that the move higher can be sustained. Investors commonly look to headline news items like high unemployment and other systemic troubles and wonder why the market can move higher when the news still isn’t good. More...