Egmont funding jeopardized

State funding for Egmont Key may be cut under a proposal by a state Legislative subcommittee.

EGMONT KEY – Fort Dade on Egmont Key may see its first battle since it was built in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, as the Florida Legislature discusses cutting state funding for the island. More...

Supporters of a 50-year renourishment plan will gather April 6 to organize.

EGMONT KEY – A move to gain Congressional support for a 50-year beach renourishment project for Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge is gearing up this week, just days after Florida legislators proposed cutting state funding for the federally-owned preserve.

The Egmont Key Alliance and the Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges are seeking support for a beach renourishment plan proposed in a 2008 Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study. More...

Centennial features Food and Wine on Pine

The Anna Maria City Pier Centennial Celebration will take place May 13 and 14 on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria. One of the main features of the celebration is the Food and Wine on Pine event on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This upscale will showcase the best in food, wine, art and music that Anna Maria and the surrounding area has to offer. Island business owner and resident Ed Chiles is sponsoring this part of the celebration. More...

Viens pleads not guilty

Several weeks after he allegedly implicated himself in his wife's disappearance and possible death, a former restaurant owner in Bradenton Beach was wheeled into a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday, March 28, where he pleaded not guilty.

David Viens, who owned Beach City Market and Grill on Gulf Drive until 2004, jumped from a cliff Feb. 23 near Lomita, Cal., where he most recently owned Thyme Contemporary Café. He learned that day he was the prime suspect in the Oct. 18, 2009, disappearance of his wife, Dawn Marie Viens. When police spotted him arguing with his current girlfriend, Kathy Galvin, they told him to stop what they thought was domestic violence. That's when Viens turned and jumped off the cliff, breaking both ankles and severely injuring himself. More...

Lee Greenwood makes Affaire magical

ANNA MARIA – It was another magical evening at the Affaire to Remember as country music star Lee Greenwood brought down the house with his performance at the Community Center's 27th annual fundraiser.

After singing a couple of his most well known hits, Greenwood brought out two of his band members for a selection of songs and then returned to the stage after the live auction and sang his most famous song, "God Bless the U.S.A." among others. More...

Washed up fish a mystery for tourists

ANNA MARIA – Two families staying at a house on the bay found out the sea has its share of mysteries.

The families, which included a number of children, were enjoying the water behind their home when the kids started finding dead fish. The fish ranged from young bonnethead sharks to catfish to mullet, and most seemed to be in good shape with no visible wounds from fishhooks. More...

On cooking fish

People often ask me, "Did you get your love of cooking from your mother?"

Hell no.

Nice lady my mom, but cooking was not her strong suit.

Mom adhered to the Catholic tenet that the road to redemption was paved with penance. Penance was punishment you paid for pleasure. There was a big book somewhere that kept track. More...

Things that matter most

If you're like I am, and I suspect you are, you have a passion for the outdoors. If you're reading this column it's a safe bet the passion extends, to a large part, to the waters that surround our islands. The fish that inhabit the grass flats, mangrove edges and oyster bars stir our imagination while we're on the water, as well as during the days when we work to support ourselves, our families and our communities. It's easy to be consumed with this daily life; that's what makes the days on the water so special. It's particularly gratifying when serendipity combines to give us an opportunity to connect to our core values in a way that supports our basic needs and/or passion. More...

Tour of Homes an Island tradition

Tradition is defined as a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society. It's something that is maintained in the present but has origins in the past and can be ancient or evolved in more recent years.

Every year when I go to the Community Center's Tour of Homes, I notice two things – the weather is always spectacular and the attendees are always happy and smiling. The event is so Anna Maria that even after 18 years, it continues to remain a fresh and exciting day. More...

Just relax and Eat Here

Sean Murphy is no stranger to the restaurant business. He has owned the award winning Beach Bistro for 25 years, as well as other establishments in Florida. But his newest culinary venture is just a little different; it's a less is more dining experience or as Murphy likes to call it, an upscale diner.

Eat Here in Holmes Beach opened at the end of last year just before the winter season kicked off, and within just a few months has become one of the busiest restaurants on the Island popular with both locals and visitors. More...

Climbing a wall of worry

My last article, which appeared on March 23, was hurriedly prepared in the days following the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant problems in Japan. My goal was to provide some reasoning for not panicking if the world's stock markets struggled following that event because I believed the effects would be temporary. More...

Running and eating in paradise

The weather this week is why we live in paradise. Our sailboat's name is Prime Time. (My hubby Clarence and I were TV investigative reporters.) It is peak sailing season, peak running season, peak produce season and peak tourist season. It is why, on Saturday morning, I woke up at 5 a.m., drove an hour to Siesta Key to run on the beach in a 5K (3.1 miles) to benefit Mote Marine Laboratory. If you're visiting and haven't been to the Mote Marine Aquarium, don't miss it. By 10 a.m. I find that out of about 1,000 total runners, I'm seventh in my uber-competitive age group. More...