Sabine search resumes

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office searched a wooded area of the beach near Willow Avenue for the remains of Sabine Musil-Buehler after a crew clearing out an area of dense growth on July 9 found items that belonged to her. More...

Grenade found in shallows

A visitor from Georgia made a disturbing discovery in the Gulf waters off the 800 block of North Shore Drive on Monday, July 11, around 6 p.m. While searching for sand dollars, Jason Waldron found an old pineapple-style hand grenade in the sand underwater. More...

Golf carts draw complaint

HOLMES BEACH – Reckless and possibly underage golf cart drivers are causing problems for walkers, residents and motorists in the Jones subdivision, a resident told Holmes Beach commissioners last week.

Mary Buonagura said she has seen drivers who look too young to operate golf carts driving them without adult supervision in the neighborhood from 43rd Street to 52nd Street and from Second Avenue to Fifth Avenue. The golf carts are parked at rental homes used by short-term visitors, she said. More...

City to get six lots appraised

ANNA MARIA –Commissioners agreed last week to get an appraisal on the six lots at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard that they are considering purchasing.

"We need to have an appraisal to know the fair market value," Chair Chuck Webb stressed, as he has in past meetings. More...

Attorney explains eminent domain

ANNA MARIA – Commission Chair Chuck Webb invited attorney Mitchell Palmer to explain the process of eminent domain to commissioners last week.

At previous meetings, Webb has raised the possibility of using eminent domain to acquire the six lots at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard. Since mid-June, commissioners have discussed purchasing the lots but have disagreed on whether eminent domain is an option. More...

START seeks affiliation with Cortez

CORTEZ – Solutions To Avoid Red Tide (START) is discussing a plan with the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) to add a caviar and wine component to the Cortez Folk Arts Festival in November.

With the assistance of restaurant owner Ed Chiles, a founder and director of START, the group proposes to sell gourmet seafood dishes, wine and champagne at the festival, START President Sandy Gilbert told the FISH board last week. More...

Red tide group changes logo

With the last local red tide quickly fading from memory, Solutions To Avoid Red Tide is changing its logo to reflect its focus on healthy waters.

START - founded in 1996 to investigate scientific methods of preventing and combating red tide – is changing the group's logo from a fish skeleton, representing the devastation of red tide, to a healthy fish, representing sustainable seafood, according to the board of directors. More...

Commission whittles down expenditures

BRADENTON BEACH – It took almost six hours over three days, but it looks like the city commission has more than balanced the budget for the next fiscal year without raising the property tax rate.

Last year, the city commission got an early start on computing expenditures as the city's taxable property values continued to drop due to market conditions and other sources of income also fell victim to the sluggish economy. This year, it scheduled a week of meetings with department heads going line by line over their projected expenditure. More...

Ray's new hobby paying off in spades

Sarasota Bay Watch launches new initiative

Sarasota Bay Watch, a non-profit 501c3 grass-roots, citizen-based organization has just announced an exciting new initiative with the Sarasota Yacht Club. Dubbed Scallopalooza-Repay the Bay, the initiative will be held at the Sarasota Yacht Club on Aug. 6. The dinner and auction is the kick-off event in a mission to restore bay scallops to Sarasota Bay. More...

Over the competitive edge

Within my family, my columns are a pretty big target to challenge. It's not unusual for me to get phone calls or e-mails questioning something I wrote from some member of the clan. The most recent of these disputes questioned my "rosy" outlook for the future of Anna Maria real estate, from, of course, someone who lives 1,300 miles away. More...

Beach Café celebrates first anniversary

HOLMES BEACH – The Anna Maria Island Beach Café is quietly observing its first anniversary under new management this week.

"No celebration is planned," said Mark Enoch, one of the partners of United Park Services (UPS), with his wife, Debbie, and Alan Kahana, who lease the facility from Manatee County. More...

Staying secure on the Web

The Internet is a wonderful tool. It allows us instant access to more information than any of us can ever use. It also allows us to be very efficient by allowing us to shop and handle financial matters, like bill-paying, from our home, office or even on the plane. Remember the days of driving to the utility company to pay the monthly bill? Well those days are long gone, and thank goodness they are with today's gas and postage prices. More...

Mr. Grout stays undefeated in soccer

AMICC Youth Indoor Soccer Indoor game summaries:

6-9-year-old-League:

Island Dental Spa – 4
Beach Bums – 2
For Island Dental Spa, Charlie Halfarce scored the only goal for his team in the first half. In the second half of play and the game tied at one apiece, Luke Marvin scored three goals to help his team win. For Beach Bums, Ashton Pennell scored in the first half and Tyler Brewer scored in the second half. More...

Keeping fit on the cheap

Keeping fit doesn't have to be expensive.

If you belong to a gym, inquire about existing fitness center discounts.

Some of the biggest gym membership deals come from corporate accounts. Many companies, even small ones, make deals with local gyms. More...