Vol. 11 No. 43 - August 10, 2011

news

Beach Bucs Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

ANNA MARIA – With a little more than a week before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play their first exhibition game, against the Kansas City Chiefs, a lot of men's thought are turning to another season of NFL football. If any of them were walking along the northern beaches of the Island at the right time last week, they might have been treated to another kind of exhibition – the Tampa Bay Bucs' Cheerleaders posing for photos for their annual calendar. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StorySabine search halted

ANNA MARIA – More than three weeks of tramping through overgrown foliage and sifting sand ended last Wednesday with one final attempt to find Sabine Musil-Buehler at the Park Avenue beach entrance where one might have easily buried a body almost three years ago.

Manatee County Sheriff's Office homicide Detective John Kenney said his next step is to talk with the person of interest in the mysterious disappearance of the popular motel owner shortly after Halloween 2008. More...

Diana Nyad forced to quit swim

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad ended her two-year quest to swim from Cuba to Florida early Tuesday when strong currents and physical ailments forced her from the water. The 61-year-old athlete was attempting to be the first person to make the 103-mile swim from Havana to Key West. She ended the effort after 29 hours in the water, roughly halfway through the journey. Sun contributor Dee Brady is part of the support team that accompanied Nyad, who did much of her training on Anna Maria Island last year. Log onto www.amisun.com to read Dee's blog about being part of Nyad's crew. More...

Court date set for bookkeeper

The suspect in the Key Royale Club embezzlement case will appear before District Judge Gilbert Smith, Jr., on Friday, Sept. 2 at 8:55 a.m. for arraignment.

Holly Elaine Connelly, 29, of Bradenton, is the former bookkeeper for the private golf and country club who is accused of taking more than $300,000 in funds by forging and cashing checks and illegal use of the club's credit card. The charge, scheming to defraud, is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. More...

Bowlers head for mainland

It takes a lot to get some residents to go off the Island, but the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat works in funny ways, especially if it's surrounded by beer, food and the sound of bowling balls hitting pins. More...

Count scallops this weekend

Volunteers are needed to find and count scallops in the 2011 Sarasota Bay Watch Scallop Search on Saturday, Aug. 13.

The event begins with a captain's meeting at 8 a.m., followed by the search at 9 a.m. and a complimentary lunch at 12:30 p.m. at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant, 760 Broadway, Longboat Key. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryDemolished pier on commissioner's mind

HOLMES BEACH – The clock is ticking on the replacement of the Manatee Public Beach pier, Manatee County Commission Chair Carol Whitmore says.

Commissioners, who promised to replace the pier before it was demolished in 2009, are waiting for county staff to advise them whether the pier effectively controlled beach erosion, she wrote in an e-mail to Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Maritime program to be overhauled

CORTEZ – The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) has decided not to suspend its Turner Maritime Challenge Program, but to continue to overhaul it before its next semester begins on Sept. 19.

The board voted to suspend the program earlier this month after informally agreeing to suspend it at the end of the semester on July 29, taking Jaime Canfield, its director and the program’s developer, by surprise. More...



features

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Sure is hot - again

W.O. Mitchell was "the great Canadian novelist".

He described Canadians as a people who lived in heated boxes and travelled in heated boxes on wheels.

This time of year us Floridians are living in AC cooled boxes.

Growing up in Nova Scotia we had what was called a "damp cold." More...



OUTDOORS

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryHelp monitor scallops in the bay

Island residents are encouraged to get their heads wet Saturday, Aug. 13, during Sarasota Bay Watch's fourth annual Scallop Search at the Mar Vista Dockside restaurant on Longboat Key. The 2011 Scallop Search is funded through a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, from the Robert R. Harlan and Susan H. Lowy Harlan Fund. The Chiles Group is once again hosting the event and providing participants with lunch at their beautiful venue on the bay. The Anna Maria Island Sun is the T-shirt sponsor for the fourth year.

More...


real estate

Living with Florida's humidity

How many times in your lifetime have you said "It's not the heat it's the humidity?" If you're like most Florida residents those words have come out of your mouth at least once every summer. This age old axiom is exactly right since the body's perception of comfort is directly related to the level of humidity in the air. But what about the comfort of your home, how is the most important asset in your life dealing with Florida summers? More...



business

Jose's goes nationwide

BRADENTON - Jose's Real Cuban Food, 8799 Cortez Road W., will be featured on the Food Network's program, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Sept. 19 at 9 p.m.

More than a dozen customers, including a tourist from Germany, contacted the network about the authentic Cuban food served at the small restaurant, and the network called Jose Baserva to film a segment of the program. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Trying to see the forest through the trees

Investment Corner

There are times when it is difficult to be optimistic, and there is no shortage of clichés to remind us that, at least so far, it has paid to look on the bright side of the future and not bet on doom and gloom. Silver linings in dark clouds, the glass being half full rather than half empty and the sun coming up tomorrow all seem a bit silly when there's not much good news around, but have always been good advice at the end of the day. More...



SPORTS

Panthers and Steelers move on in last second victories

The first and second seeded Saints and the Dolphins steamrolled by their opponents in the first round of adult co-ed flag football playoffs. Before the playoffs started there were four teams tied for third place and the seeding was decided by drawing names out of a hat. All four teams were very evenly matched and made for dramatic finishes in the first round playoffs. It took a last minute drive for the Panthers to win with only 23 seconds left and the Steelers defense had to stop the Browns from scoring in the final drive to hold onto their victory. This week, the Saints will play the Steelers and the Dolphins will play the Panthers to decide who will move onto the Super Bowl. More...


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper