Pigs ahoy! Boating babies befriended

How do you potty train a baby pig? That's a question that Captain Kim Ibasfalean and her family in Cortez are working on lately.

It seems Kim's son, Michael, 17, was out on a boat with a girlfriend recently near Beer Can Island at the south end of Anna Maria Island. More...

Pie's the prize at this year's Bayfest

ANNA MARIA– Those who have been to more than one Bayfest might notice that they keep getting bigger and better and that should be the case this weekend.

This year, there is a new item on the menu of events – pie. The Island's award-winning baker, Sign of the Mermaid co-owner Andrea Spring, is hosting a first-ever pie contest. There is no charge to compete, but you'd better fill out an entry form now, while there's still time. Turn in your pies from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the restaurant, 9707 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. Awards will be presented on the main stage at 2:30 p.m. More...

Solutions offered for 'Gate-gate'

Fire consolidation a hot topic

BRADENTON – After hearing a presentation on consolidation from their chiefs, West Manatee and Cedar Hammock fire commissioners gave themselves 90 days to decide whether to pursue the issue.

Chair Steve Litschauer, of the Cedar Hammock Fire Commission, said he brought up the idea of consolidation because its a hot topic in government and "we can either hide our heads in the sand or we can approach it." He said the commission chairs and the chiefs of the two districts met three times to develop the presentation. More...

Holmes Beach businesses organize

HOLMES BEACH – Business owners gathered Monday to discuss forming a downtown Holmes Beach merchant's group to attract customers to the city's main business district.

About 50 people attended a complimentary lunch at Eat Here and shared ideas such as adding crosswalks, sidewalks, decorative lamp posts, rustic wooden direction sign posts, banners, hanging flower baskets and other features to better define "downtown" Holmes Beach. More...

Commissioners question pool rules

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners at a recent meeting questioned Building Official Bob Welch about changes in the city's building regulations regarding swimming pools.

Commissioner Dale Woodland questioned a provision stating, "No pool or deck may be elevated more that eight inches above the grade existing prior to construction of the pool." More...

Red tide moving south

A red tide bloom detected last week alongshore of Sarasota County has since moved south.

According to satellite images taken on Oct. 6, the bloom extended approximately 15 miles offshore and 20 miles alongshore of Charlotte and Lee Counties. More...

City still haunted by appeal

BRADENTON BEACH – When the city attorney learned that a resident had died, she thought his legal action against the city would be dropped. Two weeks before Halloween, however, it's still haunting her.

Ken Lohn, who had appealed a city commission ruling on a dispute over a neighbor's driveway, died Sept. 10. Last Thursday at the city commission meeting, Ricinda Perry reported she had contacted Lohn's attorney, Robert E. Turffs, who told her he had not been instructed to drop the case. More...

No bones about it; jellyfish bad news

Sarasota Bay Watch event protects seabirds

On Oct. 1, members of Sarasota Bay Watch teamed with Save Our Seabirds, and Audubon Coastal Islands Sanctuaries to conduct a monofilament clean up of bird rookeries in Sarasota Bay. The event was organized to remove fishing line from mangroves during the season when birds are not nesting. The event was a great success, despite the arrival of an early cold front that roiled local waters. During the morning event, participants collected yards of line from Roberts Bay to Manatee County. More...

Are low interest rates helping?

Mortgage interest rates are down, prices are down, savings are up, but in spite of all of these positive markers, the housing crisis doesn't seem to be getting appreciably better. What's it all mean and when does it end? More...

Insiders see better days ahead

Investment Corner By Tom Brieter

In the midst of the extreme market volatility in early August, there appeared to be at least one sign that better days for investors might not be too far off. Corporate insiders voted with their wallets in a big way by purchasing shares of their own company's stock at record rates. More...

Euphemia Haye comeback falls short

The Sun sports game of the week was an adult co-ed soccer matchup between Don Meilner & Son Construction and Euphemia Haye.

Dominant first half play by Don Meilner & Son Construction gave it a four to nothing score at halftime. The scoring started when Lindsey Weaver scored on a long shot just five minutes into the game, 1-0. Just two minutes later, Weaver crossed the ball to the left side, and Zach Gilliland shot into the corner for the goal, 2-0. Not soon after, Gilliland picked up a loose ball at the top of the box and one timed it into the lower corner, 3-0. Just before the half, Gilliland sent a heal pass to Kim Terhern who ripped a shot of the right post and in for the 4-0 score at half. More...

The real cost of disease

Feasting on Fitness By ellen Jaffe Jones

I felt that this story is so important, I thought I'd "retweet" it from USA Today and others. It illustrates why I am spending the rest of my life trying to reduce this problem with relatively easy (compared to heart surgery, stomach stapling, losing limbs to diabetes) solutions such as simple diet and lifestyle changes. More...