Village Fallout

Business dealings among the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage and the Cortez Village Historical Society have not always been shipshape, but soon will be, according to Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller Richard "Chips" Shore.

Shore's office oversees historical resources in the county, including the county-owned museum, which has – along with the two main Cortez organizations that support it – operated in the casual style that personifies the historic commercial fishing village. More...

Sandbar set for Georgia's fundraiser

ANNA MARIA – As doctors try to wean Georgia Gibbons from the ventilator and sedation, plans are underway for a fundraiser for the 20-year-old who was struck by a car while crossing the street in Tallahassee, where she attends college. The fundraiser begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, and there is a $20 cover charge for the hors d'oeuvres, if purchased before the night of the event, and $25 at the door.

Georgia is the daughter of Robin and Bob Gibbons. Robin is a server at the Rod and Reel Pier. All funds will be used to relieve the financial burden the family is experiencing with travel to Tallahassee to be with Georgia and medical expenses. More...

Another prize for Spring's pies

ANNA MARIA – You might say life is just peachy for Andrea Spring.

Spring's peach melba pie with an almond crust took first place in the fruit and berry category at the American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championships on April 27 through 29 in Orlando.

"It was a good year at the pie contest," she declared."I was pleased, but I didn't get to make as many as I had planned. I made eight pies and planned to make 11." More...

Residents urge action on rentals

HOLMES BEACH – Residents urged city commissioners to act quickly on committee recommendations presented last month to curb vacation rental problems.

The committees made their final reports at an April commission meeting on ways to solve noise, parking and overcrowding problems, primarily at multi-bedroom duplexes in residential neighborhoods. More...

Hot dogs in the outfield

HOLMES BEACH – The newly-fenced outfield of Birdie Tebbetts Field, designated as a dog park, has no shade, dog owners recently complained to Holmes Beach Commissioner Jean Peelen.

When dogs were allowed to use the whole ball field, they could rest in the shade behind first base, which is now out of bounds for dogs in the new design. More...

Earth Day celebrated Sunday

HOLMES BEACH - The Holmes Beach Commission approved three new city ordinances last week, and announced its progress on a lawsuit against Bradenton Beach.

Outdoor dining

A new ordinance designed to alleviate parking and noise problems at restaurants offering outdoor seating requires a city permit for outdoor dining seats. The permits are not transferable to a new owner. A new permit is required if a restaurant owner wants to increase the number of outdoor seats. Permits issued prior to Aug. 12, 2008 are grandfathered in. Parking problems are grounds for the revocation of a permit after a public hearing. Outdoor dining hours are limited to 7-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. No microphones, amplifiers or speakers are allowed in outdoor dining areas. More...

Property owner protests ordinance change

ANNA MARIA – Richard Friday, who is in litigation with the city over plans to build homes on Park Avenue, protested the removal of language from an ordinance changing the preservation zone to conservation. The language was regarding property owners who own adjacent lots and combining those lots.

"I'm upset, disturbed and not happy with the process over the last four to five years," Friday said to the board. "Leave the language as it was. More...

Peelen vies for tourist council seat

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Jean Peelen announced to fellow commissioners Tuesday night that she wants to take Commissioner Sandra Haas-Martens' place on the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

Both Peelen and Haas-Martens, along with Longboat Key Commissioner Hal Lenobel, applied for the position before the May 1 deadline.

The Manatee County Commission is expected to appoint the new TDC member at its meeting on Tuesday, May 22. More...

Parents enjoy a blast from the past

ANNA MARIA – Every year the Anna Maria Elementary School PTO holds a number of fundraisers, but only one of them involves the parents only, and last week they stepped back almost 50 years to celebrate the "Psychedelic Sixties." More...

It's prime time to target trout

At the end of the 2005 season, after the worst red tide in recorded history, I would have bet good money that local trout populations wouldn't recover in less than five years. Just three years later in 2008, trout populations in Sarasota Bay were near an all-time high. Four years later, I realize that the population dynamics are far more complex than we'll ever know. More...

Program rents foreclosed homes to owners

Most creative ideas are a result of a difficult situation inspiring an ingenious solution. There have been many proposed solutions to the housing crisis, but the most recent one may very well be the most practical.

It may be hard to believe, but Bank of America, one of the nation's leading mortgage lenders, is starting to think in a very sensible way. At the end of March, the bank announced that it has begun a pilot program offering some of its mortgage customers who are facing foreclosure a chance to stay in their homes by becoming renters instead of owners. The Mortgage to Lease pilot program is being offered to about a thousand Bank of America customers in test markets in Arizona, Nevada and New York. More...

David versus Goliath

One of the conundrums for companies which manage mutual funds and the investors who invest in these funds is the issue of size. In the fund management business, size is all about the total dollar amount being managed by the manager or management team.

If there was ever an example of success leading to mediocrity, perhaps the mutual fund business is it, although some select managers have risen above the pack. Smaller funds with a smaller amount under management can be more nimble. They are able to move into and out of stocks, bonds or other vehicles without their trades impacting the market price as much as a very large fund. Larger funds generally have to start to hold more securities in the portfolio to help avoid this liquidity problem, which could translate into money being put into portfolio holding, which are not the managers favorite, but which they hope will do OK. More...

Sea turtles, dolphins and oil

A recent study shows that some loggerhead sea turtles that nested an hour south of Anna Maria Island swam through the part of the Gulf of Mexico where the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in April through July 2010.

Satellite tracking of 10 tagged loggerheads by the U.S. Geological Survey revealed that three turtles, Patience, Ali and Scupper – all tagged last year by Mote Marine after they nested on Casey Key – traveled to the oil spill region. Researchers attached satellite tags to female loggerheads after they nested. More...

Baseball at its basic level

The Sun Sports game of the week was an enjoyable Friday night T-ball all game at the Anna Maria Island Community Center's baseball field. Baseball is back and opening day games were played this past week.

Fans packed the central courtyard at the Center to watch baseball at its beginning level. The Air & Energy team played the Gulf-Bay Realty team. The atmosphere of fun and excitement by both teams was only rivaled by the perfect springtime evening weather. The volunteer coaches did a great job of teaching these five-to-seven-year-olds the basics of baseball while making the game fun. More...

Where do you get your protein?

The most common question vegetarians or vegans get about eating a plant-based diet is, "Where do you get your protein?" I got it long before I wrote my book, especially as an athlete. For reasons that have more to do with marketing more than science, some athletes believe that meat and dairy are the only good sources. This is not true.

Most of us are aware that protein has an important role in our bodies, but you may not know why. Made up of amino acids (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen), protein is the nutrient responsible for growing new cells and building and repairing tissue. However, contrary to popular belief, we don't need to consume that much of it to be healthy. More...