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Tom Vaught

Tom Vaught

February 23, 2016
Sun contributor Tom Vaught covers obituaries. Email
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November 6, 2018
By Tom Vaught
artsHOP 2018 artist

Rain doesn’t stop artsHOP

BRADENTON BEACH – The artsHOP celebration got off to an inauspicious start when rain started to fall a few hours before it began on Bridge Street last Friday. Shop owners were ready for the art lo…
October 30, 2018
By Tom Vaught
AME fall fest evil clown girl

A haunting in Anna Maria

ANNA MARIA – Autumn was in the air Saturday morning as a cold front moved in. Anna Maria Elementary School’s PTO was holding its Fall Festival, and the fact that Halloween was coming meant the kids w…
October 30, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Benjamin Conlon

Former restaurant manager charged with fraud

Hurricane Hank’s owner Brian Mathae had a rude awakening in June when he checked the payroll records and now his former manager, Benjamin Conlon, faces a fraud charge. Mathae said it began when he…
October 30, 2018
By Tom Vaught

Trial date set in alleged burglary, assault

BRADENTON – The trial of a Holmes Beach man accused of burglarizing a Holmes Beach house and beating the female owner has been set for April 15, 2019, in circuit court. Mark L. Snyder, 56, faces c…
October 23, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Bayfest 1024 tiger

Crowds come out for Bayfest

ANNA MARIA – Despite a serious problem with red tide this summer, the Island’s first festival of the season was a success as residents and visitors braved the warm weather to enjoy themselves at Bayf…
October 18, 2018
By Tom Vaught

Skullywag now a diesel beast

HOLMES BEACH – If you’ve been around the Anna Maria Island Privateers’ ship, Skullywag, lately, you might have heard a deeper sounding engine. The venerable symbol of Anna Maria Island’s “pirate’s li…
October 16, 2018
By Tom Vaught
hurricane michael relief supplies

Hurricane relief donations

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, through Anna Maria City Hall, is collecting items to send to the areas hit by Hurricane Michael last week. The hallway at city hall was already full of items dona…
October 12, 2018
By Tom Vaught

County considers grant for beach shuttle service

HOLMES BEACH – The Manatee County Board of Commissioners is bidding for a Florida Department of Transportation grant that would ease demand for parking spaces at Manatee Public Beach. During seaso…
October 2, 2018
By Tom Vaught
bayfest Soul R Coaster 2017

Bayfest on track

HOLMES BEACH – Vendors are still calling the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce about the upcoming 18th Annual Bayfest celebration, in spite of the serious red tide outbreak that is cutting into t…
September 25, 2018
By Tom Vaught

Weather sets mood for Island Players’ ‘Guest’

ANNA MARIA – It was a dark and stormy night as the Island Players performed “The Unexpected Guest,” a murder mystery from the pen of Agatha Christie, on Thursday, Sept. 20. Flashes of lightning an…
September 25, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Peace Day sign

Students sing praise of peace

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary (AME) students expressed hopes for peace at the school’s 17th Annual Peace Day last Friday on the front lawn of the campus. The annual celebration began after…
September 18, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Holmes Beach coyotes Wooten

Coyotes are here to stay

After an increasing number of coyote sightings in West Bradenton and on the Island, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is cautioning residents to treat the canines with cauti…
September 18, 2018
By Tom Vaught

Island Players celebrate 70 years of entertainment

ANNA MARIA – A piece of Island history is celebrating its roots and looking to its future and its 70th season. The Island Players spurred on by entertainment-hungry tourists and locals, took over…
September 12, 2018
By Tom Vaught
AME peace day 2017

AME prepares to celebrate peace

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary (AME) School teachers, staff and students are preparing for the 17th Annual Peace Day celebration, on Friday, Sept. 21, starting at 9 a.m. in front of the school…
August 29, 2018
By Tom Vaught

‘We’re still open’

ANNA MARIA – The beach behind the Sandbar restaurant was busier Sunday evening than it has been since the recent outbreak of red tide, with more than 160 people turning out for a dinner on the sand…