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Tom Vaught

Tom Vaught

February 23, 2016
Sun contributor Tom Vaught covers obituaries. Email
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May 15, 2018
By Tom Vaught
FDOT Cortez Bridge

FDOT: Only one building affected by bridge

CORTEZ – If the current plans for the 65-foot clearance replacement for the Cortez Bridge hold true, the only structural casualty of the project will be a vacant car repair shop about two blocks east…
May 11, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Cortez Trailer Park

Cortezians wary of FDOT, weary of fight

CORTEZ – Now that the word is out, many people east of the Cortez Bridge feel hurt that the new 65-foot-tall span will be a “mega-bridge” and many are taking a wait-and-see attitude, saying they will…
May 8, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Island Players An Inspector Calls

Island Players deliver on play with moral message

ANNA MARIA – It’s the final play of the season and the Island Players are ending on a high note with “An Inspector Calls.” The play, written by J.B. Priestley, is set in the early 1900s before World…
May 3, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Wildlife Inc.

Local non-profits bank on generosity

BRADENTON BEACH – The groups that serve dogs, cats, horses and other animals attracted most of the donations among the 400-plus not-for-profits registered with the 2018 Giving Challenge on Tuesday an…
May 1, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Island Players cast

Last play of season this month

ANNA MARIA – The Island Players, 10009 Gulf Drive, presents “An Inspector Calls” by J.B. Priestley, directed by Heiko Knipfelberg and co-produced by The Off-Stage Ladies, from May 3 -13. The setti…
May 1, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Natalie Almeter

Island daughter a future diva

HOLMES BEACH – Natalie Almeter has always loved music. A few years ago, she sang in front of her mother’s store, Irene’s Resort Wear, during a holiday walk around with her boyfriend who played guitar…
April 25, 2018
By Tom Vaught
New Cortez bridge

FDOT chooses tall bridge for Cortez

BRADENTON BEACH – The other shoe has dropped. After more than 25 years of local resistance to replacing the two drawbridges from the mainland to Anna Maria Island with tall, fixed spans, the Flori…
April 19, 2018
By Tom Vaught
eugene matthews sentencing

Matthews gets 65 years minimum

BRADENTON – Eugene Matthews will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the shooting death of Rebecca Rawson on Jan. 10, 2017. On Thursday, April 19, Judge Brian Iten sentenced the 84-yea…
April 10, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Tom Skoloda

Rollin’ down the river

Former Anna Maria Commissioner Tom Skoloda got a very unusual gift from his wife, Alice Newlon, for his 75th birthday. It wasn’t anything to wear, eat or play with. Instead, she agreed to be his b…
April 10, 2018
By Tom Vaught

AME kids explore estuary

HOLMES BEACH – The students at Anna Maria Elementary School learned firsthand about sea life last week when volunteers from Around the Bend Nature Tours held a class under a playground shelter, then…
April 3, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Easter bunny

Clouds don’t stop this bunny

ANNA MARIA – Hundreds of kids and their parents showed up for an Island tradition, the Sandbar restaurant’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year, they started the hunt a few minutes late to accommoda…
April 3, 2018
By Tom Vaught
NEST at Robinson Preserve

Nature activities for the family

NEST nature days begin The new Mosaic Center for Nature, Exploration, Science and Technology will open its doors for an afternoon of exploration on Friday, April 6, Tuesday, April 10, and Friday, Ap…
March 27, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Easter sunrise service

Island churches celebrate Easter

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Easter is a busy time for the Island’s churches. With tourism at its peak, they are able to take in worshippers from around the world. The highlight of the holiday is the Easte…
March 13, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Island Players, The Curious Savage

Kooky comedy at Island Players

ANNA MARIA – When the curtain rises on “The Curious Savage,” by John Patrick, you have to remind yourself it’s taking place in a sanitarium called The Cloisters. Very soon, a brightly colored red-…
March 13, 2018
By Tom Vaught
Easter sunrise service

Easter sunrise service set at beach

The Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island will sponsor the 54th annual Easter sunrise service at Manatee County Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, starting at 6:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April…