Top Stories - This Week: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2003 Horseshoe crabbing Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program educational public outreach coordinator Brie Willett gives Anna Maria Elementary School students a close look at the shell of a horseshoe crab left among the mangroves at Joan M. Durante Park on Longboat Key. AME third-graders spent the morning in the park learning about the ecosystem. Click on image to enlarge Bell options old Sigma property By Jim Hanson. Islander Reporter Saying he's too busy to fight through the kind of opposition he has encountered in Cortez, Piero Rivolta has given Karen Bell a 60-day option to buy the former Sigma property. Full Story... Warning to Holmes Beach: Anna Maria may be coming By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Anna Maria may be moving to Holmes Beach. Relax, Holmes Beach residents. If the planned move goes through, it's only for about six months. Full Story... More Anna Maria parking plans at Feb. 5 meeting By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter The initial euphoria that greeted Anna Maria City Commissioner Duke Miller's proposed parking plan (The Islander, Jan. 21) appears to be wearing off, at least among fellow commissioners. Full Story... Sandbar denied 'vacation' again By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Sandbar restaurant owner Ed Chiles seems to be caught in the middle. On the one hand, he's being sued to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide suitable and adequate handicap-accessible parking at the Sandbar restaurant on Spring Avenue in Anna Maria. Full Story... Grassy Point signage, plant survey coming soon The City of Holmes Beach will be installing a sign acknowledging the grant assistance for the purchase of Grassy Point in 2002. The sign will be placed along East Bay Drive within the next few months. Full Story... Torres offers settlement option in Holmes Beach lawsuit By Diana Bogan. Islander Reporter A settlement in an ongoing legal dispute between the Torres family and the City of Holmes Beach may soon be on the table. Full Story... Sales tax increase would fund many Island projects By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Island municipalities would get an unexpected annual windfall of funds for a variety of projects if the proposed countywide half-cent tax increase passes on March 9. Full Story... Knight in shining armor for Tidemark? By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter The latest "partner" to step into the embattled Tidemark hotel/condominium/marina project in Holmes Beach could well be the "knight in shining armor" needed to save the $20 million project from extinction. Full Story...

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