Fishing’s great, weather too, stone crabs ‘holed up’ Fishing and great weather go hand in hand in the waters around Anna Maria Island, but the stone crab season has seen a somewhat mediocre start. One crabber reported seeing too many octopus in the traps, a sign the crabs are “holed up.” ...

Wednesday, Oct. 27 6:30 p.m. — Anna Maria Island Relay for Life kick-off party at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-745-1214. Friday, Oct. 29 3 to 7 p.m. — Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Trail of Treats costume contest and trick-or-treating at participating businesses. The event begins ...

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ITEMS FOR SALE MIRRORS: 64 x 36 inch, three for $30. Desk, country French, hutch, 45 x 26, $50. 941-795-8359. ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, OFF-white lacquer, three pieces, 72 x 78 inch, will hold 27-inch TV, $75. 941-795-8359. COMPUTER: 2.4 GHz with newly loaded Windows XP-PRO, $100.  941-756-6728. SEWING MACHINE: OLD Singer in cabinet, runs good, $25. Call ...

Logan Imes, 4, feasts on ice cream at Bayfest, as dad George looks on. The two-day celebration drew thousands to Pine Avenue in Anna Maria for food, music, arts and activities. Islander Photos: Lisa Neff

The big bass boom from Bayfest beckoned Gail and Paul Junger from the beach Oct. 16. “We were over at the beach, on the Gulf, and we could hear the music,” Paul Junger of Lakewood Ranch said. “We packed up and came over and found this big party.” The party turned out ...

Make no mistake, Anna Maria Commissioner Chuck Webb told commissioners at their Oct. 14 work session, “Rewriting land-development regulations is absolutely a huge, painful process.” Webb should know from experience. He worked for Charlotte County as an attorney during the LDR rewrite process there. “I have done this before and it’s a ...

Ex-Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus filed a motion with the Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal Oct. 15, requesting that it dismiss an Oct. 12 filing from Citizens for Sunshine Inc. pertaining to his appeal of his recall. Stoltzfus’ attorney, Richard Harrison, said the reply from Citizens, written by attorney Andrea ...

Although September is supposed to be Anna Maria Island’s slowest month for visitors, the occupancy figures reported by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for last month show a 16.5 percent gain from September 2009. The increase put occupancy of Island accommodations at 45.9 percent, up 16.5 percent from the ...

A 7-year-old development dispute is reaching a judicial review at the Manatee County courthouse, where Bradenton Beach resident and property owner Ken Lohn has lodged a complaint against the city. Lohn has been challenging a development neighboring his bayfront property in Bradenton Beach for years. Last summer, he took the city ...