Top Stories this week: Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 Sidewalks! Workers with Semper Fi Group LLC construction of Palmetto have been hard at work in northern Bradenton Beach creating a new streetscape on the east side of Gulf Drive. The work includes landscaping, but the most visible aspect of the project is the new sidewalk, which will run from Cortez Road to the north city limits at 27th Street. Islander Photo: Paul Roat Sidewalk project well under way in Bradenton Beach By Paul Roat A project that has probably been decades in the making is well under way in northern Bradenton Beach.2. Full Story... No need for speed off Bean Point By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter If the Anna Maria City Commission and some concerned residents near Bean Point have their way, boaters passing through the waters just off Bean Point will have to slow down to a “no-wake” zone when heading in and out of the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story... Youth hurt in traffic accident A 10-year-old Oregon boy visiting the Island with his parents was taken to Blake Medical Center Tuesday after he apparently ran into the road and into a moving car in Bradenton Beach while crossing Gulf Drive. Full Story... Anna Maria Bridge: structurally sound but obsolete By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Following the collapse of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis last week, Florida Department of Transportation officials are reassessing the most recent DOT inspections of bridges, including the three leading to Anna Maria Island. Full Story... Principal sizzles up new school year Anna Maria Elementary School Principal Tom Levengood stirred, sizzled and served up his recipe for pancakes to his 2007-08 staff of teachers and support staff Monday morning prior to the staff meeting to kick off the new school year. Islander Photo: Diana Bogan Back-to-school night at AME Anna Maria Elementary School, located at 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, is hosting Back-to-School event from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16. Full Story... Renourishment planned despite county budget woes By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter While Manatee County officials are struggling to come to grips with the state-mandated 9 percent cut in spending for 2007-08, one project that won’t be affected by the budget is the upcoming Anna Maria Island beach renourishment project. Full Story... Bradenton Beach pier work moving at rapid pace By Paul Roat The latest estimates for a “soft” opening of the Historic Bridge Street Pier at Bradenton Beach are pegged at Sept. 2, to coincide with a merchant festival on the street. Full Story... For FISH: One down, two to go for Preserve By Paul Roat FISH folks are a happy bunch in the wake of last week’s notice that a parcel of land within the preserve is being donated to the not-for-profit group. Full Story... Interest in property may bring rosy future By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Developers are looking at the Rosa del Mar property on Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach with keen interest, said Barry Gould of Island Vacation Properties, the company marketing the former GSR property for an auction sale for lien holder Horizon Bank. Full Story... AMI Fitness closes By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter AMI Fitness in Holmes Beach (the former Island Fitness Center) closed its doors Aug. 9, but owner John Belsito said he plans to financially reorganize and get back in business as soon as possible. Full Story... One phony deputy arrested, one sought By Mike Quin. Special to The Islander Bradenton police detective Jim Curulla has arrested one Holmes Beach man and is actively seeking another man from Bradenton Beach. Curulla told NewsManatee, The Islander’s news partner, that both men were dressed like Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputies and represented themselves as such when they attacked a man in Bradenton and stole his wallet and cell phone. Full Story... Winner Top Notch: Dog greets crab Tom Thomas of Holmes Beach won the grand prize in The Islander's annual Top Notch contest for this photo of a 2 1/2-year-old Labrador retriever named Taylor greeting a blue crab on a sandbar near Longboat Pass Bridge. Thomas won $100 from the newspaper, plus a bevy of gifts from Islander advertisers, including Cafe on the Beach, Creations by L, The Sea Hagg, Subway and Walgreens. Five other photographers were weekly winners in the Top Notch contest - Robert L. Brown, Kim Klement, John Barker, Lori Kee and Mary Anne Keenan. The weekly winners received Islander "more-than-a-mullet wrapper" T-shirts and page 1 placement of their photos.