Top Stories this week: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Belles of Belle Haven A bevy of 4- and 5-year-olds dressed in their favorite party/dress-up clothes gathered in the garden of Belle Haven Cottage located at the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum in Anna Maria for a tea party. After sipping iced tea and munching on finger sandwiches, the girls enjoyed running through the gardens - unhampered by their long dresses. From left are twins Annie and Tori Walter, Katie Krokroskia, Cayden Perry, Emily Lathum-Turner, Hannah McCracken and Piper Hansen. Tea party first event at Belle Haven Cottage By Diana Bogan. Islander Reporter Belle Haven Cottage was the locale of choice for an old-fashioned garden tea party hosted by Piper Leigh Hansen, 4, of Bradenton. The March 25 gathering was the first private event held in the historic home since Anna Maria Island Historical Society Director Sissy Quinn announced plans to offer the facility for special events. Full Story... Olson, Galvano efforts spur DMV contact information change By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Thanks to efforts by State Rep. Bill Galvano on behalf of Christine Olson (The Islander, March 15), the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles has said it will begin working immediately to "create a mechanism" where emergency family contact information can be added as part of an individual's driver's license or personal identification card. Full Story... Sign of Anna Maria times: Property owner claims commission infringing on rights By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Plans by the Anna Maria City Commission to pass a new sign ordinance at its March 23 meeting to regulate the size and number of signs on commercial and residential property were curtailed after City Attorney Jim Dye recused himself from the discussion and some members of the public and Island real estate industry blasted the commission for even considering the issue. Full Story... Register or lose signs in Bradenton Beach come Monday By Paul Roat. Islander Reporter If you have a sign in Bradenton Beach, register it with the city or expect to lose it come Monday. Full Story... Mayors turn to commissions for consolidation study funding Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie and Holmes Beach Mayor John Chappie will ask their respective city commissions to split the $25,000 cost of a study on the feasibility of consolidation that they proposed would be done by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Full Story... 'Drop dead' date next week for beach renourishment project By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Maybe somebody’s been listening to the old Johnny Paycheck song, "Take this job and shove it. I ain’t workin’ here no more." Full Story... Marina, Gulffront development, dock on Bradenton Beach P&Z agenda By Paul Roat. Islander Reporter A plateful of controversial issues could be in front of the Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board Tuesday, April 4. Full Story... Traffic, traffic everywhere and not a solution in sight By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Understating the obvious for Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, the Coalition of Barrier Island Elected Officials at its March 21 meeting held a discussion on traffic problems confronting the four member cities. Full Story... Bradenton Beach man charged with home invasion A Bradenton Beach man was arrested by Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputies shortly before 8 p.m. March 22 after being found nude inside a Bradenton home that deputies said he had entered illegally. Full Story... Cortez maritime museum is statewide now By Jim Hanson. Islander Reporter The maritime museum organized over the past few months in the village of Cortez has suddenly become a statewide entity - the Florida State Maritime Museum. Full Story... Fit to be tide? Several owners of businesses located in the Island Fitness Center building in Holmes Beach say they have been advised that the building will be sold to the developers of the Tidemark hotel/condominium/marina currently under construction adjacent to the building. Full Story...