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Featured News

Garden Club final season meeting features talk by landscape restoration specialist Rick Joyce

Arborist consults with Edison-Ford, Bahamas gov’t SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE GARDEN CLUB During the 2023-24 season, Boca Grande Garden Club members benefited from horticultural lectures b…

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Community

Island pastors meet to plan Easter

February 29, 2024

The leaders of the Boca Grande churches met this week to begin planning for the 2024 Holy Week and Easter services available to the public. With two of the four churches having new leadership this…

Love Lines 2024

February 9, 2024

Annual Valentine’s Day edition Love Lines p29-BsectionDownload

Feb. 20 deadline for presidential primary; poll workers needed in Boca Grande

February 9, 2024

Although November 2024 elections may seem a long way off, the Florida presidential primary is Tuesday, March 19, 2024 and the voter registration deadline for the presidential preference primary is…

Education

Preschool gets a new playground

The Boca Grande Preschool has completed construction on a new playground that includes a play structure, play yard, storage room expansion, easels and a tall security wall fencing the entire area….

Gasparilla Island Conservation promotes bike safety during spring break

Spring has sprung and Boca Grande is abuzz. With the gorgeous weather, there has also been an increase in people enjoying the GICIA Bike Path. In a cooperative effort to provide a safe and fun exp…

Lemon Bay heads to Florida State Thespian Festival

February 29, 2024

The student theater troupe at Lemon Bay High School is heading to Tampa on March 13 for the Florida State Thespian Festival. There were 21 one-act plays in the district, and Lemon Bay was…

Entertainment

Book-briefs: New regional titles

Some new local history titles out this spring: • “Three Ringling Circus: A History of Sarasota and the Famous Ringling Brothers” by Sandra Gurvis illuminates the Ringling family’s impact on…

Good grief: Charles Schulz biographer here April 24

At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, David Michaelis will discuss his acclaimed biography of Charles Schulz, creator of the beloved comic strip “Peanuts” (a name Schulz did not like). In its re…

Hotel Cuba author at Fust Library April 18

All are invited to listen to author and professor Aaron Hamburger speak in the Johann Fust Community Library loggia and courtyard at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. His novel “Hotel Cuba” is an …

Featured News, Profiles

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Renowned Paper boy celebrates 80

Editor’s Note: This profile has been in the works for a number of years; we realized that in all the years of Dusty and the Beacon, we had not spotlighted him, and thought his 80th would be the perfect time. The profile includes a draft from our previous editor, Marcy Shortuse. There’s a story behind […]

Sports & Outdoors

Health & Wellness

Ask a Doc: Parkinson’s disease can now be detected through the skin

BY BRET KUEBER, M.D., ASSISTANT MEDICAL DIRECTOR, BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC April, the birth month of James Parkinson, is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Parkinson’s is a degenerative synd…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Chemist and founder of orphan drugs

There’s a fellow at Sea Oats who has the mind of a scientist and the heart of an artist. Dr. John McCall is an interesting mix, with a humble sense of humor that belies his multiple degrees and ac…

Doctor’s Day at the Clinic, honors for Drs. James, Kueber and Haly

Honoring the physicians of the Health Clinic BY MARK DRISCOLL, CEO BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC March 30 marks a special day on our calendar – Doctor’s Day. It’s a time to honor those who dedic…

A Clinic Foundation anniversary

As we celebrate the 21st birthday of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation, it’s an appropriate time to honor the visionaries who laid the groundwork for a healthier community and to recognize …

Police & Fire

Fire District seeks certificate renewal

The Boca Grande Fire Control District submitted an application for renewal of their Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN), which Lee County staff have recommended for approval at…

Fire Dept’s Hammerhead truck damaged

The Boca Grande Fire Department is raising money to replace its ladder truck and refresh the department fleet after damage caused by hurricane exposure. “We can’t even rely on it as a backup b…

Fire Dept. aids belfry placement

The Boca Grande Fire Department came the aid of First Baptist Church of Boca Grande with the installation of their new speaker system. Contributed photo

Auxcomm radio training sessions

More fun than kids and walkie talkies Citizens interested in learning how to use the handheld radios supported by the new island AUXCOMM system are invited to attend upcoming training sessions….

News Archives

Obituaries

Shelley Lewis 1943-2024

Shelley Lewis of Boca Grande, Florida, and Greenwich, Connecticut, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sibling, all of whose lives were enriche…

Dean M. Laux 1932-2024

Dean M. Laux, 91, accomplished Army intelligence officer, publisher, editor, and community volunteer, died Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Born Oct. 26, …

Obituary: Denee Peyton, 1985-2024

Friends and family of the late Denee Peyton, who worked as a clerk at The Temptation’s liquor store, Park Ave Wine and Spirits, from 2010 unt…

John Moylan Murphy, 1941-2024

John Moylan Murphy, Jr., age 82, of Boca Grande, Florida, died on January 26, 2024, after a long journey with cancer. He was born in Detroit, Mich…

Bob Heilman, 1948-2024

Bob Heilman of Buffalo, New York and Boca Grande, Florida passed away unexpectedly from natural causes on January 27, 2024, at age 75. Bob was …