Author: Marcy Shortuse

Cutting the Gordian Knot that is the Boca Grande cell tower

July 27, 2023
Marcy Shortuse
News

Another chapter has been written in the ongoing “Gordian Knot” saga of the Boca Grande cell phone tower, as this week cell tower committee members have announced that Lee County has finally issued...

Islanders do what they do best when it comes to establishing emergency communications … they do it on their own

July 27, 2023
Marcy Shortuse
Community, News

When the winds died down on September 29, about 12 hours after they began, there was a lot of work to be done on Gasparilla Island. There were people to check on, roads to assess and to clear, wires...

Summer heat becoming a real issue with humans, as well as with pets

Anyone who knows island resident Libby Frazier knows that she is a lover of all animals. You might see her on her golf cart in town, several dogs in tow, running daily errands. There are few people...

PROFILE: Fr. Anthony Hewitt

July 27, 2023
Marcy Shortuse
Profiles

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church is now in the hands of its new pastor, Father Anthony Hewitt. Fr. Anthony began offering masses at the church this past weekend. This will be a major change of pace...

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

FIVE YEARS AGO PJ’s Seagrille and The Grapevine were officially out of business. TEN YEARS AGO Kathy Banson-Verrico was named as the new GIBA director. The pipes were smokin’ in some island...

EDITORIAL: This dead parrot is a lawsuit waiting to happen … please, Lee County, let us take down the Bakery Building

July 27, 2023
Marcy Shortuse
Editorial

It took 15 days to complete the Sanibel Causeway after Hurricane Ian crunched it. It took two-and-a-half months for the severely damaged Gasparilla Inn & Club to open up again. But we still don’t...

Time marches on at the Fishery property …

Tuesday, July 18 was the beginning of the end for two pieces of Cape Haze Peninsula’s history. The former home of Mike Schworm was dismantled and taken down to the ground, while Eunice Albritton’s...

Saying goodbye to a Boca Beacon staple: Hortoons by Dave Horton

Quite often, a good laugh is all anyone needs. Those who can provide it are valuable and should be treasured. That being said, it is with much sadness that we say goodbye to our “Hortoons” cartoon...

Rare whale shark visit off Sarasota coast reveals this kindler, gentler shark is in local waters more often than one thinks

Whale sharks just aren’t something you see every day, even in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico in our area. But that doesn’t mean it never happens. In fact, it happened to some boaters...