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September 18, 2026
BY ERNIE VANDERWALT Three days without salt. That’s a long stretch for a man who counts water as oxygen, and I felt every hour of it. A tropical storm had stirred the Gulf into a wild mess, and m…

September 18, 2026
I’m about to complete another circle around the sun. Our days are getting shorter and my body says I’m getting older. I’m excited about our upcoming season change and looking forward to getting o…

September 18, 2026
We will never forget the passengers of Flight 93 who courageously confronted the terrorists, defeating another planned attack on America. They are the heroes for our times. Bob Taft American pol…

September 10, 2026
BY JAMES J. BLAHA BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY Pictured Above, Joe Spadaro. BGHS Archives “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”  – H…

September 10, 2026
BY ERNIE VANDERWALT A friend of mine texted me from Portugal the other day, where she and her husband have been living for a stretch now. We got to talking about freedom. Real freedom, not the ki…

September 10, 2026
“I am sort of anti-hunting. I don’t put down what anyone wants to do, but it seems to me that killing a creature for fun is not a progressive idea.” Clint Eastwood, actor, director This year t…

September 3, 2026
So many factors in nature  Above,  the “washback” covered in algae that was transported to Mote As September begins, we near the end of sea turtle nesting season. For several weeks now, there…

September 3, 2026
BY BARRIER ISLAND  PARKS SOCIETY Editor’s Note: This installment is the last of a six-week series on local wildlife provided by the Barrier Island Parks Society. These articles aim to foster comm…

September 3, 2026
BY SUSAN HANAFEE At my annual physical a couple of weeks ago, the doctor asked if I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. I remembered the question from last year’s checkup, and just like I d…

September 3, 2026
BY LUKE ALLEN I was fishing deep in the water and boom a very white snook bit my bait – it was so hard my line broke off right after it got in the boat. Later that day I caught 14 more fish. It w…