Letters to the Editor
GUEST ESSAY: Reunited with beloved Bass Weejuns from college days
December 5, 2024
Favorite Maine loafer, maybe tassels next?
BY SUSAN HANAFEE
I scrimped together the money for my first pair of Bass Weejuns when I was a senior in college and working part-time at Nathan Hale’…
Letters: Support sought for Island School after return to classroom
November 21, 2024
BY CHRISTINE OLIVER
Our beautiful Gasparilla Island, including Boca Grande and The Island School, has faced immense challenges in the wake of these back-to-back storms. While the facility and sta…
Think about cleanup of Placida property
November 14, 2024
To the editor:
My letter is written in response to an article written by Jay Feinberg and Cookie Potter. In recent months there have been many concerns about the parking situation on Boca. Simply…
GUEST ESSAY: Island held together with small, indie businesses like Pink Pony Pony
November 14, 2024
BY DANA RYAN
Like all of you, I watched with a heavy heart as Hurricanes Helene and Milton tore through our country, leaving devastation in their wake. My family lives on a small barrier island i…
Guest Essay: Helene – No where to run to …
November 7, 2024
First-hand account of Helene escape one of many local stories
BY BARBARA HUGHES
Editor’s Note: Local gallery owner Barbara Hughes was one of the ‘lucky’ ones who came through Helene as it mov…
Bridge Authority engineering chairman thanks the GIBA staff for storm work
October 31, 2024
BY GEORGE MILNE, ENGINEERING CHAIRMAN, GIBA
Now that we are in the recovery phase, it is important to acknowledge the foresight, preparedness, and timely responses of Kathy Banson and the whole t…
GUEST COLUMNS: KELLENE CARPENTER
October 18, 2024
Reflecting on early childhood education at the preschool
BY KELLENE CARPENTER
Editor’s Note: Kelli Carpenter wrote this essay for the Beacon just before Helene. The school was hurt badly in th…
Guest Essay: Islanders need to be effectively informed, involved
September 26, 2024
BY EMERSON WICKWIRE
I applaud the Beacon, serving both as a community platform for ideas to identify and resolve community issues, as well as a central source of information on issue background a…
Letters: Parking kiosks or meters would destroy character
September 19, 2024
To the Editor:
I was horrified to read of a proposal to put up parking meters or some sort of paid parking system in downtown Boca Grande. Parking meters, and even parking apps and kiosks, of cou…
Letters: Appreciation for Delores Savas on windmills
August 29, 2024
To the Editor:
I wish to thank Ms. Savas for her eye-opening article on wind turbines (Aug. 23, 2024 issue). The inefficiency, number one. The harm even one can cause when it is damaged and break…