Opinion
Remembering the old island school, and the era of the old Boca Grande Hotel
November 7, 2024
BY KIM KYLE AS TOLD FROM CHARLYN CRANDALL HEIDENREICH
Charlyn Crandall Heidenreich and her brother, John, attended the Boca Grande School from 1945 to 1948. At the time, their father, John M. Cra…
A new (temporary) sandy ‘road’ along the Gulf front
November 7, 2024
Many who love Florida travel know that in Daytona Beach, in Volusia County, there is a strip of beach where you can drive your car, and park it. The practice is a relic of the olden days of Florida…
SW Florida Fishing: After the storm… fishing and trash
October 31, 2024
BY CAPT. JOE LACLAIR
Over the past couple weeks, we have seen the world around us change again. I have been blessed and spared. My small home in SW Florida seems to be blessed and my little boat…
EcoWatch: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
October 31, 2024
Just as Florida legalizes the killing of bears, now all our wildlife is under threat with Amendment 2. Make no mistake: This amendment was deliberately designed to exploit one of our most cherished…
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…
Fishing for sustenance, cherishing adventures on the water
October 31, 2024
Lost and shaken
From as far back as I can remember, my life revolved around fishing. If I wasn’t participating, I was dreaming about it. I was consumed with fishing, and many of my first vivid m…
Charlotte County’s closed fishing piers are un-sung assets
October 31, 2024
Last week, the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners, in a post-Hurricane Milton meeting, discussed the status of the Boca Grande Fishing Pier and the Placida Fishing Pier, both currently closed…
A big Milton shift-er-oo for so many island institutions
October 25, 2024
The Beacon continues to receive calls about what is where, what will happen when, and when so-and-so will open. So much is, as they say, up in the air.
Of note:
• The Boca Grande Post Of…
EcoWatch: Hurricane impacts on wildlife and animals
October 25, 2024
“Whenever there’s human devastation, there’s animal devastation. If people can’t get out, animals can’t get out!”
Sierra Club, Environmental Organization
The extreme effects of Hurricanes Hele…
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…