Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
In some cases, insurance premiums are up 400 percent on island homes for fiscal year 2022-23 Everyone has been aware of the unavoidable insurance premium increase that would come after Hurricane Ian, but one Gasparilla Island couple was so flummoxed by their recent renewal premium, they see this as a game changer for many residents […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The actions of one local man erratically driving drunk last Friday, Dec. 9, could have had a much worse outcome than it did. According to witnesses, that day at approximately 7:30 a.m. Timmie Carroll Spain, 49, of Port Charlotte was northbound on Gasparilla Road and allegedly ran several people off the road in the Lee […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
There are many people who love Boca Grande. There are a lucky few who are from Boca Grande. But there are some people who are Boca Grande. Dennis Oller was one of those people. His love of the island began when he moved here at the age of 9, in 1966, and it continued until […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
No one in Boca Grande could have missed the presence of Gaston TDR on the Island the last two months. Their double-container knuckle loaders are hard to miss. They have been up and down the Island picking up storm debris and helping residents get back to some sense of normal. The “TDR” in Gaston’s name […]
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
Get ready, because Santa is coming to Boca Grande – and he is bringing along COVID-19 and his cousins flu and RSV for Christmas dinner! As you all have probably read, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is spreading across the U.S., as is influenza. And like Cousin Eddie in the movie “Christmas Vacation,” COVID-19 just will […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Jon Reecher was cool as a cucumber on Tuesday, sitting in his office at The Gasparilla Inn & Club. All around him was a frenzy of activity – carpets were being cleaned, brass was being polished, fixtures were being dusted and maintained. The time until their grand opening on December 15 could be counted in […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
If you want to kick a man when he’s down, wait for a hurricane to hit, then take his giant fish. This actually happened, but not to a man as much as to a marina. Boca Grande Marina, to be specific. They had a 16-foot, marlin on the side of the building for years. The […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will hold a Christmas celebration beginning Christmas Eve at 4 p.m. with a special family service. At 7:30 p.m. a musical prelude will be featured, with stringed instruments and guest vocalists. At 8 p.m. the candlelight service will be held. On Christmas Day a Holy Eucharist ceremony will be held at […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Carroll Swayze will hold her 33rd Annual Studio Party on Saturday, Dec. 17 from 2 to 10 p.m. at 201 Greencove Rd., Venice. Everyone is invited. This is Carroll’s annual holiday extravaganza and “once a year” art sale, but this year the location of the party is at the new Carroll Swayze Studio There will […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
Sometimes, those grade school projects can turn into something very special. For Gladys Stiness of Englewood and Hollie Tomko, of Napanee, Indiana, it became an unlikely friendship that has already lasted 40 years. Hollie was eight years old, learning to write a formal letter. To add interest to the lesson, the teacher had the students […]