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ISLAND SHERIFF, FIRE AND EMS NEWS: Rat trap robber on the loose

■ STAFF REPORT On Thursday, Aug. 8 Lee County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a residential burglary on the island (exact location redacted due to Marsy’s Law). According to reporting deputies, contact was made with the complainant, who is the caretaker of a home in Boca Grande. The caretaker said he witnessed a […]

Obituary: Joseph “J Baldy” Rinaldi

Joseph “J Baldy” Rinaldi, 76, passed into the never on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 10, 2019, surrounded by family and friends. He died from complications related to his battle with lung cancer. Baldy was born Joseph Leonard Rinaldi on April 21, 1942 to Joseph C. and Dolores F. (Colapietro) Rinaldi in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from […]

Profile: Mike Bower

■ BY SUE ERWIN If you’ve visited Hudson’s Grocery recently, you might have noticed a new face helping to run the store. Sporting a bright pink T-shirt, Mike Bower has been working hard at the store, learning how to run the business for the past several weeks. Working alongside his grandfather, John White, a long-time employee of […]

Pet owners: Use caution when coming in contact with lakes, ponds inland

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Several readers have contacted me regarding the news reports nationwide of pets dying after swimming in water affected by Harmful Algae Blooms, or HABs. Blue-green algae, otherwise known as cyanobacteria, has been the culprit in most of the reports. Many dogs have died after swimming in the tainted water, and reports […]

It’s high tide at midnight: Do you know where your tarpon is?

■ BY JOELLEN WILSON, BONEFISH & TARPON TRUST Ten years ago Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) started a tarpon-tagging project in Charlotte Harbor. Back then we used heavy and expensive satellite tags. But those clunky tags gave us precise daily locations of each tagged fish during their fall migration. We learned generally where the fish […]

Lightning the cause of two island fires just hours apart

■ STAFF REPORT Sporadic and intense lightning storms were named as the culprit in two fire incidents that occurred this week. The first call came in on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 8:26 p.m. as an outside fire. It turned out to be a tree on fire in the 200 block of Damficare Street. The second […]

Don’t forget the paving at the bridge

■ STAFF REPORT The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority will be having the road paved from Placida Road to the toll booth, beginning sometime around August 12. Be prepared for one-lane traffic and some delays at that time.

BIPS announces new lighthouse plates available

■ STAFF REPORT Images of Jupiter’s beloved, iconic Light are everywhere, and now a very special one is coming to a Florida Tax Collector’s office near you. On Aug. 9, the Department of Motor Vehicles will offer official ‘Visit Our Lights’ Florida Lighthouses’ specialty license plate with a redesigned look featuring an original artist’s rendering […]

Stay tuned for Baldyfest news next week

■ STAFF REPORT Boca Grande came out in full force to Litchfield, Maine to honor one of our own, Chief Joe “Baldy” Rinaldi, this past weekend. It was a little bit hectic to try to get all the photos and stories together for this week, but stay tuned next week for the complete lowdown on the […]