Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY JEAN NETHERY The Beacon welcomes back our occasional writer, Jean Nethery, who is writing this time about Ireland. This is part one in a two part series. As our Boeing 757 touched down on the Dublin runway I could almost hear the angels singing “When Irish eyes are smiling, sure ‘tis like a morn […]
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If you’re anywhere near Boca Grande Pass Saturday night, don’t be surprised if you hear some odd noises. The howling will be fierce, as the Howl at the Moon Invitational Tarpon Tournament will be taking place from 8 to 11 p.m. The entry fee is $500 per team. Long time local fisherman Dave “Smitty” Smith […]
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BY JACK SHORT The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority closed its swing bridge briefly to road traffic and for at least 19 hours to boat traffic beginning Sunday afternoon, according to representatives from GIBA and the United States Coast Guard. During an opening at 4:45 p.m. on May 24, the bridge tender noticed that wedges which […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Island sea turtle patrollers were full of excitement on Thursday, May 28 when they realized they had their first confirmed green turtle nest on Gasparilla Island. “We’ve got a green!” was the post on Facebook by the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association. They noted the green turtle’s “enthusiastic nesting style,” and said, […]
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Shown in the two accompanying charts, mid-year tourist tax collections for Lee County (through March) have already surpassed FY10/11’s, not including late payments for that year. Lee County Tourism Development Council Director Tamara Pigott, collections for this fiscal year have already surpassed last year’s (for the same months) by nearly 16 percent. Information compiled […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Editorial, Featured News, News.
BY CARROLL SWAYZE Excitement is brewing as anglers and artists alike prepare for the 2015 Tarpon Festival in downtown Boca Grande on June 4 through 6. Each year thousands of people travel to the Englewood/Boca Grande community from all over the world to take part in this annual Tarpon Fishing Tournament and Festival. The week […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Virginia Jeane “Shay” Wilber, born in Albany, N.Y. on October 7, 1979 to the parents of Mr. and Mrs. David F. Wilber III, died unexpectedly at home on May 20, 2015. Shay grew up in Oneonta, N.Y. where she attended Valleyview Elementary and Oneonta Middle School. During High School, she attended Miss Hall’s School in […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News, Profiles.
BY JACK SHORT Sometimes it takes a few knocks at the door before someone finally answers. For Rev. Matthew Morgan Williams, the new pastor at the United Methodist Church of Boca Grande, the call to pastorship came knocking three times before he knew he had to say yes. Matthew was raised a devout Christian and […]
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Twenty five years of dispute seemed to have been put aside — at least for a day or so. The ink was barely dry on an agreement between the Boca Grande Isles Property Owners’ Association and defendants 5F, LLC, and 5F BA, LLC, when those three entities and several other parties were named as defendants […]
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BY JACK SHORT Scientists from the Florida Institute of Technology hope everyone fishing the pass next week won’t be alarmed by the presence of an eight foot balloon floating 150 feet in the air, tethered to the back of a research vessel. They’re working out a concept for tracking tarpon schools, perhaps as far as […]