Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – As the Florida Department of Health and private labs are able to provide more and more tests for Florida residents, numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases are exploding. As of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, there were 7,773 cases confirmed, with one of the highest 24-hour jumps reported – 819 new cases […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The first week of virtual schooling for The Island School and the Charlotte County School System is in the books. While it was a little more like herding cats than teaching kids (or more like teaching a herd of cats to walk on their hind legs, as far as the elementary school […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News, Profiles.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Francis ‘Skip’ Branin has dedicated his work to preserving financial stability within the community of Boca Grande. His skillset has allowed him to monitor the funding for island organizations. Before he was ever wintering on Gasparilla Island, Skip grew up in Cranbury, New Jersey, and now spends summers at the “Jersey […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – In a move that surprised many, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 2020-91, the “Safer at Home” Order, on Wednesday, which means that all people in the state of Florida at this time should “limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY DALY WALKER, MD – As Boca Grande waits to see what the Coronavirus is going to do next, it is eerie, almost apocalyptical. It is frightening. But overall, the Island residents’ response has been heartening. Some shop owners have voluntarily closed their businesses. Organizations have cancelled programs. Churches have suspended worship services. Restaurants help […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News.
To The Editor: History Bytes – February 2020 All I can say is WOW!! The 2020 History Byte program has come and gone so quickly! We had a fantastic series of four “Bytes” at the Johann Fust Library in February. Many thanks to Johann Fust Library Foundation for the use of the Loggia for the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
BY DALY WALKER, MD – The Coronavirus is now moving explosively through the world’s human population. The latest scientific reports warn that without action by the government and individuals to slow the spread of the virus and suppress the number of new cases, hundreds of thousands, even over a million people in the United States […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Effective Thursday, March 19 all Lee County and Gasparilla Island beaches are closed due to concerns regarding COVID-19. This went into stringent effect at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. An emergency meeting of all mayors of Lee County municipalities and cities, Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, Lee County Manager Roger […]
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The presidential primary results are in for both Lee and Charlotte County portions of Gasparilla Island. In Lee County the voter turnout was 24.39 percent county-wide; in the Republican primary 92.94 percent voted for Donald J Trump and in the Democratic primary Joe Biden took 57.05 percent of the primary vote. Michael Bloomberg took 13.25 […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire, Profiles.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON If you thought the flare of the island would stop with the cops, think again. When a certain squad car rolls by the Loose Caboose, you can see the glitter of a pink steering wheel cover. Deputy April Tomyn is Boca Grande’s very first female sheriff of the Lee County Sheriffs. With […]