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Search Results for “gasparilla

PROFILE: John Edwardson

BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association board member John Edwardson came to Boca Grande as a jack of all trades. The former business leader also volunteers for The Island School’s million-dollar shootout.  John spent a majority of his childhood in small Indiana and Southern Illinois towns. In 1971, he received his bachelor […]

GICIA Mercabo Cove project moving along

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – The GICIA’s Mercabo Cove is moving along smoothly and TSI Disaster Recovery Engineer Theresa Cauthen reported to the Land Conservancy Committee that they are slightly ahead of schedule. Construction on the Mercabo Cove Restoration Project began on March 2. The project is designed to transform the basin area of the […]

A special thank you from BIPS

SUBMITTED BY THE BARRIER ISLAND PARKS SOCIETY – Like other organizations on the island, due to COVID-19, Barrier Island Parks Society has sacrificed our ability to continue our mission to inspire, educate and preserve our natural and historic treasures, in hopes to preserve and protect the lives of our global and local visitors, volunteers, staff […]

The loss of Nina Houghton resonates with many islanders

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Nina Rodale Houghton, a former Boca Grande resident who made a tremendous impact on our island, passed away on March 15, 2020. Nina was born on November 13, 1937, and raised in Allentown, Pa. She was the daughter of Anna Andrews and Jerome Irving Rodale, a publisher (Rodale Press), editor, author, playwright, […]

The official word regarding our island population and COVID-19

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 […]

PROFILE: Skip Branin

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 […]

EDITORIAL: Helen Thrash Fraser

Helen Thrash Fraser passed away at home on March 20, 2020. She was born in 1930 to Dorothy Louise King and Charles Wilson Thrash. Helen had one brother, Charles Wilson Thrash, Jr. – deceased. She suffered with emphysema, COPD, and congestive heart failure. Helen took her Southern twang, grace, wit, beauty and talents with her. […]

Community Planning Panel survey results continue to be received, but more responses are requested

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The survey being taken by the Boca Grande Community Planning Association continues on, and so far responses have been numerous. As of Tuesday morning they had received 172 responses from 279 surveys delivered. There is a 94 percent completion rate for those taking the survey, which means they are getting good data […]

OBITUARY: Bob Hayden

Our family is heartbroken to announce that we lost one of the greatest loves of our lives. Bob Hayden loved his family and his many friends, the Navy, his loyal Sigma Chi brothers, his two dogs that always wanted to be by his side – Boomer and Bentley. As Navy lore has it, when we […]

COVID-19 and your tap water: It IS safe to drink

BY BONNIE PRINGLE – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that Americans continue to use, and drink tap water as usual. COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. EPA’s drinking water regulations require treatment at public water systems to remove or kill pathogens, including viruses. COVID-19 is a type of virus that is […]