Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Island iguana trapper George Cera drove by the little bench off the bike path at the south end across from Sea Grape Beach Access every day for weeks, wondering when the caution tape would come down and the splintered boards would be replaced. He waited, then waited some more. Finally, he […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Dencina Ihlanberg is an amazingly strong woman – emotionally, physically and spiritually. Over a few short years she was forced to deal with a great amount of tragedy. In 2003 she lost her father to cancer, and her older sister died from kidney failure. Her mother battled breast cancer in 2005 […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE UPDATE TO THIS STORY: As of Thursday evening, Dencina’s family had been relocated to Nassau and even more family members had been located alive and well. A message from Dencina: My Sis and family finally left Abaco this evening, and are totally safe tonight. They are finally on the island of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office marine unit responded to a call about a sunken boat in Gasparilla Pass at 2:12 p.m. on Monday, September 2. There were no reported injuries, and all passengers were safe and accounted for, but the vessel was overcome by waves and ultimately sank. The occupants were located […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor, We had 125 persons register for the August Great Bay Scallop & Hard Clam Search in Placida. We had horrible weather!! You may remember that the weather pattern was very unusual, with storms in the morning. All of the teams (16) headed out, but five teams weren’t even able to get out […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Lightning is one of the most fickle aspects of nature, as those of us who live in “The Lightning Capital of the World” can attest to. With bolts of energy that can reach temperatures of 50,000 degrees, maintaining a healthy respect for this element is a must. As scary as that […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Join Gasparilla Vacations, LeeCounty, Gulf Coast International Properties and the Ocean Conservancy on Saturday, Sept. 21 for the 31st annual International Coastal Cleanup Day in Boca Grande. The cleanup begins at 9 a.m. and continues until noon. Volunteers and sponsors are needed. Gloves, trash bags, water and T-shirts will be available to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Steve Rinaldi remembers when there was a campground at the north end of Gasparilla Island. As a kid, he would visit Boca Grande with his family every few weeks. He also recalls when the Innlet Marina was the Knight Brothers’ boatyard. “It was still operational when I was a kid, and they […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Featured News, News, Opinion.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE It’s been a quiet week on the code enforcement complaint front, with nothing new listed since August 19. That’s a refreshing change, to be sure, but it doesn’t stop people on the street from constantly asking me (and each other) who the person was making the complaints. I can tell you […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
We were blessed for many years to have one of the most beautiful dog parks in the United States, but the times they are a-changin’. The Gasparilla Inn & Club has announced that September 1 will be the last day the dog park is open; construction on the new Gasparilla Inn Beach Club facilities will […]