PROFILE: Jim Brown
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Jim Brown is our local Boca Grande Arrow Pest Control man, a Vietnam Veteran, proud husband and father, and a passionate breeder of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. You can also add to that list that he’s one heck of a storyteller. Jim and his wife Karen have been raising Chesapeakes since 1998. While they love all […]
The case of an open mind …
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns.
BY THOMAS J ERVIN MD BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC A cardinal prerequisite for a successful career in science is the willingness to be willing to change one’s mind as to the answer to a hypothesis based on the scientific results of the experiment. For investigations and observations of the pandemic and the COVID-19 virus, continued […]
Island chef can whip up a souffle or a bodybuilding competition win
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.
You can always count on a chef to whip it, whip it good (Devo). And when you’re a professional Boca Grande chef like Trish McIlroy, that “whipping” extends to bodybuilding. Trish McIlroy is the NPC Ironman first place winner of the Masters 40+ division, a competition that was just held at the Sarasota Opera House […]
Expanded Partnership Provides Beach Accessible Wheelchair For Every Coastal Florida State Park, including Cayo Costa
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
More than 50 beach wheelchairs are now available at Florida state parks thanks to the continuing partnership between the Florida State Parks Foundation and the Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, and Cayo Costa is included in the list of parks that received them. The beach wheelchairs can be used in areas with soft sand where […]
Island native needs a little help from the community
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.
The Atha family had a summer that none of them were expecting. What started as a little discomfort and indigestion for Loretta Atha, quickly escalated in an unexpected way. On July 8, Loretta was taken to her Gastroenterologist for pain and swelling of her stomach. A CT scan was ordered for the next day, and […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Recalling 9/11
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
September 11, 2021, marked the 20th anniversary of four coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, against the United States. The attacks began at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed a hijacked commercial jet into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. A second hijacked […]
The ‘do’s’ and ‘don’t’ of spearfishing around Gasparilla Island
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Sports & Outdoors.
Just before our most recent bout of red tide the Boca Beacon received reports of several individuals spearfishing at the end of Belcher Road and in other locations around the south end, and two of the those anglers were confronted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. While […]
PROFILE: Peter Powell
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Buzz Aldrin said, “Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time.” Some people have been blessed with the gift of good timing. Peter Powell is one of those people. A good example is the story of how he […]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lee County plans County Commission redistricting process
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The Lee Board of County Commissioners today announced the schedule for public meetings at which the community can provide input on the redistricting process and launched a website landing page to provide data, maps, information and transparency throughout the process. Florida law requires each county to examine the need to redistrict every […]

