Written by Arlene Hall on . Posted in Community, News.
The agenda for Charlotte County’s Jan. 27, 2026, Regular and Land Use Meeting includes a change order regarding the Rotonda West/Pioneer Trail Annual Paving Program, which includes extending the contract with Ajax Paving, Inc., by 120 days, with a $555,932 budget adjustment. Funding is provided from Rotonda West Street and Drainage MSBU assessments. Also on […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Walter Jerome Frautschi passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 8, 2026, in Boca Grande, Florida, closing a long and remarkable life that began on September 9, 1931, in Madison, Wisconsin. Born to Dorothy and Walter Frautschi, Jerry grew into a man whose quiet strength, unwavering devotion to family, and deep-rooted kindness touched everyone around him. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Residents of unincorporated Lee County are reminded that beginning Feb. 1, a one-day-a-week watering schedule will be in place through the end of May to conserve water and protect the aquifer. Lee County has had a water conservation ordinance for unincorporated communities since 2005. The Lee Board of County Commissioners revised the ordinance in 2024 […]
Written by VAN HUBBARD on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Several people have asked me about our extremely low tides recently. I’ll try to help you understand what creates them. First, of course, is the moon. Both the full and new moons exert strong influence on our water and tides. It’s called conjunction because the sun and moon are pulling in the same direction. The […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO David Futch was the featured speaker at a Boca Grande Historical Society event on the old days of Boca Grande. TEN YEARS AGO Lemon Bay Conservancy received a $420,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support a joint habitat restoration project with the Southwest Florida Water Management District […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
The United States is living in two worldviews these days. As the late Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams would say, we are each living in two different movies. As a local newspaper, the issues we cover do not include national angles. We have enough of that at our dinner tables and in our conversations, and readers do […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
A special Book Club meeting featured member Whitty Ransome, who discussed her inspiring book “Why Girls’ Schools Matter.” The meeting was held Monday, Jan. 12 at Lemon Bay Golf Club. The book draws from Whitty’s personal experience growing in an era that put girls in second place, and tells how that experience informed her decision […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American Cultural Anthropologist, author and public intellectual Get ready for an onslaught of environment attacks for 2026. Are there enough people to finally get interested to save the environment from […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. JOE LECLAIR With the weather in early January absolutely perfect the water temps shot back up. The snook and tarpon started gorging on all the small bait and the action was awesome. The boat traffic died down after the holidays but there is always more, every year, more boaters. Please be respectful of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
On Jan. 8, local restaurateurs Keith and Laurie Farlow, owners of the Englewood restaurant Farlow’s on the Water, opened Chophouse285 on Dearborn Street. They bill themselves as the only restaurant in the region with a true dry-aging room for steaks. Chophouse285 features a classic, welcoming Old Florida interior highlighted by authentic Prohibition-era wood salvaged from […]