Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Community History, Featured News, News.
Above, shrimp boats in a historic photo at the Florida State Library and Archives. The Capt. Shea and R.R. Rice are pictured in this undated promotional image. Florida Memory project Lee County Commissioners voted to approve the supplemental task authorization to design and permit San Carlos Maritime Park near Fort Myers Beach, with one amendment. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News, Profiles.
Part II of a stormy fall, 2024 This time last year, the island was just beginning to get back to normal business following the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. Mud was being cleared out and trash was being bagged on the curbs as Hurricane Milton was forming in the Western Gulf of Mexico. Sunday, Oct. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Above, a 2020 photo of the temporary Bayou bridge used for GIWA operations. The old bridge is portable and is now in place, but it will be permanently removed this month. It had been used because the higher, and permanent, golf cart bridge is too steep and weak for heavy trucks and lifting. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Matthew Gilmour Thompson, 83, died on September 24, 2025. Born in Richmond on June 3, 1942, to Madeline Waller and Edward Thompson, Matt is survived by Janet Herring Thompson, his wife of 64 years; sons, Matthew G. Thompson, Jr. (Nancy) and Carter P. Thompson (Chase); and a daughter, Douglas Donnan Thompson O’Keefe (Stewart). His brother, […]
Written by VAN HUBBARD on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
Serious costs ahead for advanced wastewater treatment We have a serious problem with wastewater treatment. We’re dumping minimally treated sewage into our waterways while burying our heads in the sand. By the early 2030s, we’re required to upgrade to advanced wastewater treatment, but our beaches and waters are already impaired. This problem doesn’t smell like […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Written and produced by Erica Ress Martin and directed by Priscilla Masselink, “Boca Boys” debuted on YouTube TV. TEN YEARS AGO The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida earned a four-star rating for the sixth year in a row by Charity Navigator, a nonprofit watchdog organization. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO A local […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial, Sports & Outdoors.
This week, the new Mote SEA Aquarium opened in Sarasota, just outside the University Town Center mall. The oft-told local angle is important to retell, as there are many lessons from its 1955 founding in Placida. It all began with a lecture at Englewood Elementary School and an invitation to visit Cape Haze. In 1954, […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. WILL WATERHOUSE It’s starting to feel like fall here in Boca Grande and the fish in the backcountry are fired up with these cooler temps! Redfish have been the star of the show so far. We are catching lots of redfish mainly on live bait, but swim baits and top waters around the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The theft of a jet ski in August at the Placida Boat Ramp was reported on Sept. 21. A black 2021 Yamaha jet ski was taken from a double trailer at the boat ramp on Aug. 23, according to a Charlotte County sheriff’s report. The suspect is unknown; however, the offense is listed as a […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
Loulie Mauran and Mark Horan have joined the board of the Lemon Bay Conservancy. Both are long-time members who share the group’s passion for protecting the local environment. Mark Horan was born in Woodstock, Vermont. He was raised on a working farm and spent his time in the forest and chasing wayward cows. Environmental issues […]