Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
Writing a note of thanks to the white car and kind gentleman passenger who stopped after seeing me tumble off my bike last Sunday on the bike/sidewalk path across from Kappy’s. Even though I waved them on and said I was fine; the gallant man said that’s ok I am here to help you anyways. After righting my bike, me, and with a final debris brushing off, I was back in the saddle again.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO We said goodbye to Pedalin’ Patty, and a new toll system was announced that would be implemented within a few months. TEN YEARS AGO Save the Tarpon was born and held a shindig at the Boca Grande Community Center. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO There were killer bees infesting the island’s […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A group of Gasparilla Island residents, emergency workers and organization heads have gotten together to form a group called the Community Cell Tower Committee. Their goal in the meetings that have taken place in the last month and a half is to keep progressing our problem – the lack of a permanent cell phone tower – until it is no longer a problem.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Donovan, who vacations in Boca Grande, will discuss finding common discourse through difficult dialog. We are living in a time of great discord making it hard to sustain the ties of civility which bind our nation together. Polarization is a caustic emotional state, and a major contributor to our spiritual and mental fragility. This talk will highlight the underlying issues in the current ideological division, its consequences and its potential for reversal.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The Boca Economics Group is back at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, armed with their crystal balls and plenty of educated insights into the current and future state of the world. “We’ll be addressing a wide spectrum of economic, social and geopolitical issues, all of which have the potential to impact our economy in […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
The GICIA is holding an island-wide cleanup on Saturday morning, March 18. Hurricane Ian dealt Boca Grande a major blow and debris from its unrelenting winds still litters our island home. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association is calling on residents to volunteer a couple of hours to help remove unsightly debris. Hurricane […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
You don’t have to be silent when visiting the big tent with the auction items at the 2023 United Methodist Women’s annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday March 4. In fact, the Silent Auction Committee is hoping for a lot of positive comments as visitors examine and bid on more than 60 items on display. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Indomitable is kind of an old fashioned word. You don’t hear it used much today. If you say someone has an indomitable spirit, you admire them because they never give up or admit they have been defeated. The word fits Ched McConnell, who never seems to let bad news defeat him. Ched has lived in […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
On February 17, 2023, Harry Childs’ daughter went into his room and opened the window to let a breeze in. A 1950s hymnal selection was playing in the background. A song called “Here I am, Lord” came on as she left the room and attended to other things. When she came back, Harry had apparently […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Editorial, News.
Commissioners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) directed staff to take bold steps to protect Florida’s native ecosystems from invasive fish and wildlife. During the February meeting, Commissioners tasked staff with drafting proposed rules to prevent the establishment of new nonnative species in Florida. Staff will explore including a risk analysis to prove a species poses little or no threat to Florida’s ecology, economy, as well as human health and safety, before that species could be approved to come into the state.