Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
Congratulations are in order for several local first responders as they have recently been promoted. Jeff Knowles will be promoted from Firefighter Paramedic / Shift Supervisor to Lieutenant. According to Fire Chief C.W. Blosser, firefighter and paramedic Knowles has been instrumental in the department obtaining its Advanced Life Support Certification. “He administrates our CPR and […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
When The Gasparilla Inn & Club opens on December 15, a new team of chefs will be on the scene. They have been in Boca Grande a couple of months, surviving Hurricane Ian and beginning their work to raise the Inn’s food and beverage offerings even higher.Chief among this team is Executive Chef Nick Marchesano. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Robert John Geniesse died peacefully at age 93 on November 17 at home on Fishers Island, N.Y. with his family by his side. Born September 16, 1929 in Appleton, Wis., Bob grew up in Winnetka, Ill. with his mother Rhoda, a successful executive at the Chicago department store Chas A. Stevens. She and his father, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO High tea was served at The Island School by volunteers Donna Lutton, Margo Freeman and Susan Bowers, with some help from kindergarten teacher/party planner Megan O’Conner. TEN YEARS AGO An internet feud was taking place between the live-baiters and the jiggers, as a gutted tarpon was found in Boca Grande Pass and […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial.
What started out as the slow process of returning to “normal” (were we ever normal?) after Hurricane Ian, has been speeding up over the last few weeks. When they started the construction and demolition debris pickups this past weekend, you could really start to see a difference. Most of the shops are open. The restaurants […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Silas Kai Swartzendruber went through Hurricane Ian in a unique way. He was inside his mother, Nikki Heimann. He was due to be born right around the time the hurricane hit, but for a while it appeared he would come early. In the end, he came almost two weeks late. Silas Kai was born on […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: I just wanted to say thank you for publishing the letter to the editor entitled “I’m Fine.” I just had a chance to read it this week, and the author hit the nail on the head. That is exactly how I have been feeling but couldn’t find words to convey it. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
And yes, that includes the ‘Lake in the Road’ The Friday, Nov. 18 Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority quarterly meeting was abuzz with talk of the hurricane, and how so much has been learned since that day in September. To begin, the GIBA Board voted to implement a Temporary Hurricane Relief Emergency Overweight Policy. “This policy […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
“I don’t think that every staff member reads their emails, and that is a common error in any organization,” he said. Supervisor of elections Tommy Doyle It would appear that the results are in from the 2022 election, and it only took a couple of weeks. Of course, everyone with a television set or a […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
Submitted by the Boca Grande Woman’s Club Mother Nature has dealt our island quite a blow, and many are still recovering from Hurricane Ian. Let us band together to show our resilience. On Sunday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m., gather with us in front of Hudson’s for a ceremony dating back to 1954. Please join […]