Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
Born with the salt air in his lungs and fishing in his soul… BY OLIVIA CAMERON- The small seaside town of Boca Grande is built on a foundation of fishing families. Fishermen alike flock to the island for each tarpon season, share their livestock with the locals and cook their greatest catch. For Capt. Chuck […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Sports & Outdoors.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE- One lone tarpon made it to the boat in the 5th annual Red Gill Invitational Tarpon Tournament held on Saturday, June 20, and one has to wonder if the team on the winning boat didn’t have a little help from a higher power. Capt. Chase McBride took his team of anglers that […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON- Our Boca Beacon website has a new calendar! The event amenity widget labeled “What’s Going On?” on our homepage highlights some upcoming activities. The “Local Events” tab will then lead you to detailed information for a plethora of events within a radius of your selection. These events are created by local groups […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE- The expansion project at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church is moving along, and a public meeting was held online on Thursday, June 18, regarding an application to allow the expansion and for several special exceptions. The requested variances are for a plot of land, approximately 0.22-acres, located between West Railroad Avenue […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE- Just recently, a group of volunteers spent part of their day on the beach at 22nd Street filling in a large hole that had been dug. It measured approximately 15 feet across and was deep enough to create a very dangerous situation for people, and for sea turtles, which might have fallen […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The Base got the message. Two-thirds of the seats were vacant at President Trump’s recent Tulsa campaign rally, his first in several months. The virus isn’t coming in waves, it’s a forest fire,” according to virologist Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Rushing to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
From friends to football, she cherishes the little things in between… BY OLIVIA CAMERON- Mary Keene has served the community of Boca Grande with patience and dedication over the past 36 years. This Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan scored a touchdown when she found Boca Grande. Mary cherished her childhood in a Giants household in Dix […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
BY DR LAUREN HANA, BGHC- With a recent and continuing spike in new cases of COVID 19 nationwide, it’s important to review what we do know about the virus’s transmission and spread so proper measures can be put in place. So, while realizing that information has been confusing, controversial and inconsistent, particularly regarding face covering […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
STAFF REPORT- The Boca Grande Swing Bridge suffered a malfunction at 3 p.m. on Friday June 12, and was closed to boat traffic. Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority staff worked to resolve the problem, and the bridge reopened to boat traffic Sunday, June 14 at 9 a.m. GIBA Executive Director Kathy Banson-Verrico described the situation. “Troubleshooting […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Note: CenturyLink services were restored to some islanders on Tuesday afternoon, after this article was written. BY OLIVIA CAMERON- Last week, local complaints concerning the lack of internet service in Boca Grande stretched on for over seven days. Those who were hooked up to CenturyLink noticed the shortage but were unsure why the problem remained […]