Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Matt Gutman misses the fall northern weather, loves the Finger Lakes, and is suspicious of alligators. He’s also the newest member of the Boca Beacon family. “I think it’s fall that I miss the most. In Ithaca, there are a lot of waterfalls and a lot of people that go swimming in the lake. I […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Jim Brown is our local Boca Grande Arrow Pest Control man, a Vietnam Veteran, proud husband and father, and a passionate breeder of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. You can also add to that list that he’s one heck of a storyteller. Jim and his wife Karen have been raising Chesapeakes since 1998. While they love all […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.
You can always count on a chef to whip it, whip it good (Devo). And when you’re a professional Boca Grande chef like Trish McIlroy, that “whipping” extends to bodybuilding. Trish McIlroy is the NPC Ironman first place winner of the Masters 40+ division, a competition that was just held at the Sarasota Opera House […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
September 11, 2021, marked the 20th anniversary of four coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, against the United States. The attacks began at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed a hijacked commercial jet into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. A second hijacked […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Buzz Aldrin said, “Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time.” Some people have been blessed with the gift of good timing. Peter Powell is one of those people. A good example is the story of how he […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.
On the evening of September 11, 2001, there were many types of reactions taking place in homes across the country, and around the world. Whether you were in New York City, in the middle of Iowa or in Honolulu, you felt what happened on that day all the way to your core. The silence of […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Sitting in the middle of Sarah McDonald’s coffee table is a fascinating turtle sculpture, carved to look as if it was emerging from the water. One cheerio was also sitting on the table, placed carefully under its mouth. “Don’t touch the cheerio,” said Sarah with a laugh. “My grandchild left it there and I just […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.
Mary calls him “My Salty Dog Redneck Fisherman.” It’s an affectionate nickname that only a wife could get away with calling a husband of 40 years. That fisherman is John “Tater Spinks, better known as “Captain Tater.” Colorful nicknames started young for John when a couple of his older sisters started to call him Tater. […]
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.
With record-breaking deaths of the manatee, red tide, Piney Point and the Lake Okeechobee debate, organizations like Captains for Clean Water are moving front and center. As citizens not only search for answers but for ways to make their voices heard, Captains for Clean Water seeks to give a voice to the general public. “We […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
While Fred came and went with a whimper, and Tropical Storm Grace turned into Hurricane Grace but decided to visit Mexico, Gasparilla Island has received more rain from afternoon thunderstorms than from any of the named storms. Grace strengthened to a hurricane Wednesday on its way toward Mexico, where it could make landfall and soak […]