Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ SUE ERWIN Gasparilla Island State Park Ranger Jon Dillard loves being outdoors. And in October of 2015, he landed a job in an ideal place to launch his career. Jon is from Clermont, Florida and attended school in the small town just west of Orlando. Jon said it used to be a quiet, rural town […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Ethan Edson, a marine scientist with Northeastern University, visited Boca Grande this week and coincidentally planned the trip around an Earth Day exhibition in Dallas, Texas. Edson will join a panel at the event tomorrow (Earth Day) to discuss plastic pollution in world oceans. Using ingenuity, he developed a product called […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN If you’ve had dinner recently at Fusion – the island’s newest restaurant – you’ve likely witnessed Food and Beverage Manager Margarita Santiago bustling about the establishment and making sure everything is running as smoothly as possible. Speaking to one staff member in Spanish while simultaneously answering questions in English during our interview, […]
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■ STAFF REPORT Looking for an activity to round out your weekend? Come to the Local Color Art Show at Whidden’s Marina on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists Patti Middleton, Stuart Hoeckel, Melissa Steyer, Beth Perkins, Melissa Perkins and a few emerging guest artists will be there. Add some color […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA) continues to encourage everyone to be safe and courteous when using the Bike Path. With another wave of visitors coming to the island to enjoy spring break and Easter, the number of people utilizing the GICIA Bike Path will certainly increase. So, in our […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – In the end, Jenkins was the man. You could see by the look in his eye it was plan all along to win the highly-sought “Boca Bowser” prize at the 2017 Boca Grande Woman’s Club Dog Show, and he delivered … all 125 pounds of him. Jenkins is an 11-year-old Great […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – This is the story of a true island girl, and it is the story of her life … not her death. It’s not a story we ever wanted to write, but the time has come. On April 4, 2017 Blair Chapin left us after battling two rare diseases, Sanfilippo syndrome and […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARY COOK – Trains would come in carrying loads of ammunition, and there’d be armed guards on top of the train. They even built some barracks on the island. Patrol boats ran missions keeping track of the submarines we could see from the coast. Minesweepers worked the pass. These words spoken by late Darrell […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News, Obituaries.
Blair Elizabeth Chapin of Orlando died peacefully surrounded by her parents, Susan and Roger Chapin, her younger sister Grey (13) and her beloved standard poodle Henri on April 4, 2017. A funny and loving child with a smile that could light up a room and a laugh that was contagious, Blair never met a stranger. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
BY SUE ERWIN – If you’re ready to step up your tennis game with a stronger swing and a crushing serve, you might want to think about talking with Skylar Warren, the assistant tennis pro at the Boca Grande Club. Skylar has been playing tennis since he was in eighth grade. “I grew up playing […]