Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Gasparilla Island and its surrounding waters have thousands upon thousands of visitors every year who come for the fishing, the boating and the beaches. Out of those thousands of people we are blessed every year that our accident and drowning numbers remain very low, particularly considering the Boca Grande Fire Department […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN When JoAnn Barwick accepted a secretarial position at a public relations firm in New York City at the age of 22, she never would have guessed the serendipitous path that would eventually lead to a thrilling career. She grew up in the Midwest in Rockford, Illinois and attended Wagner College, a private […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE. After several months of intense research, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority thinks they have narrowed down the cause of a popping sound under the new swing bridge when it opens and closes. It’s not arthritis, the bridge isn’t breakdancing, and it’s probable a little dry ice will fix the situation […]
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, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ 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 […]