Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: As we go about our daily lives, watching our country self-destruct and slouching toward oblivion, there have been concerning developments far away that receive little attention. I listen to what people who have lived in China and our military personnel are saying about the brewing conflict with China. It is not only […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
There’s a lot of work to be done at the south end of the island, specifically at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, the Amory Chapel and even on Cayo Costa. As many of our readers are probably well aware, trying to set things right after a storm of the magnitude of Hurricane Ian is a game of “Hurry-Up-and-Wait,” which can be tedious and frustrating. It is no different for our historic landmarks at the south end that we love so well.
According to Sharon McKenzie, the executive director of the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), the laundry list of repairs that need to be done is long. Knowing it is important to keep residents of the island abreast of what’s going on, she gave us a peek into what they are going through right now. They cannot lobby, only inform when it comes to these matters.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Education, News.
There are many defining moments in a parent’s life when it comes to their children. Their first steps, their first words, their first day of school and their last day of elementary school. It’s at that time one realizes their children are coming of age and will soon stop playing on the playground and start […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Kevin Mills is almost an institution in Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island. Nearly everybody knows him.They recognize him by the brown uniform he wears and the big brown truck he drives, but mostly they recognize him by his smile and his infectious friendliness. Kevin is our UPS delivery driver. “Our” is appropriate because this is […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial.
This week is one I have been dreading and looking forward to all at the same time. The youngest of my five children will be graduating from The Island School and moving on to bigger things. This was the first year since 2006 that I haven’t had to fill out a registration form for the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
This week island resident Gary Martin was out in his boat going around the island, looking for gunk. It’s not an activity that a lot of people partake in, but he is very concerned about the vast amount of floating organic matter in our harbor and backcountry water. Gary had already seen it in the water in front of his island home – patches of what appears to be sludge mixed with collard greens, followed by a disturbing absence of seagrass in the shallow waters right outside of his home. But he wanted to see how far it went and how much there was.
He took Boca Beacon Publisher Dusty Hopkins with him to take photographs. Gary thought they would have to go down to Redfish Pass to see large amounts of the gunk, but they didn’t get that far. They had already seen three huge fields of it before they got anywhere close. They also saw more bald spots in the harbor and Intracoastal where the seagrass was gone.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Gary Robinson loves making music. Making it for the people of Boca Grande raises it to a whole new level for him. Gary is the drummer for the new rock band known as “The Green Flash, Boca Grande,” which has taken the island by storm this past spring. The music the band plays and the town have a lot in common.
“It’s what I love about Boca Grande, “ Gary said. “We’ve been coming here for over 30 years, and it’s like stepping back in time. Like when I was younger, much younger. Like the ‘60s and ‘70s. That hasn’t been lost here … courtesy and friendliness. I get very emotional about it.”
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
This week, Boca Grande was added to the communities in Lee County being asked for input on how well the County has been doing in response to Hurricane Ian. Every city in the county, and several planning areas of unincorporated parts of the county – such as Boca Grande – are being asked by the […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Being in the family chiropractic business was not the original plan for Francine Finucan (fah-NU-kin). She was supposed to be a college-educated stay-at-home wife and mother. That was her father’s plan for her. Francine – Frankie to her friends – had other plans. Among them was to come to Florida and help people stay healthy and fit in multiple ways.
Frankie was the oldest of three siblings. According to her father, who was a well-known chiropractor in Roseville, Michigan for 50 years, Frankie’s brother Paul was to be the chiropractor. He was to take over dad’s business when the time was right. Their younger brother Andrew was going to be president of the United States. Dad is one out of three so far. (Andrew could still become president if he really tried.)
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: You could call it, “The Miracle of the Lemonade Stand.” Two little girls wanted to help put the old Baptist Church back together again. You see, they knew that Hurricane Ian had left the church much like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall, scattered all over the place. Eleanor and […]