Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A group of Gasparilla Island residents, emergency workers and organization heads have gotten together to form a group called the Community Cell Tower Committee. Their goal in the meetings that have taken place in the last month and a half is to keep progressing our problem – the lack of a permanent cell phone tower – until it is no longer a problem.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Indomitable is kind of an old fashioned word. You don’t hear it used much today. If you say someone has an indomitable spirit, you admire them because they never give up or admit they have been defeated. The word fits Ched McConnell, who never seems to let bad news defeat him. Ched has lived in […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Editorial.
“Most whales and dolphins will be subjected to 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss. For species that depend on hearing for survival, to find food, migrate and communicate, any hearing loss could be catastrophic. As, one scientist noted, a deaf whale is a dead whale.” -Pierce Bronson, actor and environmentalist Many readers may recall the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Work began on the new Gasparilla Island Water Association, The Island School held their annual Friendship Dance and the Pine Leaf Boys were shakin’ it at the Historical Society fundraiser. TEN YEARS AGO Florida Field was making cookies at the Child Care Center, Tom Gilligan was making the kids […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The explanation is this: Currently Lee County looks at the entire grounds of the Boca Grande Community Center as a “park.” A park has more restrictions than a school, in the fact that a sex offender can be at a school with proper supervision, and with good reason to be there (and prior approval). A sex offender cannot be at a “park” in Lee County while children are present.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
Emily and Jim talk about the blue holes of the Gulf Mote Marine Laboratory is sharing some of its most interesting research with Boca Grande audiences through a series of presentations called Coffee with a Scientist. This week there were two scientists having coffee and sharing their research on blue holes in the Gulf of […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Entertainment, News.
We all think it’s Grande that singers that you have enjoyed watching sing solos in Royal Palm Players’ shows like Alice Court and James Martin are singing with you. A few seats away are the people who take part in the annual Christmas tree lighting like Nancy Garraghan, Jeff Lehrian and Oakley Johnson. They are sitting next to people like Ken Anderson (name has been changed to protect to innocent) who you’ve witnessed being glared at by his wife as he sings loudly in the audience when an All That Jazz concert is going on. Everyone is welcome.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community History, News.
It started when she had first moved to the Englewood Beach area from the bright lights of Detroit. She was not smitten with the area, but when she met a young man flagging down a car to get him from Venice to Boca Grande, smitten she was. She told him – Mark Futch – she could only take him to Englewood Beach, but ended up driving him all the way to his intended destination. That was in February of 1975. They were married in May. “I was swept off my feet,” she admits.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
The Barrier Island Parks Society recently hosted its annual red tide forum, shining a spotlight on the research. The forum featured three scientists who have dedicated much of their lives to finding ways of making the occurrence of red tide in the Gulf of Mexico less problematic to the people of Southwest Florida and beyond.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Andrew Colburn started his new job at the Boca Grande Health center on the Monday of the week Hurricane Ian hit the island. It was quite a welcome. The storm hit on Wednesday and on Thursday Andrew called clinic CEO Mark Driscoll to see what he should do about coming in.