Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
‘Kin to almost everyone on the island’ As the sun would start setting on any given day, you might find Jo Anne Speer down at 1st Street beach. Sometimes her nephew and caretaker, Nelson, would accompany her. Other times it was her little dog. Jo Anne passed away on March 7, 2022, in her sleep, […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns, Opinion.
On April 29, the University of Florida Institute will offer “Go Florida Native for Arbor Day.” Those interested can sign up to plant and care for a collection of native plants in their own yards. The Institute will offer one kit per household to those who preregister and attend a short class on planting and caring for their plants. This kit will consist of one Florida native tree, two shrubs and two grasses.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
In three years America will be celebrating its 250th-year anniversary. Friends of Boca Grande Community Center has gathered eight renowned historians, including Rick Atkinson and Nathaniel Philbrick, to explore the American Revolution from its origin to the year 1783. On Wednesday, April 20 to Friday April 22, go beyond the facts and dates and rediscover the American Revolution from military, social, cultural, economic and historical perspectives.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
BY CHEF TIM SPAIN Unfortunately, my friend Chef Josh Orlick, passed away last week. He will be sorely missed. Josh and I worked together on several occasions in Boca Grande. He was the first person I always called to ask for help for upcoming events. He usually agreed and sometimes would show up a half-hour […]
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
As part of our year-long celebration of the Boca Grande Health Clinic’s 75th anniversary, the Clinic is pleased to launch a short series of web videos that capture some of the “secrets” to having a long, productive life – told by some of the Island’s elders.
Human beings are living longer than ever before … into their 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. Since the start of the 20th century, we have increased life expectancy in the United States from just 49 in 1900 to 79 today.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
As is typical throughout human history, it was the artists, who watched, processed, responded to and recorded these landscape transformations.
Emerson and Thoreau made deep and lasting impressions on American education, and I recall devouring those books while in school; their principles influenced many of us down through the ensuing generations.
But, certainly, it has been the artists who have kept reminding all of us just how precious this gorgeous world truly is, and it is they, even now, who present us with reflections of our world in the form of paintings.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
Last week Gary Carlson and his brothers held a celebration of life for Jane Carlson, a long-time resident of Boca Grande. While he was cleaning out her home, he came across three versions of a story she had written in longhand. It was evidently very important to her, in that she kept them with her […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
“Every year we improve a little bit in the statistics, and a lot as far as violent crimes,” she said. “In 1990 when I became a prosecutor, our circuit’s population was half of what it is now, but the crime rate was double what it is now. That’s how much we’ve changed. Now we are recognizing what’s important in criminal justice – what requires a long sentence and what does not, and which offenders can be rehabilitated. If you’re a violent person, you have to be incarcerated. On the other hand, a large portion of offenders can be helped and rehabilitated, and hopefully it will bring about less recidivism. After I was elected I looked to what I could do to make sure we didn’t just rest at the top … I wanted the statistics to be even lower. I had to realize what our biggest challenges were as a circuit and at this time it is the opioid epidemic, and fentanyl coming into the picture.”
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
BY SHEILA EVANS Shown above, Capt. Rhett Morris, Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades and Gil Smart, executive director of VoteWater and policy director of Friends of the Everglades. Photos by Dusty There was no sugar coating the situation when […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
Pearls, just like us (who, me?), are not perfect. The best and most assured way to tell a real pearl from a fake is to look for the imperfections. Surface blemishes, uneven luster and color, subtle differences in size that are expected tells from an organic gem. But these are not flaws, for it is within our imperfections that true beauty lies.