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Health Clinic to celebrate its 75th anniversary with festivities galore

Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.

The Boca Grande Health Clinic is celebrating its 75th anniversary. For this occasion the Boca Grande Clinic Foundation will host a gala street party on Thursday, April 7, to revel in this momentous occasion and to thank the entire island community for their support.
Festivities will include food trucks, celebratory beverages and entertainment by the “Swinging Bridge” bluegrass band.
The Clinic has come a long way since the mid-1900s, when an out-of-town doctor treated patients once a week in a small room above the Railroad Depot. The journey to 75 years wasn’t always easy. It required courage, passion and perseverance – and the steadfast support of the island community.
The party will be held on 3rd Street between the Clinic and the Annex from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 7.

PROFILE: Betsy Fugate Joiner

Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Profiles.

To put the timeline into perspective, by the time Betsy’s father built their home in 1940, their family had been on the island for 32 years.
“When the train moved to Boca Grande, my grandfather, Jerome, Sr., was offered a job and eventually opened up his own business, Fugate’s Drug Store,” she said.
Fugate’s opened in 1916, in the same building where it operates today. A few years earlier, Jerome married Betsy’s grandmother in 1911 and in 1912, Betsy’s father was born on Banyan Street.
“My grandfather Jerome passed away in 1955, when I was pretty young, but he was a big fisherman. He was involved with the very beginning days with the tarpon fishing,” Betsy said. When he passed away, Betsy’s uncle took over the family business.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Danger, danger on the South Path

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

The GICIA does a very good job of encouraging safety on the path north of First Street. Behavior on the path south of First is the anti-GICIA rules of the road. The South Path is under the jurisdiction of Lee County. There are not even signs encouraging speed limits or even courtesy toward pedestrians. It is an autobahn for golf carts – faster is better with NO consideration for pedestrians. I run on that path six days a week, staying ever alert for fast carts driven by people of all ages. It is dangerous.

A sitdown with State Attorney Amira Fox

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.”

The phone books are here! The phone books are here!

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

The 2022 phone books will be available for pickup today, Friday, March 25 from noon to 2 p.m., as well as Monday, March 28 from noon to 2 p.m. and Wednesday, March 30 from noon to 2 p.m. Pickup will be drive-thru by golf cart or car in the Boca Beacon parking area in a […]

Clean water event brings a crowd to Power House

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 […]

Carlton Ward to talk about Florida’s ‘big cats’ at presentation on March 29

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Entertainment, News.

Ward is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer who is on a mission to inspire appreciation of, and protection for, Florida’s original nature and culture. This has been a driving force in his life for years, but it has become his primary focus since 2016, supported by grants from the National Geographic Society and other partners. He has personally traversed the path of the panther on foot, by boat, by kayak and by various other means of transportation to see and photograph first-hand the panther’s wide-ranging habitat. 

Glee’s ‘Songs of Hope’ coming on April 7 and 9

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.

Boca Grande’s “Glee” will be bringing hope to the island and to young people across greater Englewood at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church on Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m.The beloved group of island songsters, well known for their 2019 concert version of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” will perform an inspiring medley of “Songs of Hope” from the Great American Songbook. 

Who knew something so irritating could be so beautiful?

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.