Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Todd Hampton may have spent much of his life in Winter Haven, Florida, but he’s been coming to Boca Grande for almost than 30 years. Todd is the friendly face behind the bar inside Scarpa’s Coastal Restaurant on the island. He started prepping for the soft opening in April, and the restaurant […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Capt. Christopher Robin is a former New Yorker who moved to Florida after finding a very special boat. Even though he had no nautical experience whatsoever, he knew the little abandoned tugboat was extraordinary. “Little Toot” is Christopher Robin’s private mission to pay it forward by teaching children about hope, faith and […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Michael “Mike” G. Miller Jr., age 60, of Durham, NC, formerly of Dayton, Ohio, passed away on July 10, 2019 after courageously battling a series of health-related issues for many years. Mike is survived by his loving parents, Carole and Gerald Miller, his sister, Kathy Miller Alpeter, and husband David Alpeter, Jr., their children; David […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Ralph Garcia III, 54, passed away July 11, 2019 after a brief and sudden illness. Born and raised in Tampa, Ralph was a graduate of HB Plant High School and the University of Tampa. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, The Merrymakers Club, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and HB Plant Museum Board […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY DR. RAYMOND JAMES I came out of the Gulf after snorkeling on July 4 and a fellow islander said, “Doc, aren’t you worried about getting flesh-eating bacteria?” I asked him which version he wanted, the simple answer, or the informative one. He explained his grandchildren were in town and he wanted them to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE The media recently blasted an announcement regarding iguanas on social media that made some pretty big waves. The headlines everywhere read that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had called for residents to kill iguanas on their property, and that they had no problem with it. If you’re on […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE It was a competitive tournament to the end on Saturday, June 22 when the Ladies Night Out “Howl at the Moon” Tarpon Tournament was held in Boca Grande Pass. The tournament had originally been scheduled for late April, but a weather system passing through made for a postponement. Fishing was consistent […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – While we have been dealing with an iguana eradication program for many, many years, at Tuesday’s meeting it became apparent that either people haven’t been reading about the situation or just recently moved here. Because of this, and at the iguana panel’s request, we will attempt to break down the pertinent […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, Sports & Outdoors.
To the Editor: The 37th annual World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament was filled with Grande traditions, exciting tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass, expert captains, mates and anglers, generous sponsors, incredible judges, talented artists, hardworking volunteers and the love and spirit of the Boca Grande Community. The Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce was honored to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE In the early morning hours of Monday, May 20, Jennifer Goslowski woke up to find her boyfriend, Chris Zink, next to her having a seizure. It wasn’t his first, but the frequency he had them was rare so she kept watch over him, unable to sleep. A few hours later when […]