Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, Featured News.
FIVE YEARS AGO We lost a legend this week five years ago, when Artie Brooks passed away. He worked all over the island in many jobs, from butler to janitor to chauffeur to helping out at the old Loons on a Limb. He was true Boca Grande, and many loved him for it. TEN YEARS […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Ronald Malcolm Peasley, 78, died peacefully, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 at 9:39 p.m., after battling lung cancer. Ronald traveled Home to Jesus Christ. Ronald was anointed, blessed, confessed his sins and received the Body of Christ on Thursday, placing his soul at peace. During his passing, Ronald was surrounded by love, the sound of his […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community.
Bringing a message of love and hope, the Rt. Rev. William Mostert will be the guest preacher at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church this weekend on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Bishop William recently retired as Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King in Johannesburg, South Africa. “I’m retired, but not tired,” he quipped. Traveling to […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Education.
Trumpeter Rex Richardson, who has played with many of the greats of jazz, gave students at Lemon Bay High School lessons in music, and life, at a Friday seminar sponsored by the Punta Gorda Symphony. Richardson said that no matter what they improvise, the students should never forget the harmony and form, and “always kind […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
Fire Chief C.W. Blosser and the Island EOC Emergency Communications & Interoperability Working Group would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) for its participation in the island Auxiliary Emergency Radio Communications System (AUXCOMM) project.
The GIBA Board voted to approve “a not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 for the purchase of components of the emergency communications system that will be owned and maintained by GIBA.” This will fund the entire cost of the bridge’s antenna and radio repeater installation, staff handheld radios and extensive training.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
According to members of the Boca Grande Cell Phone Tower Committee, everything appears to be on track for complete carrier installation on the new tower by Thanksgiving. “We had a call yesterday with Verizon and today with Vertical Bridge,” said Committee Member Steve Raville. “Everyone maintains that the schedule is still on track to have […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
Last Friday morning, Nov. 3, the process of removing the sailboat at 9th Street was over and done before it barely began. All that can be seen now are two metal poles sticking out of the sand, adding to the mystery of whether or not the base of the boat still remains under the sand. […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Featured News, News.
The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) Quarterly Board meeting was held on Thursday, Nov. 2, in the offices of the Authority.
The members were updated on the traffic and revenue figures for the 12 months of the 2023 fiscal year. Toll revenue was up by four percent and traffic was down by three percent, compared to last year.
The Audit Committee report included an update on the fieldwork that was completed last week by auditors from Suplee Shea Cramer and Miller on the fiscal year 2023 audit. The final audit report will be presented to the GIBA Board at the February 2024 meeting.
The Governance Committee report included the approval of the annual contribution to the discretionary employee retirement fund at Corebridge Financial.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
New York interior designer and photographer Stephanie Stokes will visit Boca Grande to promote her new Rizzoli book “The World at Your Table” at a signing on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at J. McLaughlin.
The book, published in March, is about tabletops and indigenous architecture. The book evolved out of a series of Instagram posts. The table ideas came after Stokes had a horse accident, one which required numerous surgeries, and recuperation time at home.
“I would just invite one person or two people for dinner each night,” said Stokes. “If you are in crutches, it’s pretty nice to set up dinner.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News.
The Johann Fust Community Library has been at the core of the Boca Grande Community for decades, and now, after more than 70 years, the Johann Fust Library Foundation would like to share some of its rich history with the community. In the new year, The Foundation will offer docent-guided tours of the building and […]