Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
Many say that the climate of a community is best monitored by the mental health of the children who live there. Are they safe? Are they happy? Do they have plans for their future? Do they have faith? While it is true that going through a hurricane that stayed so strong for so long is […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
It is possible there will soon be another layer of protection for local manatees, as the Lee Board of County Commissioners voted this week to adopt a year-round manatee protection zone ordinance for Gasparilla Island – specifically the Boca Grande Bayou – as well as a quarter-mile area off Captiva Island and Safety Harbor, North […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Education.
By Donna Catanzarite Fifth-grade students at The Island School have been busy investigating physical science. Through a variety of hands-on activities, fifth grade has been learning about the “super powers” of matter. On Friday, Oct. 21 we scheduled every class to visit fifth grade to learn about solutions. Each fifth-grade student was paired up with […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Almost everyone has a memory of playing croquet as a child, probably in their grandmother’s yard. Hans Peterson thinks it is time to make some new memories, this time on the Boca Grande Community Center lawn. “Croquet’s a great game, and everyone can play,” Hans said. And if someone does not know how to play, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Community History.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Final Hurricane Irma debris pickups were complete as anglers were busy tying flies and getting ready for the GIFT tournament. TEN YEARS AGO A manatee in Boca Bay was picked up and transported to Lowry Park Zoo due to exposure to red tide. Amber Mills married Mike McGuiness at […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: September 28, 2022 will go down in infamy and will be remembered for some years to come. Ian was almost a 100-year storm, or close to it. The landfall over the island was slow and gruesome, traveling only a few miles an hour and with winds 2 miles per hour shy of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
We’ve got power and internet outages, a cell phone tower lodged in our bakery, piles of debris clogging our side streets and more piles along the main road, beach accesses that are closed and a plethora of workers and trucks roaming all over the island … and the bridge is set to open to the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Bart DeStefano and Marco Meola, owners of South Beach Bar & Grille, have announced they will be coming back bigger and better than ever, maybe even in the next couple of months. Of course, they won’t be at their original location on Gulf Boulevard, which quite literally exploded and burned to the ground during Hurricane […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
Hurricane Ian has not been able to stop our democratic processes, but it has blown them around somewhat. Since a number of polling places have been damaged or destroyed, registered voters in Lee and Charlotte counties, as well as a few other places affected by the storm, have some new and temporary guidelines and voting […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
There are so many questions that deserve solid answers when it comes to insurance claims regarding Hurricane Ian. If you have never had to file a claim before it can be a daunting process, and while some are paid out smooth as butter, most are not. There are many glitches that can occur, so remembering […]