Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Featured News, Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The summer has been an active season at the Boca Grande Community Center, and that will continue through the fall. Here are some highlights of what has happened and what is to come at the Boca Grande Community Center, 131 First Street West: Summer Camp Lee County Parks & Recreation staff wrapped […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
BY DELORES SAVAS ‘’We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet’s atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to gamble?” […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO The newly-replanted Gilchrist median was thriving. Red tide was still a problem along island beaches. TEN YEARS AGO The mere mention of the Gilchrist median at the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board set off an hour-long conversation that ended, once again, with no results other than to show how divided island residents […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Joe Steele thinks his crew can meet the deadline of September 19 to have the cell tower up and at least very close to running. As he laid out the schedule in his head for drilling the 32-foot hole, filling it with water as they go, then putting the casement in, filling it with concrete and letting it set, plus the tower raising and device positioning, he was optimistic it was possible.
He and his co-worker Luke Boultinghouse flew in from Rock Island earlier this week and were raring to go. They were still waiting on barricades and detour signs Wednesday at noon, but hope was still in the air that with the Bakery Building gone, things would move smoothly. That would be a good idea, as their flight back to Illinois is scheduled for September 17.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
Hurricanes don’t always bring good things, but the latest hurricane, Idalia, has not only brought the American flamingo back to Florida, but highlighted the potential for the eventual restoration and return of the species to Florida on a permanent basis.
Like so many Floridians, Ashley Scarpa had never seen them in Florida, even as an experienced birder.
“To be honest I went searching for them,” said Scarpa, who has in the past monitored birds for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “Someone had posted that they had been seen in the area, and I sprinted to where they have been seen.”
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
Gasparilla Island Water Authority (GIWA) members will have a rate increase of five percent beginning Oct. 1, 2023, and future rate increases would be able to be approved administratively by the county manager of Lee County, rather than having to be approved at full Board of County Commissioners meetings. On Tuesday, Sept 5 the Lee […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, Health & Wellness, News.
Your pets look to you as a provider of sustenance, comfort and safety. It is your responsibility to learn to think like them, understand how they feel pain and stress, understand that they do not always deal with these things like humans do and find ways to optimize your communication and relationship with them.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Get ready for fancy and fun drinks coming this season. There is a new bar manager at Scarpa’s Coastal, and he is all about mixing things up.
Mike Teston thinks the term “mixology” is a little pretentious for what he does. However, he loves the chemistry, the imagination, the challenge of finding new ways to tickle people’s tastebuds and open them to new adventures through the drinks he develops. He can’t wait to roll out his new cocktail menu in October.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Almost two weeks without any major red tide issues was a big deal, after a period of about two years where it was terrible. TEN YEARS AGO A ruling on the side of our resources. One aspect of the bottom-weighted tarpon jig saga was closed, as the FWC voted to adopt new […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, Editorial.
If a hurricane doesn’t leave you dead It will make you strong. Don’t try to explain it, just nod your head, Breathe in, breathe out, move on. Those words went through my head a time or 10 on September 28th of last year. Since then, as well, as we’ve had our lives turned upside down […]