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Island charter captain’s boat stolen from island

Tristan Eugene Royer, 38, of Venice was charged with burglary to an unoccupied conveyance (unarmed); fleeing to elude LEO in a boat; reckless operation of a vessel; grand theft more than $5,000 but less than $10,000; three counts of bond forfeiture; an out of county warrant; and petit theft, first degree.
The incident began to play out on Friday, July 15 when calls came in to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office about suspicious activity at Don Pedro State Park. The caller said a man swam from his boat on the Intracoastal to the pavilion, walked out of sight in the dunes, then came back through the dunes carrying a backpack. He got on the boat and left. The caller said he and another person with him returned to where their boat was docked and realized that there were signs of forced entry to the boat and a pair of pliers and a backpack were missing. The backpack contained money, credit cards and personal items.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kelly Carpenter

“Children really learn through play. Their play is their work. What we do as teachers is find ways to scaffold and add learning to that play. Kids may be just playing with Clay-Doh, but what they’re doing with it, and the conversations that take place while they’re doing it are important. They might be learning how to count or creating sets of things that go together. They don’t realize what they’re learning at the time. You should fill a child’s day with their interests, and then you can incorporate all these other areas of development. If you’re playing dinosaurs outside, you’re learning gross motor skills.  If you’re painting or drawing dinosaurs, that works on fine motor skills. That’s what a quality preschool strives to do – the teachers see what the kids are interested in and build upon it.” 

OBITUARY: Todd Vaughan

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Todd Kirkpatrick Vaughan on July 11, 2022 at home on Boca Grande.Todd finally succumbed to battling cancer at the age of 80.  Todd is survived by his loving wife, Janie (Susemihl Griffin), his brother, Randolph Meriwether Vaughan (Maureen), his two children Hayley Vaughan Burner […]

OBITUARY: Dr. Dick Morrison

Dr. Richard (Dick) Morrison, 86, died July 5, 2022, at Tidewell Hospice House. He was born Nov. 10, 1935 to Russell and Sylvia Morrison in Detroit, Michigan and moved to Venice, Fla. in 1970. In Venice he started a surgical practice known as Surgical Associates of Venice and Englewood, and held roles as president of […]

This date in the Boca Beacon

FIVE YEARS AGO A Port Charlotte youth visiting with a church group drowned at the south end of the island. In another scenario, two lives were saved from drowning when beachgoers formed a human chain (with some help from a pool noodle) out into the water. This incident occurred in the same spot where the […]

REMEMBRANCES: America in 1962, when the world almost ended

In the U.S., rumors were spreading that the Soviets were doing something in that island nation just 90 miles from our shores. But what? We had been sending U.S. Air Force U-2 spy planes over Cuba since the end of the failed Bay of Pigs mission, but the flights had been halted on September 10 due to highly publicized U-2 incidents elsewhere around the globe. When ground-based intelligence pointed to offensive missile sites, the overflights were reinstated on October 9, and on October 14, photographic evidence was gathered that the Soviets were indeed constructing medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missile launchers there. After verification by CIA specialists on October 15, the President was notified of their findings on October 16.

ASK-A-DOC: Beat the heat – with summer in full swing, here are some ways to keep your cool

Make sure you’re getting in the water your body needs, which is likely to be more than what you need in other seasons. Our bodies try to cool down through the natural process of sweating, which can cause dehydration. This makes it essential to drink more water, especially if you’re working or exercising outdoors. Interestingly, CDC studies show that among U.S. adults, plain water intake is significantly lower in older adults.

The tarpon are here … where are all y’all anglers?

Right now the amount of tarpon in Boca Grande Pass is prolific, according to many local captains, but when you look out on the water, you’ll often see only two or three boats. While it’s a good thing that the tarpon population gets a rest after a busy season, there are still people who make their living guiding on the water and are ready to take clients out – and the tarpon are ready to be caught and put up a fight.