Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Police & Fire.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – It’s been a busy week of ambulance calls, alarms and water rescues for the Boca Grande Fire Department, but one of the most admirable rescues that took place didn’t even happen on the island. Boca Grande Firefighter Alex Moore was working part-time at a Sarasota gym last weekend when a man […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Entertainment.
BY BOOTS TOLSDORF – With no lines to memorize this year for RPP, (yea!) I have turned to other endeavors, not unlike most of you. One of them was to organize 22 years of Royal Palm Players and me into scrapbooks. Hard to believe that in 2002, I came down the Community Center aisle dressed […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY TONYA BRAMLAGE – Although one can never fully know the daily sights that will be seen while spending a day outdoors here on Gasparilla Island, encounters with butterflies, birds, fish, turtles, flowers and exotic plants are quite common. A less common sight was spotted recently under a potted tree at the Boca Grande Post […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Barbara Ketcham Leiter, age 76, passed from this life March 4, 2021 at the Venice Florida Regional Bayfront Hospital in the care of her family. Barbara was born in Peoria, IL on January 9, 1945 to John Robert and Ellen Shepherdson Ketcham. She died a resident of Peoria, IL and Boca Grande, FL following a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
BY T MICHELE WALKER – When COVID-19 struck our world last year and we were all forced into lockdown, the reactions were as varied as the people themselves, serving as an impromptu Rorschach personality test. Some embraced the much-needed rest and solitude. Others controlled their environment by cleaning and organizing, some exercised and set fitness […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News.
Dear Editor, On January 29, 2021 Claude “Allen” Sparks passed away from a rare blood disorder named Amyloidosis. Allen was employed at Boca Bay Master’s Association as a landscape foreman serving the homeowners of the Boca Bay Community. Following his passing, Sue Najar approached the board members to request donations from the homeowners and staff […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARK DRISCOLL, CEO OF THE BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – Managing the stress of a pandemic was the topic of the recent Grande Rounds hosted virtually by the Boca Grande Health Clinic and the Boca Grande Health Foundation on March 4. Ivy League trained and board-certified psychiatry specialist Alexander P. Miano, MD, addressed how […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
At left, Dennis Ross offered up some visual aids to argue for the NHR proposal. Photo by Susan H BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Supporters of the proposal to include a portion of Boca Grande’s residential historic district on the National Register of Historic Places brought out the big guns from Gilchrist Avenue on Wednesday, March […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – It seems as though a local pair we reported on last year named Candy and Aaliyah have exceeded all expectations of the “Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast” program in 2021. Within the last week they found out that they have been named the top “Big and Little Sister,” […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Don’t forget to drop by the art sale this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Methodist Church on Gilchrist Avenue. All proceeds from the sale will be distributed by the United Methodist Women (UMW) to local charities that benefit women and children in need. […]