In September 1774, John Adams attended the first Continental Congress in  Philadelphia and wrote to Abigail about his encounters with the delegates from 12 of  the other 13 colonies for the first time. Adams wrote: “I flatter myself, however, that we  shall conduct our embassy in such a manner as to merit the approbation of our  country.” In this letter, Adams was quite rightly describing himself and the other Massachusetts delegates to the Continental Congress as if they were ambassadors to a foreign power, explains Peterson. “And when Adams says ‘our country,’ he is referring to  Massachusetts,” not the United States, notes Peterson, who adds that up until the Civil War, both nationally and internationally, Boston and its New England hinterland was thought of as a separate country with its own “national” identity. 

The Boca Grande Health Clinic is celebrating its 75th anniversary. For this occasion the Boca Grande Clinic Foundation will host a gala street party on Thursday, April 7, to revel in this momentous occasion and to thank the entire island community for their support.
Festivities will include food trucks, celebratory beverages and entertainment by the “Swinging Bridge” bluegrass band.
The Clinic has come a long way since the mid-1900s, when an out-of-town doctor treated patients once a week in a small room above the Railroad Depot. The journey to 75 years wasn’t always easy. It required courage, passion and perseverance – and the steadfast support of the island community.
The party will be held on 3rd Street between the Clinic and the Annex from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 7.

“Every year we improve a little bit in the statistics, and a lot as far as violent crimes,” she said. “In 1990 when I became a prosecutor, our circuit’s population was half of what it is now, but the crime rate was double what it is now. That’s how much we’ve changed. Now we are recognizing what’s important in criminal justice – what requires a long sentence and what does not, and which offenders can be rehabilitated. If you’re a violent person, you have to be incarcerated. On the other hand, a large portion of offenders can be helped and rehabilitated, and hopefully it will bring about less recidivism. After I was elected I looked to what I could do to make sure we didn’t just rest at the top … I wanted the statistics to be even lower. I had to realize what our biggest challenges were as a circuit and at this time it is the opioid epidemic, and fentanyl coming into the picture.”

Pearls, just like us (who, me?), are not perfect. The best and most assured way to tell a real pearl from a fake is to look for the imperfections. Surface blemishes, uneven luster and color, subtle differences in size that are expected tells from an organic gem. But these are not flaws, for it is within our imperfections that true beauty lies.

The county’s monthly report also included an interesting tidbit about the almost-defunct Port Charlotte Town Center Mall. It said that $44.8 million was owed by the bondholders (PC Mall LLC,) of the bankrupt mall, and the facility was sold for $100,000 in an online auction in February to those bondholders.