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Born in the Lighthouse – that’s why she’s so bright

■ BY SUE ERWIN Evelyn Carter McKinney took her first breath of air in the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. She was born in 1934 in a bedroom of the circa 1890 Lighthouse that doubles as a museum of regional history. Her father, Light Keeper Osmund McKinney, served as the keeper of the establishment from 1931 to […]

Profile: Boo Thayer Gemes

■ BY SUE ERWIN After 27 years of working in the fashion industry on 7th Avenue in New York City, Boo Thayer Gemes perceived a void in the market for stylish and affordable separates, so she created a collection of clothing that appeals to women of all ages. “I design clothes for real people, clothes that […]

Obituary: Leonard Mathew Saari

Leonard Mathew Saari of Riverside, CT, and Boca Grande, FL, died as a result of a sudden stroke on October 19. 2019, at Greenwich Hospital.  He was born in Los Angeles, CA, on January 19, 1938, to Mathew A. Saari, originally from Raahe, Finland, and Esther E. Saari, originally from Tampere, Finland. Raised in Baltimore, […]

OBITUARY: Janet Thibodeau

Janet M. Thibodeau, 83, wife of Gerald Thibodeau, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, a the Sussman House in Rockport. Born in Camden, July 17, 1936, she attended Camden Schools. On July 3, 1954 she married Gerald Thibodeau. Together they raised six children and were married 65 years. Janet was a great cook and […]

Mercabo Cove restoration set for March of 2020

■ SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association has announced that the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection permits, both of which are necessary for the construction of the Mercabo Cove Project, have been issued. “This gives us the green light to schedule the official groundbreaking […]

GIWA announces water facility update, sewer line rehabilitation

■ BY BONNIE PRINGLE, GASPARILLA ISLAND WATER ASSOCIATION The Gasparilla Island Water Association is wrapping up Phases I and II of our much-needed wastewater treatment facility rehabilitation on The Gasparilla Inn golf course. To minimize the impact on golfers, our lease with The Inn allows construction of the new facilities between May 1 and November […]

Gasparilla Island number one town on richest.com

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Boca Grande has made yet another list recently, in a slightly more obscure niche market. A website called The Richest (therichest.com) compiled a list of the top 10 richest towns in Florida. Their qualifiers included the reported income of the residents and the overall time the residents were in their Florida […]

Flying monkeys do exist: an afternoon well spent with bats

■ BY SUE ERWIN While a tiny evening bat sat nestled in the front pocket of her jacket, Shari Blissett Clark gave a 90-minute presentation about Florida bats at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 25. Clark is president of the Florida Bat Conservancy. She’s dedicated the past four decades of her life […]

Fust to hold annual book sale, Turkish cooking book sale next week

■ STAFF REPORT The Fust Library loggia and gardens create a beautiful backdrop for the Library Foundation’s semiannual used book sale. You are invited to come and peruse thousands of gently used hardcover books, trade paperbacks, DVDs, CDs and even some rare books. This year, they have received more book donations than ever before Mystery […]