Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Steve and Jill Kaplan, owners of Kappy’s Market at the north end of the island, are opening a new store in town called “Kappy’s Downtown,” and some of its offerings may seem very familiar. “We saw a void when PJ’s closed, and we thought this would be a good opportunity have a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Paulee Bowin met Boca Grande shell enthusiast George Melissas five years ago, while the two were in an art studio in Clearwater Beach. Bowin has been creating shell art for years, and when she shared her passion about shells with him, the master shell collector gave her a variety of shells […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Green sea turtle nesting is happening later into the season than usual, but Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association volunteers are hopeful there are still a few more new nests before the season officially closes on October 31. As of August 31, the Association reported 709 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: The problems with excess nutrients discharged into water and the resulting toxic algae blooms continue to plague Southwest Florida. In an effort to evaluate potential remediation solutions, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP), AquaFlex® Holdings LLC, Sea & Shoreline and the Calusa Waterkeeper initiated deployment of various configurations of AquaFlex Open-Cell […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
BY SUE ERWIN – Phelisha Doggett, a dispatcher at Grande Aire Services for the past five years, caught the first fish at the 2018 Ladies Mix, Match or Draw Tarpon Tournament held in July in Boca Grande Pass. She was invited to fish with a team aboard the Phil-Jack, led by Capt. Matt Coleman. Catching the first […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
STAFF REPORT – Despite the red tide situation, sea turtle nest numbers are continuing to grow, hatchlings are making their way to the sea, and nest counts are up from this time last year. As of August 24, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported 687 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on the island. There […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Mote marine scientists were at 7th Street beach in Boca Grande on Wednesday morning to lead an assessment project on the local snook spawning stock, a vital effort needed to determine impacts to this important fishery and to develop more strategic stock enhancement actions to ensure recovery of this population as […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The Gulf was calm on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 25 when Shane Hale set sail from Marina Jack’s in Sarasota in his 30-foot sailboat, with his first mate Harley, the long-haired dachshund, but mid-afternoon it turned into a nasty blow that changed Shane’s life dramatically. Shane was two miles offshore […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Gasparilla Island State Park Administration has a new leader, and he has plenty of experience to help him adjust to his new role. Rick Argo served in the United States Navy for 20 years before joining the Florida State Parks service in 2005. Originally from Roseburg, Oregon, the former chief petty […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: The Friday evening, 24 August Red Tide meeting at the Englewood Event Center was successful. It was a full house, they had to turn at least a hundred guests away; the house was packed to capacity. Joe Tiseo our concerned Charlotte County Commissioner took the time to attend and listened carefully. We […]