Assisting his fellow veterans is a cause that is near and dear to Tony Smith’s heart. That’s why the veteran of the British Army takes special pleasure in treating 25 military comrades to some fun on the water through his business, Tigertail Beach Paddleboard and Kayaks and the Freedom Waters Foundation. Based in Naples, the nonprofit’s mission is to enhance […]
The Great American Eclipse
For the first time in 99 years, on August 21, the shadow of the Moon will sweep across the entire width of the United States. We have had brushes with total eclipses more recently, the lower Eastern Seaboard in 1970 and the Northwest in 1979 for example, but 1918 was the last year the whole country had a shot at […]
A Busy Summer for MIHS Interns
Casey Wooster and Kristin Conwill are a long way from their home in Gainesville, Florida. For the past ten weeks the two University of Florida (UF) graduate students have been participating in the Marco Island Historical Society’s (MIHS) internship program. Conwill and Wooster are both pursing advanced degrees in museum studies. Conwill’s concentration is in historical preservation and collections management […]
New TBE Principal Can’t Wait for School to Start
Trying to track down a new principal who’s hiring new staff members, attending a gazillion meetings, scheduling classes and events, and learning the ropes is a challenge, but Katie Maya is already demonstrating that “she has what it takes” to start the school year with a positive, loving environment for all. Here are some questions I asked her and her […]
Review of Lots for LDC Planning
As the Marco Island Planning Board continues its deliberations over the revisions to the Land Development Code (LDC), they were given a status update on what is available for single family residential lots to build on. Lina Upham, who has a temporary assignment to the Growth Management Department, gave the board an overview of available single family home lots on […]
Kiwanis Christmas in July Helps Homeless Children
Bright and early on Saturday morning, July 29, Kiwanis volunteers were busy setting up for an event that truly embodied its name, “Christmas in July.” In a room filled with Christmas décor, presents and Santa Claus, needy families gathered to have their children outfitted and ready for the new school year. The event at the Florida Sports Park was accomplished […]
For Jim
Those are words once spoken by Marco Island’s master wood craftsman, Jim Chute. The hearts of Marco Islanders were broken on July 23, 2017 when Jim lost his short but courageous battle with cancer. His wife Linda said, “It was a battle we lost before we even knew we were in the battle. The cancer came like a thief in […]
Parking Solutions Will Have a Cost
For years now the Planning Advisory Board and the Marco Island City Council have been discussing parking issues and the impact that has on residents and businesses. Those issue are most prevalent during what residents refer to as “season,” or from December through the end of April. The parking issue intensified when the Planning Advisory Board and Council relaxed the […]
PIERRE’S PERSPICUOUS PROTREPTIC
Per-spic-u-ous Adjective: (Latin: perspicere, to see through) clear in a statement or expression; easily understood. Pro-trep-tic Adjective: intended as instructional. Noun: a book, speech, essay, etc., that is protreptic. cur-mudg-eon Noun: : a surly, ill-mannered person, a cantankerous fellow. de-base Transitive verb: to make lower in value, quality, character, dignity, etc; to cheapen. nim-bus Noun: a halo or bright […]
Survey Puts the Cart Before the Horse
MORE STRAIGHT TALKAs I sit here today and look out upon the storm that has recently lashed our shores with some significant rain and wind, I can’t help but think about how our little community has had to weather a storm of its own the last couple of weeks. Of course I refer to the recent unfortunate events surrounding our search for […]