Hotter Than Ever




THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN SEPTEMBER WAS Florida’s warmest on average in records that began in 1895. This last winter, December through February was the record wettest for those three months across Southwest Florida and the Everglades even though it’s normally the dry season. And Hurricane Hermine and now Matthew finally broke the record longest streak without a hurricane making […]

Punta Gorda’s farmers markets are always in season




Some regional farmers markets don’t get started until October. Lucky Punta Gorda — it has two that are going strong all year round. The Downtown Punta Gorda Farmers Market is the reason for the crowds and blocked streets in front of the old county courthouse around Taylor Street and West Olympia Avenue. At the peak of season, this award-winning market […]

Pulling back




Unfortunately for Americans, the most crucial debate unfolding in the final weeks of the 2016 election has gone almost unmentioned: certainly not Donald Trump’s misogyny and business failures or Hillary Clinton’s lost emails. Not climate change or immigration or tax equality or nuclear proliferation or the strategies that direct American troops overseas. Do we continue to use them and lose […]

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Angela Hogan

Angela Hogan is CEP of the Homeless Coalition, a position she has held for almost all eight of her years at the organization. The coalition not only seeks to prevent homelessness, but also hunger. In addition to its own shelter, it helps provide transitional housing, services for homeless veterans, emergency rent/ water/utility bill payments and a host of other services […]

A new confederacy




Did you hear the news? No? Me neither. But apparently, members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the nation’s largest association of state legislators, recently met in Williamsburg, Va., to host a dry-run simulation of a constitutional convention. Said ALEC, the dress rehearsal was “to propose amendments to restore the appropriate balance of power between the federal government and the […]

The media freak-out




We are in the midst of an epic media freak-out. It is a subset of a larger liberal panic over Donald Trump’s strength in the general election. The mood of the center-left is, “America, how dare you?” The outraged incomprehension is seeping into and, increasingly, driving the coverage of the race. The freak-out began a few weeks ago when Donald […]

Weather: predicting the formerly unpredictable




This summer has had a few dry spells and some very wet periods. We usually don’t hear much on the news when it’s dry, but heavy downpours and localized flooding make the headlines every time. Now, a ditch alongside the road with water in it is not newsworthy — but add a stranded vehicle that skidded off the road into […]

Dog-proof living




Every few years, when we get a new puppy or adopt an adult dog or have a foster dog spend some time with us, I have to dog-proof our home and learn some new tricks about interacting with particular dogs. You might think that I would have dog-proofing down by now, but each dog has been attracted to different items […]

Pets of the Week



These animals are available for adoption at the Animal Welfare League, 3519 Drance St., Port Charlotte. All animals are microchipped, neutered and current with their shots. The shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. To view adoptable pets, visit www.awlshelter.org. EARS is creating a special fund for Ford to defray the vet bills for his leg. […]

Vote ‘YES’ for filthy water

GUEST COMMENTARY


Election day is just around the corner and I would like to take a moment to remind everyone to vote “Yes” for another decade of polluted water coming down the Caloosahatchee and destroying our estuaries. I know there isn’t a ballot for this specific issue so, in order to keep the water unsafe, un-swimmable and toxic, please vote for these […]