Our mighty palm trees

Deeply rooted in Florida’s history,y, ecology, tourismm and landscapingg industries, palmsms of all shapes,s, sizes and colorsrs have made theirir way here overer the years. Onlyly 12 are native to the state.e.


JUST ANOTHER DAY in paradise,” people sometimes say in South Florida. Palm trees, perhaps second only to seaside sunsets, are the unofficial symbol of that idea of paradise, one that clashes with impoverished and working class neighborhoods and adds cachet to upscale resorts and shopping malls. From squat, scrubby bushes to elegantly slender trunks crowned with Beatles boy-band mop tops […]

Palms so good you could almost eat them? Here’s how



Since 1967, a Swamp Cabbage Festival has been held in LaBelle in Hendry County. It includes a parade, armadillo races, live music and plenty of swamp cabbage vendors. This year the festival was Feb. 24-25. Recipes from LaBelle Community Women’s Club 1984 Swamp Cabbage Festival Cookbook are below. Cooked swamp cabbage Place 2 or 3 meaty pieces of ham hock […]

Builders show off their best in renewed event—Parade of Homes



For nine days, area builders will show off some of the best they have to offer. That’s the appeal for prospective homeowners of the Charlotte DeSoto Building Industry Association Parade of Homes. Unlike some parades that mass all the homes on a single block, the CDBIA version’s featured homes are spread across Southwest Florida, including Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood […]

Gunsense



Wisdom is a hard thing to come by, which is why I want to share the thinking of Sidney Burris, a wise man born and raised on the Virginia-North Carolina border in a little town called Danville. He grew up with guns, moonshine, muscle cars and Jimi Hendrix. Now he’s a professor of English at the University of Arkansas, where […]

IT’S WHO YOU KNOW

Craig DeYoung


Little did 12-year-old Craig DeYoung dream that, when he moved with his family to Charlotte County more than 43 years ago, he would one day become president of one of Southwest Florida’s leading community banks. Mr. DeYoung would also become instrumental in several nonprofits in Charlotte County, which include being a 30-year member and treasurer of the Port Charlotte Sunrise […]

Guns and Russians



Mark the date on your calendar: March 24. It’s a Saturday. It’ll be a test for the up-and-coming generation. For that matter, it will be a test for the United States of America and a system of government that gets many failing grades because it has corruption baked in. March 24 is the day that student organizers have announced a […]

The Russian bot hysteria


If only Joe McCarthy had lived to see this moment, when it is suddenly in vogue to attribute large-scale events in American politics to the hand of Russia and to inveigh against domestic subversion. Robert Mueller released an indictment of 13 Russians for crimes related to their social-media campaign to meddle in our internal affairs in the run-up to and […]

This is the real Florida

THE GREAT OUTDOORS


Nancy and I left just before daybreak from our docks up the Peace River. The air was thick with moisture, but no fog was around. The temperature was low 70s, and there wasn’t a lick of breeze. However, the black, tannin-stained water around us was not at all still. There were lots of mullet swirling in big schools — and […]

Cat rehab

Cats with painful conditions or injuries can benefit from physical rehab techniques


Underwater treadmills, exercise balls, wobble boards, range of motion exercises: I’m not talking about the offerings at your local gym, but about rehab options for cats. Yes, cats. While you might have trouble imagining a cat powering through an underwater treadmill workout, it turns out that given the right motivation and handling, cats respond well to rehab therapies that help […]

Pets of the Week

To adopt or foster a pet 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. To adopt or foster a pet These pets are available […]