It’s November and that means the start of the CSO season. Since 1978, the orchestra has enhanced the local cultural community. As Maestro Raffaele Ponti begins his 6th season here, the Orchestra has flourished and grown in size to over 70 professional musicians, drawing guest performers and audiences from around the world.

Micah Richins, executive VP & COO of the Resort, announced that current plans call for construction of ~500 hotel rooms in a main resort building and another 160 – 180 condominium units in two towers as part of the $420M Phase 1. Vertical construction is anticipated to start in February.

Univ. of Florida has found a beetle that eats the highly-invasive Air Potato plant that is suffocating landscaping and natural areas of vegetation here in Southern Florida. The Air Potato Leaf Beetle, from Nepal, eats only air potato leaves, decimating the plant and self-managing its population with the level of its food source.  You can request the beetles from UF or USDA. For more information, visit http://bcrcl.ifas.ufl.edu/airpotatobiologicalcontrol.shtml

We are proud to announce that CHS has earned a silver ranking in the US News & World Report Best High Schools. This ranking awards top high schools with gold, silver & bronze medals, indicating the school’s overall level of student college readiness.

From Punta Gorda Airport, Allegiant now flies to 3 new locations. Now you can fly into Appleton (Oshkosh/Green Bay area) WI, Omaha Nebraska & Syracuse NY. How convenient is that!

According to news sources, the library is ON TARGET for it’s July 2019 opening!

Let’s make Unity Day a forever thing – Remember, a united community is a solid one.

The Punta Gorda City Utility Department is in Springfield, FL, fixing leaking/broken water and wastewater lines. PG Fire Fighters are assisting in Marianna, delivering supplies, conducting disaster cleanup, removing debris, securing homes. Our City Water Treatment Plant donated several thousand bottles of water. In total, Southwest FL has sent 3 Ambulance Strike Teams with 15 ambulances, 4 Engine Strike Teams with 20 fire engines, 2 Tender Strike Teams with 10 water tenders, an Emergency Vehicle Team and a Swift Water Rescue Taskforce. What better way to say Thank You for the help we got after Hurr. Irma than to be able to give back!

The Red Tide Institute at Mote will now be able to expand its research of Florida red tide, thanks to an endowment by the Andrew & Judith Edonomos Charitable Foundation. Based now in Sarasota, the marine research institution got its start in 1955 studying our Charlotte Harbor estuary. Note: The Aquarium is a great place to visit!

A recent STEM workshop taught local 8th & 9th grade students these principles of flight. Partnered with Western Michigan Univ. College of Aviation, local chapter of AAUM (American Association of University Women)hosts 4 STEM workshops a year. Contact Janice Kearns for upcoming topics and dates, 941-235-0151.

CDBIA (Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association) reports there are 8 very full truckloads of necessities going to victims of Hurricane Michael in the FL Panhandle from the Charlotte Country area. What a great community – thanks everyone!

Thanks to the partnership with highly regarded Aviation College at Western Michigan University, advanced degrees in flight training, airport operations and management, and aviation mechanics (Airframe and Powerplant, or A&P) will soon be offered at the local campus of Florida SouthWestern State College and the newly renovated Punta Gorda Airport. (Approval from the Higher Learning Commission is in the works.)