Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.
JUST ‘ONE BITE’: BARSTOOL SPORTS FOUNDER REVIEWS COAST TO COAST PIZZA
On Jan. 11, Marathon’s Coast to Coast Pizza Company received an unexpected visit from Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy, founder of the popular sports and pop culture media company Barstool Sports.
In recent years, the self-professed “media mogul” has drawn national attention for his “One Bite” pizza reviews, in which he...
MARATHON CITY COUNCIL’S VACATION RENTALS WORKSHOP PACKS THE HOUSE
Any questions about community interest in a second, more interactive monthly meeting of the Marathon City Council were swiftly answered on Tuesday night: even those arriving on time found every available seat already filled.
With the highly charged topic of vacation rentals on the agenda for the Jan. 24 workshop,...
SETTLEMENT CLOSES 3-YEAR SIGN THEFT CASE AS ZIEG & CLAVIER PLEAD NO CONTEST
A prolonged legal battle spanning more than three years came to a quiet close on Monday as former Marathon city councilman Dan Zieg and his partner, current city clerk Diane Clavier, switched their initial pleas of “not guilty” to “no contest” in the 2019 theft of a sign outside...
SEN. RICK SCOTT ADDRESSES KEYS MIGRANT CRISIS IN MARATHON
Amid an explosion in migrant landings in the Florida Keys to begin the new year, Marathon received a visit from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Jan. 19 for a press conference regarding the ongoing border security crises affecting South Florida communities.
Scott’s appearance at the Marathon airport was preceded by...
DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER ‘HEALED MY HEART’, SAYS RETIRING MEDIA DIRECTOR MARY STELLA
For the first time in more than two decades, Grassy Key’s Dolphin Research Center will usher in a new era in media and marketing with the retirement of Mary Stella, the nonprofit’s guiding hands in the department since 2002.
Stella’s draw to the facility began long before it was even...
MONROE COUNTY COMMISSION CONSIDERS EMPLOYEE HOUSING GUIDELINES & POSTPONES TRAILER PARK ZONING VOTE
A highly controversial item slated for discussion at the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners’ first meeting of 2023 was almost immediately pushed to a May vote when the board convened, paving the way for positive updates from city staff in an otherwise quiet Jan. 18 agenda.
The board was...
MARATHON CITY COUNCIL URGES PUBLIC INPUT AT VACATION RENTALS MEETING
In the 2022 Marathon City Council election, “transparency” became a buzzword, heard nearly as often as “vacation rentals” and “permits.”
The newly elected council hopes that Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 4:30 p.m. will be a stepping stone toward that goal as it launches a second scheduled monthly meeting for the...
PURPOSEFUL PAWS: RENEWED FUNDRAISER WALK SUPPORTS DOMESTIC ABUSE SHELTER
While most of Marathon was bundled up safely at home, the morning of Jan. 14 found around 50 walkers and 25 four-legged companions braving the arctic tundra of the Seven Mile Bridge for the Florida Keys Domestic Abuse Shelter (DAS)’s Paws for a Cause fundraiser. Accompanied by more than...
FEES EVERYWHERE: MARATHON COUNCIL DEBATES BPAS AND PERMIT PAYMENTS
Spirited debates abounded at the Marathon City Council’s Jan. 10 meeting as the council wrestled with fee reductions for building permits and BPAS points, many of which members of the community have overpaid for in the last few years.
In an effort to reduce the city building department’s excessive reserves,...
COMMUNITY SAYS ‘EFF CANCER’ AGAIN WITH OVERSEAS’ MARK BELILE DAY
At this point, the willingness of the staff at Overseas Pub and Grill to step in and help a community member in need has become a hallmark of the Marathon eatery and watering hole.
But ask any of them, and this one hits a little differently.
In another “eff cancer” effort,...
KEY WEST CONCHS FALL TO BOCA RATON BOBCATS
A bout with south Florida powerhouse Boca Raton would prove to be too much for Key West’s boys basketball squad, as the Conchs fell to the Bobcats on Jan. 7. Though the southernmost team in the Keys put forth a solid effort and fared significantly better against the Bobcats...
MARATHON CITY COUNCIL SET TO RESUME TALKS ON BUILDING PERMITS, FEES & GRANTS
Repeated discussions from the Marathon City Council’s final meeting of 2022 are set to once again headline the council’s first meeting of 2023, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Marathon City Hall.
Members will discuss for a second time a potential reduction in fees for the Building...
