JOHN BARTUS: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR
James Taylor was responsible for the title of this week’s column. Someone who is mostly associated with the acoustic guitar, James now and again picks up a...
JOHN BARTUS: MUSICAL GIFTS FROM THE BRITISH INVASION
Thanksgiving 2023. 402 years have passed since the “official” first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Compared to the hard life of the Pilgrims and Native Americans back then,...
JOHN BARTUS: MARATHON’S LANDMARK MURAL IS UNDER A VERY REAL THREAT
Legendary local commercial fisherman Tommy Coppedge had a saying — often directed at Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Samess when discussing new ideas for the Seafood Festival:...
KEYS HISTORY: PROTECTIONS IN PLACE FOR A TURTLE SPECIES ONCE HUNTED FOR FOOD
The turtle industry in the Florida Keys has performed something of an about-face. Once upon a time, sea turtles like the green, hawksbill and loggerhead, among others,...
JOHN BARTUS: SCRAP EVERYTHING DONE AT THE QUAY TO THIS POINT?
Let me begin this week’s column by stating that I have the utmost respect for our current City Council. To a person, I believe every individual occupying...
JOHN BARTUS: TWO BIG EVENTS IN MARATHON HELP KIDS GET CHRISTMAS
One of the (many) things I love about my wife Sarah is that she is among the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever known. Whether it’s...
CANCER SUCKS: MARATHON’S STRIDES WALK IS THIS SATURDAY
Cancer sucks.
It is such an insidious beast, often lurking within until it’s too late. My mother passed away after a long fight against cancer in 1999; my...
JOHN BARTUS: MLB’S WORST UMPIRE NEEDS TO GO
There have been a lot of stories that define this Major League Baseball season (including a postseason appearance by our own Miami Marlins). Yankees pitcher Domingo German...
JOHN BARTUS: GUITARIST STEVEN MILLER NEEDS OUR HELP
I first saw Steven Miller playing guitar in a nightclub in Islamorada some 30 years ago (or thereabouts). I had stopped in after playing a gig in...
JOHN BARTUS: HALL OF FAME SLIGHTS
Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Jann Wenner was recently booted from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors for comments he made recently while promoting...