Florida
You’re a Grand Old Flag – Bonita Springs Florida Weekly
July 4th is here and it’s time to be patriotic, if only for a day. It’s time to celebrate being an American, proud of our country with all of its faults.
Independence Day marks the beginning – the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. It marks the beginning of freedom with all of its benefits and responsibilities, the beginning of a grand journey.
And it’s a day with important symbols, things like the Pledge of Allegiance, the American flag and the National Anthem.
Last week, I attended a meeting that started, as always, with the Pledge of Allegiance: “… to the flag … and to the republic for which it stands…” We tend to just mouth the words; it’s almost a reflex. Something at the beginning of meetings to get out of the way.
The symbol of the flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, is more substantive. It’s celebrated with statues (the flag planting on Iwo Jima) and paintings (Betsy Ross sewing the flag). Although the history is uncertain, we know that a flag design similar to the one used today was approved by the Continental Congress in 1777.
TRECKER
Today the flag is ubiquitous. It flies on homes, in yards, and on public and private buildings. And it’s apolitical. Both parties embrace it. Jasper Johns made a living painting different versions of it. Today the flag finds its way onto coins, stamps, tee shirts, even tattoos.
Then there’s the National Anthem. It, too, is everywhere. It’s sung before convention openings and sporting events, and it’s played whenever athletes win gold medals. I always expect to see a flyover right after “ … and the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” Unlike the flag, the anthem leaves room for interpretation. My wife always cringes when a vocalist jazzes it up.
The pledge, the flag, the anthem. They’re symbols and they’re important. But there’s more to patriotism than that.
Do woke masses on the left care less about their country than traditionalists on the right? I doubt it. Is the soccer team that disses the National Anthem less patriotic than we old-timers who revere the music? Not really. They just have a different vision of the country. Are the political lefties who want bigger government and more spending less patriotic than those on the right who want smaller government and less debt? Not at all. They just see patriotism in a different way. They pay their taxes and supply soldiers to fight just like the rest of us.
As the economists say, patriotism is fungible.
If you want the old-fashioned version, you should hearken back to the early 1900s when music made Americans proud of their heritage. George M. Cohan, the first “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” was an early practitioner. Few remember the names of his wonderful Broadway shows, but many over a certain age remember his music: “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Over There,” “Harrigan,” “Forty-five Minutes from Broadway” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
Memories fade. I don’t remember what I had for breakfast today, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Cohan lyrics.
“You’re a grand old flag,
“You’re a high-flying flag
“And forever in peace may you wave.
“You’re the emblem of
“The land I love,
“The home of the free and the brave.
“Ev’ry heart beats true
“’neath the red, white and blue,
“Where there’s never a boast or brag.
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
“Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag.”
Happy Fourth of July!
Dave Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Florida.
Plans for a new Wawa to open in Port St. Lucie were approved.
A new Wawa fuel station and convenience store will open in Port St. Lucie now that the plans have been approved.
The Wawa will be at the corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road in front of the Lowe’s which is expected to open in the summer of 2026, according to the city’s website.
The plans for a Wawa convenience store and eight fuel pumps were submitted to the city Dec. 3, 2025.
What will go in Port St. Lucie’s Southern Grove?
The plans for the Shoppes at Southern Grove show there will be a new Lowe’s store and six additional outparcels.
The six additional outparcels include the following:
- Gas station: 5,915 square feet
- Outparcel A: 1.2 acres
- Outparcel B: 1.14 acres
- Outparcel C: 1.83 acres
- Outparcel D: 1.04 acres
- Outparcel E: 1.02 acres
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
SUNRISE, Fla. – Five Florida Panthers players and five staff members will represent their home countries at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship, taking place May 15 through May 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States.
Marek Alscher, 22, will represent Czechia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time. He previously played for his home country at the 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, skating in seven games to help the Czechs capture the bronze medal over Finland. Alscher made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, notching three assists over four games played. He also skated in 52 American Hockey League (AHL) games with Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, recording 11 points (3-8-11).
Aleksander Barkov, 30, missed the 2026 Winter Olympic Games due to injury but had been named to Finland’s preliminary roster in June of 2025. He previously earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games alongside current Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu, and earned a silver medal representing his home country at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. At the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Barkov served as captain of Finland.
Anton Lundell, 24, will be participating in his second IIHF World Championship after earning a silver medal with Finland in 2021, where he posted seven points (4-3-7) in 10 games as a 19-year-old. He helped Finland capture the bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this season and previously earned gold at the 2019 IIHF U20 WJC and 2018 IIHF U18 WJC, as well as a bronze medal at the 2021 U20 WJC.
Sandis Vilmanis, 22, will represent Latvia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in his career. He played for Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February as well as at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, serving as an alternate captain in 2024 where he produced four points (2-2-4) over five games. Vilmanis made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, logging five points (3-2-5) in 19 games with Florida while compiling 38 points (17-21-38) in 48 American Hockey League (AHL) contests with the Panthers affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Matthew Tkachuk, 28, will attempt to become the first American to join the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, World Championship Gold Medal and Olympic Gold Medal), as well as the first player in NHL history to win all three parts of the Triple Gold Club within a 12-month span. This will be Tkachuk’s first time participating in the IIHF World Championship.
In addition to his 2026 Olympic gold medal, Tkachuk also earned gold representing the United States at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship and the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge, as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF U20 WJC. He served as alternate captain for the U.S. at the 2026 Olympics and 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida will have four staff members representing the United States. Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson is serving as General Manager for the second time after holding the position in 2024. Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will serve as equipment manager and Florida’s Head Athletic Trainer Dave DiNapoli will work as athletic trainer. Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito will serve on the Advisory Group.
Panthers Assistant General Manager Gregory Campbell will assist with evaluating and selecting players for Canada.
Panthers fans can stay up to date on all the Cats’ representatives at the 2026 IIHF World Championships at FloridaPanthers.com/WorldChampionship.
2026-27 Florida Panthers Territory Memberships are available now! Click here to learn more. For all the latest in Panthers news, concerts and events at Amerant Bank Arena & FTL War Memorial, sign up for ’93 Society newsletter and receive information straight to your inbox. Visit FloridaPanthers.com or SeatGeek.com for all ticketing needs.
A Martin County slaughterhouse near Lake Okeechobee could increase toxic algal blooms in the C-44 Canal, St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
There have been 81 algal blooms in the past two years within 2 miles of a proposed slaughterhouse in western Martin County, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Algal Bloom Dashboard.
The slaughterhouse will increase pollution and bring more potentially toxic algal blooms to Lake Okeechobee, whose waters sometimes are released into the C-44 Canal and flow into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon in Stuart, opponents say.
Chancey Bay Ranch owner Tuny Mizrachi has proposed building a 56,784-square-foot slaughterhouse on 26 acres of his 2,046-acre-property at 8401 SW Connors Highway, abutting Lake O.
5 ways a slaughterhouse can increase Lake Okeechobee pollution
The Guardians of Martin County have raised at least five concerns with the Martin County Commission:
- Meat processing facilities, though necessary, have the potential to be noisy nuisances and significant sources of disease and pollution for air and water.
- The facility would be a new source of pollution in a watershed that’s designated as “impaired” because of elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
- The facility would be a potential new source of pollutants near one of Martin County’s lowest income and most ethnically diverse communities.
- There’s no evidence the facility has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, or plans to follow effluent limitation guidelines or conduct water-quality monitoring.
- The South Florida Water Management District has permitted the facility to withdraw 6.7 million gallons of water per year for 20 years from Florida’s surficial aquifer, despite it being subject to varying levels of saltwater intrusion, especially in Martin County. The SFWMD has designated all of Martin County a Water Resource Caution Area.
Blood, feces, oil, grease, ammonia and antibiotic residue from the proposed slaughterhouse would contribute to harmful algal blooms, including toxic cyanobacteria, Martin County Administrator Don Donaldson wrote to the DEP and SFWMD.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
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