Coastal Breeze News

The Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol recently completed its annual cadet summer encampment at Camp Blanding, a National Guard facility in Starke, FL. A total of 300 cadets from around the state attended this year’s encampment, including basic cadets and senior officers from the Marco Island Composite Squadron. Marco C/CMSgt. Aidan Brennan served as a member of the Encampment Staff.  Other local CAP members participating in this year’s encampment were Cadets Andrew Fordon, Robert Gibbons, and Matthew Diebler. The weeklong event is held each year in order to give the CAP cadets a greater understanding of CAP and its Air Force ... Read More »

Emily and Jamie Cawfield proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Amelia Marsal Cawfield, that was born on April 26th at 11:26 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. Amelia is the second grandchild for Joe and Julie Charde of Naples. What a smile for a two-week-old! Read More »

It’s raining, it’s pouring… Isn’t it fantastic to see so much rain after such a long period of drought in southwest Florida? There are obvious positives: green, healthy plants, beautiful yards in bloom and, most importantly, the recharging of the aquifers to better prepare for the upcoming dry months. On the downside, there is more maintenance needed, such as lawn mowing and shrub trimming, and possibly more opportunities for mosquitoes to multiply! Also, with large amounts of rainfall in short periods of time, like the typical storms seen in the past weeks, the ground gets saturated, causing water to flow ... Read More »

The new fall program guide is now available online. Please go to www.cityofmarcoisland.com for all the latest programming. MACKLE PARK PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH TOT YOUTH PROGRAMS, Ages 3-5 Open Gym Tiny Tumblers will be held every Saturday morning from 9:30am – 10:30am at Mackle Park. Cost is $8/child, walk-ins are welcomed. YOUTH PROGRAMS, Ages 6 -14 Freestyle Martial Arts for Kids Offered by Defense Fitness Club, your child will learn defensive techniques, combined with martial arts fitness and confidence building, training, and skill development. The program is based on the 5 principles of martial arts: Body Relationships, Balance, Extension, Blending ... Read More »

The annual 9-11 Remembrance Luncheon held at the Marriott recently by the Fire-Rescue Foundation had an attendance of nearly 200 people this year. Although the luncheon is in memory of a tragedy, it is also the community’s chance to honor one very dedicated fireman as Firefighter of the Year.  This year that honor went to Captain Chris Crossan. Chief Murphy announced the award recipient by saying, “Growing up on Marco Island, Chris found a mentor in Deputy Chief/Fire Marshall John Burback. With his mother’s permission, at age 17, he was allowed to come into the department and volunteer and see ... Read More »

A COMMUNITY DAY OF CELEBRATION SAVE THE DATE! Monday, September 20, 2010, 4-7 p.m. Join the Greater Marco Family YMCA as we celebrate “A Brand New Day at the Y” For starters….. Free T-Shirts for the first 300 people Free Balloons for the children Free Food and Beverages Free Fingerprinting – Marco Police Dept. Drawings for Free Prizes Every Hour For Members who Join on Sep 20th. Bounce House Dunk Tank Swim Party at the Pool Live Music with J Robert Tennis Social NAMI appearance with “Huggy Bear” Walk-Through Tours of the Facility Preschool and Afterschool Make and Take Arts and Crafts Projects ... Read More »

The stabbing victim is brought out of a Marco house by emergency personnel. On Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 3:30 AM Marco Island Police Officers responded to the area of Shorecrest Court and Leeward Court on a call of a domestic disturbance.  Investigation led officers to 112 Shorecrest Court where 27 year old Real F. Levesque of Marco Island was found with a stab wound to his back. Investigation confirmed that the victim had been stabbed by his 23 year old girlfriend, Susan Booker (Marco Island).  Booker was placed under arrest for Aggravated Battery and transported to the Collier County ... Read More »

Tonight is one of our last chances to say goodbye to some summer stars before they dip below the horizon for the season. Turn your back to the North Star and face south. About 30 degrees above the horizon floats Sagittarius. A number of roughly equally bright stars form a teapot asterism which at this time of the night seems ready to start pouring. Sagittarius is in the Milky Way – the thick stream of stars that flows like mist across the sky. The Milky Way can be almost impossible to see under city lights, particularly on a night like ... Read More »

Auditions were held on Monday, September 13 and Tuesday, September 14 at the theater located in Marco Island Town Center Mall on Elkcam Circle. The second production of the season is the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Seascape” by Edward Albee. On a deserted stretch of beach a couple, relaxing after a picnic lunch, talk idly about home, family and their life together. She sketches, he naps, and then, suddenly, they are joined by two sea creatures who have decided to leave the ocean depths and come ashore. Initial fear and then suspicion of each other are soon replaced by curiosity and, before ... Read More »

 On 9/7/10 LCEC assisted the Marco Island Police Department with the replacement of equipment on the City of Marco Island’s communications tower.  This daunting task was performed safely and efficiently by the members of the line crew depicted in attached photo 408.  Also in photo 408 are Marco Island Police Officer Paul Keys and LCEC Key Account Executive Tricia Dorn LCEC.  LCEC’s participation in this community outreach project saved the City of Marco Island thousands of dollars, facilitated continuity of operations through replacement of critical infrastructure and is another example of the excellent working relationship enjoyed by the City of ... Read More »

Marco Island Firefighters process in to Remembrance Luncheon, Sept. 10. Marco Island firefighters and emergency personnel took time to honor the heroes and victims of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, whilst training for emergency situations involving high-rise buildings on Saturday, September 11, 2010.  During practise at the Gulfview building on N. Collier Blvd.,  the men and woman knelt at the base of the stairwell in a moment of reverance before climbing the stairs.  In addition to wearing full fire protecting gear, and carrying hoses and other equipment, the team proudly carried the American flag up the numerous flights of stairs in honor of 9-11. Marco Island Fire Department also attended ... Read More »

Shortly after midnight Friday night (early Saturday, September 11), emergency personnel responded to an accident in which a car had rolled over on Bald Eagle Drive at the intersection of North Barfield Drive.  The driver was taken from the scene by ambulance. Photos by Jim Sousa. Read More »

Each property owner or resident on Marco Island owes the Deltona Corporation/Mackle Brothers a huge debt of gratitude for their conscientious development of our Island. Not only did they set aside locations for Houses of Worship for many denominations, their vision for the Island was based on the concept of “Love Thy Neighbor.” That is why the Mackle Brothers protected us all against aggressive developers and neighborhood blight by creating Deed Restrictions on all properties subdivided on the Island. That way, irrespective of zoning and political decisions, none of us would find a gas station in our backyard, or a ... Read More »

To this day, I cannot hear or write 9/11 without a lump forming in my throat and a cold chill running through my veins. But on this ninth anniversary of September 11th, 2001, if seems only fitting to honor the memory of the three thousand-plus souls that lost their lives that day. It took reading six books before I found two that conveyed the message I wanted to say. (The first was too political, the second – too religious, the third – too name-blaming, and the fourth – too depressing.) My purpose is to lift up the heroes, remember the ... Read More »

On Tuesday August 31, 2010 the Marco Island Fire Rescue Department conducted Dive Rescue training at the Marco Island YMCA pool. This training is designed to condition department Rescue Divers and to review SCUBA competencies. The Department’s Rescue Divers completed their annual swim test, consisting of the evaluation of a number of watermanship skills designed to test the divers’ stamina. The Annual Watermanship Test is developed by IARDS, International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists, in accordance with NFPA 1670 Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents. Utilizing the YMCA pool, Rescue Divers are required to complete ... Read More »

Rotary Clubs span the globe with a 1.2 million members worldwide. It is a humanitarian service organization known for its charitable efforts and charitable giving, both locally and internationally. Rotary is known for the ethical standards by which members agree to conduct themselves. It sets out to build goodwill and peace throughout the world. Marco Island has two Rotary Clubs. Each club’s president addresses the vision, goals and struggles of their term. Cindy Love, President Marco Island Noontime Rotary Club: “Rotary’s theme this year is ‘Building Communities and Bridging Continents.’ I personally relate well to the theme.   There are many ... Read More »

Most recently, CJ Henderson worked with a large real estate team in Naples. That was of course, until Chris Evensen, Team Leader /CEO of Keller Williams persuaded her that her talents were needed on Marco Island. “My personal goal as a productivity coach for Keller Williams is to bring agents businesses to the next level,” said CJ. “By empowering agents to build successful businesses through Coaching and Accountability, I will assist them in getting back to the basics of being proactive with buyers and sellers. I can help individual agents from personal goal setting to creating a business plan. Guiding ... Read More »

Christina Giordano, a local bird enthusiast, started her ‘Avian Encounters’ film series in July 2009. The idea was inspired during a trip to Epcot while seeing the fireworks show “Illuminations” at the end of the day. As though taking her cue directly from Walt Disney, Christina uses the highest level of technological sophistication. The first short film, Avian Encounters, was a compilation of photographs submitted by fellow bird enthusiasts through Christina’s Facebook page. When completed, she posted the film to YouTube. “I was surprised it immediately went viral!”   Once they saw the film, even more people started to ask to ... Read More »

The American Cancer Society held an ‘Early Bird Party’ at Stilt’s, located in the Marriott’s Crystal Shores. So why would someone want to party now for an event that won’t happen until 2011? “To pick a prime location for the camp-out,” said Vanessa Warner, Vice-Chair for the 2011 Relay for Life, while showing where the site plan was available for viewing. “The 2011 ACS Relay for Life will take place here on the beach. Teams that sign-up now get to choose a prime campsite around the track. Relay for Life works with teams.  Each team sets a goal and then ... Read More »

A couple of local fishermen walking along Cevlik beach in the Province of Hatay, near the Syrian border in Southern Turkey, came across a bloated dead body on August 16, 2010. On September 1, 2010 the Russian newspaper “Red Star” reported in a terse announcement from the Kremlin that  “Major General Yuri Ivanov, Deputy Head of GRU (Russian Military Intelligence Agency) had died in a ‘tragic swimming accident’ while on holiday in Latakia, Syria on August 8.” Nothing about this incident was reported in any USA newspapers to date, September 3, 2010. The death of such an important official of ... Read More »