Coastal Breeze News

Who was Marjory Stoneman Douglas? Well, if you don’t know, or if you want to know more, about this extraordinary conservationist who lived for 108 year (no, it’s not a typo, she was born in 1890 and died in 1998), here’s a new book that summarizes her life and the issues that concerned her. Recent residents and visitors to south Florida will appreciate the background information – colonial history in the state and Miami, early drainage schemes which lead to land booms, and the depressing neglect of our precious environment in more recent years. It all leads up to what ... Read More »

The first commercial airline carried passengers from St. Pete to Tampa in 1941, only 11 years after the Wright Brothers first flew! And, in 1923, the Ta-Miami Air Line started operations between Tampa and Miami, in the same year that construction of the road was begun across the Glades. Air history goes on. In the 1930’s, Opa-Locka was opened as a Naval air base; Eastern and Pan Am were founded. Newspapers were flown to Sanibel by seaplane in the 1939 “Dawn Patrol”. World War II training bases sprang up in Southwest Florida’s clement climate at Fort Myers, Buckingham, Clewiston and ... Read More »

This column is the opinion of a 3-year-old African Grey Parrot named “Simba” who has an extremely high intelligence level.  While he does not possess a degree from any college or university, he does have a strong opinion of himself and feels that he is the best candidate to answer the complex questions of today’s discerning pets…and the humans they own… Dear Simba: With the New Year and season in full swing, I hear people making New Year’s resolutions.  Some of them are achievable and some of them are quite farfetched.  I have even found myself making the same New ... Read More »

by Lou Thibeault Creating ball flight Loft and getting the ball to fly high is a result of swinging the club head down and contacting the ball on the downswing. A downward blow creates a backspin which in turn produces lift. The golf club goes in an upward motion on the backswing, reaches the top of the swing and starts downward until it reaches the bottom of the area where it begins to travel upward. When a person fails to meet the ball on the downswing or at the bottom of the swing, the club head starts upward and contacts ... Read More »

by Joan Tailele Copyright by Columbus Rose, LTD, 2010 New York Oliver Stone served his country in Vietnam before he became an assassin for the most powerful country on the planet, and he thought all of that was behind him. A summons from Pennsylvania Ave would bring him out of retirement, but it was not the mission that ended up putting him back in harm’s way. A pleasant evening in Lafayette Park literally imploded in his face. Stone’s keen senses alerted him that something was awry when he observed four unrelated people lingering in the park. It was unusual for ... Read More »

Mark your calendars for February 26th! A limited number of seats are available for the Hope Ball benefitting the Marco Island Chapter of the American Cancer Society. This grand event is to be held at The Marco Island Historical Museum. The ball will have a special featured guest, Mr. Nicholas Sparks, the NY Times best-selling author (multiple times)! Mr. Sparks will attend the event to help raise money for kids with cancer programs, better known as the R.O.C.K. The ACS is excited and humbled to have such a well known speaker attend the event. Mr. Sparks wrote “A Walk to ... Read More »

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Thank you for Community Support, I would like to thank everyone that bought a raffle ticket for Keratin Complex smoothing treatment in support of the Marco Island Kiwanis project giving toys to kids at Christmas. With the $558.00 dollars that was raised through this raffle, 150 toys were purchased at Kmart with a 10% discount. 1st prize winner of the raffle was Jamie Shea, 2nd place was Mike, and 3rd place winner was Cindy Kellet. Toys were distributed at Manatee School on December 15. The Kiwanis raised $10,000 dollars to purchase Christmas toys for kids this year! We had 75 ... Read More »

by Donna Fiala The newest Collier County museum has opened at the Naples Depot, this one focusing on transportation. It features trains (naturally), canoes from the past, a swamp buggy from the early days, cars, and airlines. The private ribbon cutting and grand opening was attended by many local dignitaries and officials including the City Manager of Marco Island, Jim Riviere and his wife, and many of our own Marco Island historians such as Jon & Sonja Laidig (the benefactors of the Marco Island Museum), Kris Helland, Alan & Linda Sandlin, Helmut & Hildegard Nickel, to name only a few. ... Read More »

by Jim Prange Surprise! Since 2007 sales of homes, lots and condos on Marco Island have increased. By 2010 a recovery had started, as witnessed by the number of closed sales from January through April on Marco Island. Compared to the same months in 2009, they were up dramatically…almost 2 to 1! There was one setback period following the Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster on April 20, 2010. The number of closings dropped substantially from May through November. But, that has been turning around. Each year, people start coming down as early as October. October buyers typically do not ... Read More »

by Dr. Mary Kay Peterson When Breast Cancer Awareness rolled around the corner last October, Radiology Regional Center’s new service, Mobile Mammo, did the same. Mobile Mammo is state of the art digital mammography that eliminates some barriers by making breast healthcare screening faster and more convenient for women. Based on census data, of approximately 204,000 women of the age to be screened, only 50,000 women receive this preventative healthcare. More than 50 years of data prove the benefits of mammography in early detection and improved survival for early caught breast cancers. RRC, in its continued commitment to providing quality, ... Read More »

by Carol Glassman Have you ever wondered exactly how your hard-earned donation dollars are put to work? The Cancer Alliance of Naples (CAN) deals with heartbreaking situations almost on a daily basis. This grassroots organization helps cancer patients by assisting them with their everyday expenses so that they can continue with treatments. Sometimes the public hears of these stories but does not really relate to them. On Thursday, January 27, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the CAN is sponsoring a fundraiser, Wine, Women, and Shoes at the Naples Hilton. It’s a fun, fashion and food event with Shoe Guys ... Read More »

by Craig Woodward The year 2010 is now concluded, and as one looks back, it is sad to reflect on the incredible loss of so many of Marco’s leaders, community and business titans. We are closing not only another decade, but also closing a chapter on Marco’s recent history, and it leaves one to wonder if the large void left by these larger-than-life leaders can really be adequately filled? Looking back, we review a group of citizens who left a legacy here, each in their own way, making our island a better place to live. The most recent to pass, ... Read More »

by Lisa Wood With a vast array of artistic endeavors to his credit, Marco Island artist Stan Saran views his body of work in several diverse arenas as part of a bigger scope. He revels in the creative process regardless of the medium. “It’s all art,” he says. While many Marco residents know Mr. Saran for his glasswork, few people realize that his talent is exhibited in many forms, not the least of which was as fashion designer on New York City’s 7th Avenue. An upcoming fashion show featuring pieces from one of his collections has fashion design once again ... Read More »

By Joan Kelly Seventy nine people attended the Senior Living Symposium at Marco Lutheran on January 7th to learn about life choices from 19 presenters. The program was organized by parish Nurse Gail Cacciola. The emphasis was on making choices early. Keynote speaker Steve Edmonston, MA, a family consultant at Alzheimer’s Support Network, pointed out that people often wait too long to make life plans. All presenters agreed. Everyone wants to stay at home for as long as possible but that takes planning. A person with a written preference plan and legal documents (will, living will, etc.) avoids many problems ... Read More »

It was billed simply as ”Safety Awareness Day,” but those who were at Veterans Park on Saturday, January 8th, can attest that it was an eye-opener. Dozens of government and private organizations were there to demonstrate what they do to prevent disaster, provide response if disaster occurs, and furnish emergency services in disaster aftermath for affected or injured persons. It was a powerful display. From across the spectrum, participants included Marco Island’s superb Fire and Police Departments, Collier County’s Sheriff’s office, including the SWAT team, the United States Coast Guard, Florida Highway Patrol, Marco Island’s Police and Fire Department Foundations, ... Read More »

by Frances Diebler We have had the privilege of visiting Nassau, Bahamas several times. Nassau is on the island of New Providence. Each time was as exciting and fun filled as the last. You should never get tired of visiting this vivacious city which is a combination of a modern city as well as the center of Bahamian culture. Most cruise ships to the Bahamas pull into Nassau Harbor, the capitol city, and disembark. From here you are on your own. Nassau is a shopper’s paradise. There are many name brand stores in downtown Nassau. Duty free shops are all ... Read More »

by Tara O’Neill For me there really is nothing like hearing those 3 little words: Wet Paint Live! This is an event that other painters from the area and I look forward to every year – it’s fun and fine art, my friends, with good-deed-doing on top! Wet Paint Live! begins with local artists painting at various outdoor venues and finishes with a live auction and cocktail party at the Art League, Marco Island’s Center for the Arts. It’s a scholarship fundraiser that in the past has awarded thousands of dollars to local students – and it continues to grow ... Read More »

by Jane Marlowe Gay Lindquist has many titles: wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, college professor, cancer survivor, author. We met recently in a Naples skilled nursing facility where both our husbands are recovering from serious health crises. Her quiet, devoted concern for her husband impressed me and we began to share a little of our lives with each other. I was intrigued to learn that she had written a book, published in 2010, about her own struggle with illness more than a decade ago and was pleased when she provided me with a copy. Gay’s book describes her journey through the ... Read More »

by Mike P. Usher Tonight Sirius has climbed well into the sky; it’s the brightest star in the sky as well as in its constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog. Canis Major is usually associated with Orion as one of his hunting dogs; it appears to be chasing Lepus the hare. There are quite a few other animals nearby tonight; Monoceros the unicorn, Columbia the dove, Cancer the crab and Canis Minor the little dog. Both Cancer and Monoceros are excessively faint constellations, quite difficult to pick out, although Cancer has a fine star cluster for binoculars as a reward ... Read More »