Coastal Breeze News

Museum volunteers are extremely necessary as we continue to build the image of our magnificent museum. The CALUSA INDIANS lived on the island thousands of years ago. Their ARTIFACTS were found here in 1896. Most of these precious objects are now in the Smithsonian Institute. How To Get Our Artifacts Back THE DREAMERS conceived the idea of building a CALUSA INDIAN type museum Village. They built it and paid for it. THE VOLUNTEERS will keep the DREAM alive as they welcome visitors giving information, projecting a positive attitude that one day our ARTIFACTS will be returned. THE COMMITMENT- 3 hours ... Read More »

Everyone makes the team and everyone plays each game! Age levels: 7-9 years 10-11 years 12-14 years 14-17 years- must be in high school Location: Marco YMCA and Naples YMCA Program Cost: $50 Y members/ $90 community members Team registration through October 1, 2011 Program dates: October 10, 2011 to December 17,2011 Games held at the Naples YMCA and Naples Christian Academy Practices will be held at the Marco YMCA Games will always be on Saturdays Volunteer Coaches/ Team Sponsors welcome! For more information contact [email protected] Read More »

Tarik Ayasun If you pick up a map of the Middle East and see how tiny the State of Israel is; try looking at a map of the world and try and find Israel on it. This is a truly daunting task because Israel is indeed a very small yet very significant little democracy in the Middle East. In effect, it is the ONLY democracy, surrounded by countries run by dictators, kings, emirs and sultans. Israel is an ally of the United States and at the present time in grave danger of attack from her so called neighbors. Yet, the ... Read More »

Last week the Collier County Association for the Blind tossed a bingo party at the First United Methodist Church in Naples. In the first period, people from assisted living facilities attended, followed by a session for the general public and another set of games for residents of local assisted living homes. Refreshments were available and the prizes were spectacular. Cash awards up to a hundred dollars for several games as well as wonderful gift certificates from local merchants and restaurants. Everyone agreed that the event lived up to expectations, and we hope to repeat this in the spring of 2012. ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder The final millage rate that the city will use for tax revenues was lowered by city council on Monday, from the 2.07 that appeared on tax assesments, to 1.9592. If it seems incremental to property owners reading this, that’s because it is. The real difference lies not in the amount of money saved on a tax bill, according to city data, but in the impact to city funding: the difference between the rate the city budget was prepared under, 1.99, and last year’s rate of 1.89 is a difference of $722,745, according to city finance director Patricia ... Read More »

What do you get when you mix 100 pounds of spaghetti with 40 gallons of sauce and 1200 meatballs? The San Marco K of C Columbus Day Italian Dinner Party. The founder of the Knights of Columbus Father Michael J. McGivney chose Christopher Columbus as the Order’s patron. The Catholic Explorer, revered as a man of vision, courage and missionary spirit, enjoyed a good Italian meal. Come join the Knights from the San Marco Roman Catholic Church Council at the Parish Hall as we celebrate Columbus Day this coming October 10, 2011 starting at 5PM till 7PM with a great ... Read More »

Donna Fiala  The redistricting decisions have been made and voted on for Collier County. Marco Island made their voice heard and their wishes were granted. District One (Donna Fiala’s District) remains whole and intact. Actually, I don’t think any commissioner wanted to change that fact because I didn’t even have to fight to get Marco – they knew where Marco Islanders stood and they knew where I stood, and that there would be a fight to keep Marco in District One if they were thinking anything else………..but they weren’t. It seems all the commissioners were pleased with the outcome in ... Read More »

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and the Greater Marco Family YMCA is reminding parents about the importance of incorporating regular physical activity and healthier eating habits into their children’s lives. Childhood obesity rates have soared over the last few decades. Nationally, one in three children is obese or overweight. More alarming, obesity puts children at risk for chronic diseases often seen in adults, such as high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes. This health crisis sheds light on the need to provide children and their parents with the resources and the support they need, emphasizing ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus  I hereby propose the establishment of a new National Holiday to be known as Gleefully Liberate Our Possessions Day (GLOP). This holiday would apply to all American citizens, documented aliens and undocumented aliens living in the United States. It will be a joyous day for all, and extremely important for our country. Here’s how it works…virtually all of us have accumulated lots of things down through the years. By “things” I mean everything from really, really cheap plastic objects we bought at bargain prices in some foreign place like, say, New York. We probably secretly nourish a ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Local contractor, Allied Pavers has begun construction of the Veterans Memorial. Pavers are being engraved, while benches and flagpoles are waiting to be installed. “The Veterans Memorial should be complete in 45 days,” said Bryan Milk, Parks and Recreation Director and Interim City Planner. Bryan Milk, Steve Stefanides and Jim Hodgdon met onsite of the Memorial to check its progress. “Royal Palms have lined the perimeter for some time, but seeing it like this, you get a much better sense of the size and layout,” Steve commented. “We should all be proud of the City ... Read More »

Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children was established in 2001 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Family Day is a national movement that informs parents that the engagement during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. Family meals are the perfect time to talk to your kids and to listen to what’s on their mind. Start off with one day in mind where everyone can get together and expand from that point to goal of 3-4 days a week. Sit around a ... Read More »

By Marilyn Honahan As of press time, Paula Aldis was still waiting for a phone call from her husband, Chris, telling her the exact details of his arrival from Afghanistan. He was relaxing in an airport, having endured two delays on the trip so far. His comment, “Afghanistan is behind me.” His arduous return home is over multi-flights, multi-countries and multi-days. She and their two children were anxiously awaiting his next phone call. Chris will enjoy two weeks stateside, before returning to Afghanistan for five more months. By the time Coastal Breeze News is printed and hits the streets, Paula ... Read More »

By Jane A. Marlowe    The Jewish Congregation of Marco Island held an Open House on Sunday, September 18 to welcome back returning members, visitors and prospective congregants. Rabbi Edward Maline, D.D., chatted informally with his guests and leadership members were present to offer tours of the synagogue. Rabbi Maline noted that although a small congregation of some 200 families, the JCMI is very active, particularly during Season, thanks to the devotion of members who volunteer for all the spiritual and cultural events on their calendar. Sue Baum, a 12 year volunteer, along with her husband, Dr. Harold Baum, chatted ... Read More »

Naples, FL Kimberly “Kim” McIntosh has joined Gulf Coast Mortgage of Naples Inc. (GCM) as Vice President. In this role Kim will focus on educating her clients on the mortgage lending process and putting them in the right product to meet their financial goals and objectives. GCM specializes in customizing and closing every loan. GCM has been in Naples, Florida for over 10 years. The firm’s client base ranges from first time home buyers to jumbo financing, foreign investors or even out of the box borrowers who required short?term private money. Kim has been in the finance industry for over ... Read More »

Vickie Kelber  Although we have traveled semi independently in other areas of Eastern Europe, we had never been to Russia. Perhaps growing up in the days of the Cold War still resonated and influenced our decision to book a tour, albeit one that gave us quite a bit of free time, rather than seeing the country independently. Having now spent a few days in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, there is no question in my mind that we would have felt very comfortable negotiating these cities on our own. English is not readily spoken, but with a few words of ... Read More »

Nancy Richie As fellow coastal and island residents, there aren’t many places one can go along the Florida coast without seeing a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). There are seven species of pelicans in the world. Two inhabit North America – the White Pelican and the Brown Pelican. Standing two to four feet tall, with wingspans up to six to seven feet, tip to tip, the Brown Pelicans make their presence known on docks, at marinas and the beach in the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida; along the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia to the mouth of the Amazon River ... Read More »

Patricia Huff The court case requesting access to the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee resumed on September 15, following the first hearing on September 8. Early in the morning, a large crowd of supporters for the Smallwood Store gathered in front of the Collier County Courthouse. Many came from the east coast of Florida where they said the closure of Mamie Street was highlighted in the media. They were astonished that a developer could rip up the only access road to the historic Smallwood Museum. Also participating in the rally were musicians Valerie Wisecracker, JRoberts and Tom Porter (of Goodland) who ... Read More »

Natalie Strom  Panthers, bobcats and gators, oh my! The residents of Goodland may like to think that they are the dominant population in our tiny island village, yet recent wildlife encounters are beginning to prove otherwise. While many of these sightings are incredibly rare, they are, in my opinion, completely terrifying. Sighting #1 In a recent endeavor to get more exercise I have attempted, on at least three occasions, to ride my bike to Marco and back. While cruising along the Betty Bruno Path that leads in and out of Goodland, I, unfortunately, became aware of a new population among ... Read More »

Capt. Pete Rapps  Sometimes keeping up with all of the fishing regulation changes here in Florida are like tracking stocks. If you miss an update, it may cost you. The FWC updated their 2011 Gag Grouper Closure and Fall Harvest season regulations on August 30, 2011. Below is a short synopsis of the observations and updates obtained from their website at www.myfwc.com The latest stock assessment indicates that gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished and undergoing overfishing. NOAA Fisheries Service recently announced interim rules that prohibit recreational harvest of gag grouper in Gulf of Mexico federal waters ... Read More »

Frances Diebler As much as we wanted to explore more of the Dominican Republic, it was time to move on from the DR and make our way to Puerto Rico. Every morning the trade winds pipe up between 8AM and10AM and subside in the evening from the effects of the land. While in Luperon, the winds blew harder than usual in the harbor with 18-24 knot winds in the harbor for over a week. Finally, the Offshore Weather Report and our weather fax began to show a downward trend and we decided to make our move and sail directly to ... Read More »