Coastal Breeze News

CHEF’S TABLE Chef Anne Feinman [email protected] I love telling stories about cooking food. It comes natural to me, as food is essential to our humanity and our well-being and it affects all aspects of our lives. Some people may question the seriousness of writing about food. Most of us can go weeks without reading a book, watching a movie, or playing golf…. but I can’t imagine any of us going that long without food. More and more, cooking shows, cookbooks and magazines appear daily to educate and enhance our eating experiences. Food stories are important… they make us laugh, they make ... Read More »

ALL THAT GLITTERS Richard Alan [email protected] I hope to debunk wives tales and inform the misinformed in the next couple of issues about “all that glitters.” Also, always feel free to email any questions you may have about jewelry, diamonds or precious gems to [email protected] Falsehood #1… You can take a bunch of little diamonds and melt them together to make one large one. Diamonds are individual carbon crystals that take millions of years of pressure and high temperatures to form, one can burn a diamond and ruin its appearance but never melt one. It would be like melting two jet ... Read More »

SOUTHERN SKIES By Mike P. Usher [email protected] Tonight, Jupiter is very near the zenith (straight up); this is the best time to observe Jupiter with your binoculars. To be comfortable lie down in a pool chair, you can brace your elbows on the chair arms or chest to steady the binoculars. Through the binoculars you will be able to see the tiny disk of the planet itself and all four of the Galilean satellites. Io is by itself on the left side of the planet and on the right are Europa, Ganymede and Callisto moving outwards. The satellites are easy ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Artwork abounds at the Marco Island Farmers Market. Every Wednesday, from 7:30 AM until 2:00 PM, a mix of Florida’s finest artists set up booths amidst florists, food vendors, and vegetable stands at Veterans Park. A part of the cultural hub of Marco’s community, the Marco Island Center for the Arts sets up shop, showcasing multiple artists and mediums. The non-profit entity focuses on collaboration and education of the arts in all forms. Over 40 years ago, the Art League was formed on Marco Island. It found a home at 1010 Winterberry Drive and expanded over ... Read More »

Get wet? You bet! That’s the whole point of the famous swamp walks in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. The Friends of Fakahatchee have spaces available in their two remaining January Swamp Walks on Saturday, January 12 and Saturday, January 19. The walks through knee to waist high waters of the park are led by naturalists who are experts in the flora and fauna of the 80,000 acre state park. Fakahatchee Strand is called the “Amazon of North America” and is home to the famous ghost orchid and many other rare plants and animals. The walks begin promptly at ... Read More »

A yacht club tradition formally transferring responsibility, authority and accountability of yacht club leadership   The Marco Island Yacht Club today announced its 11th Annual Commodore’s Ball and Change of Watch will take place at the waterfront Club’s Harbor Dining Room the evening of Saturday, January 19, 2013. According to MIYC Membership Director Lisa Luft, yacht clubs use Change of Watch, a time-honored naval tradition, to formally transfer responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another and from one year to the next. The formal evening’s gala festivities begin with a cocktail hour at 6 pm followed by a ... Read More »

The first of Marco Presbyterian Church’s “Music for the Soul” Concert Series will be 6 p.m., Jan. 20 and will feature Marv Hollenbeck at the piano playing a potpourri of gospel, sacred and patriotic selections. The concert will be followed by a reception in the courtyard. Other concerts in the series are: Feb.17, contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and recording artist Nathan Clark George. His combination of melodic finger-style guitar, original compositions and time-honored hymns appeal to all ages. March 10 the organ and piano duo of Babs Hillenbrand and Marv Hollenbeck will play favorite hymn arrangements on the church’s grand instruments, ... Read More »

Marni Rhyne and her companion were the HOTBALL winners at Sunday’s Bingo at the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island. Bingo is being played every Monday. Doors open at 5:30 PM. The Public is welcome! Read More »

Beginning on January 27, the cost of a one-ounce, First-Class postage stamp will increase by one penny, to 46 cents. The new 46 cent Forever stamps will allow customers to mail letters to any location in the United States. Forever stamps are always good for mailing a one-ounce letter anytime in the future regardless of price changes. Procrastinators who haven’t sent their annual holiday greetings will want to stock up on Forever stamps at the 45 cent rate prior to the rate change. The Postal Service will also introduce a First-Class Mail Global Forever Stamp. The new stamp will allow customers ... Read More »

I-75: Recreational access area (east of Firewater Canal) on Alligator Alley:Construction project — Crews are building a recreational access facility that includes a boat ramp and parking lot with fencing and lighting. Work involves widening and resurfacing the facility’s roadway, making drainage improvements, and adding intelligent transportation system components and a high-tension cable barrier system on I-75 in this area. Crews will have daily lane closures from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on northbound I-75 in the vicinity of mile marker 52, weather permitting. Work includes widening as well as milling and resurfacing the mainline. This will affect the northbound lanes ... Read More »

$1,200 offered by the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections Jennifer J. Edwards, Collier County Supervisor of Elections is currently accepting applications for the 2013 Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections (FSASE) “Jimmy Whitehouse” Scholarship. The scholarship offers $1,200 to eligible Florida residents enrolled or accepted as full-time students in a senior college or university in Florida. To be eligible, applicants must be Political Science, Public or Business Administration, or Journalism/Mass Communication majors who have finished two years of junior college or undergraduate work. Students should also demonstrate a financial need. The scholarship application and guidelines are available ... Read More »

21st Century Oncology – the nation’s premier cancer treatment network and largest radiation therapy provider – is pleased to announce that Board Certified Gynecologic Oncologist James Orr, M.D., FACOG, FACS has been chosen to serve as Vice Chair of the Florida Board of Medicine. “It is a great honor to be appointed Vice Chair to the Florida Board of Medicine, notably because the selection is a reflection of the impressions of my peer members on the board,” says Dr. Orr. “The position allows me the opportunity to continue the important work of improving the efficiency, effectiveness and fairness of the ... Read More »

A delegation from Civil Air Patrol will ring the opening bell Friday at the New York Stock Exchange. Led by CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr, a group of about 20 CAP representatives, including cadets, will be on the stock exchange podium at 9:30 a.m. EST to officially start trading. The opening bell ceremony provides a platform to generate international exposure for CAP, which provides emergency services – like search and rescue for downed planes and missing people and disaster relief to communities throughout the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, ... Read More »

To start 2013 on a positive note, MIPO would like to take this opportunity to clear up any misconception about its mission and charter. Simply stated, our endeavor is to be ADVOCATES for ALL owners; condo, single family home and business alike. Come join us on January 17, 10 AM, at Mackle Park to hear how MIPO plans to accomplish this on your behalf. Kindly RSVP to [email protected] as seating is limited to 200 and a large turn out is expected. Please help us help YOU by completing our first annual MIPO Survey available on www.marcoislandpropertyowners.com. It is an opportunity to have YOUR opinion heard. We take our lead from ... Read More »

– Target Dates of January 10-17 – Resource management staff at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve have released plans for their firstprescribed burns in 2013. Weather permitting, prescribed fires will commence around 9:00 am Thursday, January 10 through January 16 along Shell Island Road and the Tower Road/Barefoot Williams area. For a map of the precise locations please clickhere. Residents of adjacent areas will see and possibly smell smoke from the fire, and fire activities may temporarily inconvenience motorists along Shell Island Road. Fire personnel will contact visitors in the area to ensure their safety while traveling near activity areas and will carefully monitor the fire throughout the day until ... Read More »

Join us for a really unique “Olde Florida” treat. The Friends of Fakahatchee are hosting Coastal Cruises through the mysterious mangroves of the Ten Thousands Island. On the way, you will probably see dolphins cavorting with the tour boat. When you arrive at Fakahatchee Island, a naturalist will point out unusual plants on the path up the ancient shell mound to the old cemetery. On the return journey, the boat passes by a famous rookery where the birds will be settling down for the evening. We might think of “Fakahatchee” as a swamp with Ghost Orchids and Florida Panthers but to ... Read More »

What do homemade soup and handmade ceramic bowls have in common? They’re being featured at the Saturday, January 26 Empty Bowls event being held at Cambier Park, Naples. The Naples community is gearing up to participate in the sixth annual event, which will take place between 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event is an annual fund raiser for the Harry Chapin Food Bank. For a $10 donation, those attending can select a handmade ceramic bowl and sample from at least 38 tasty soups. Not only would the selected bowl be a wonderful, useful item in the home, but the ... Read More »

The Florida scrub-jay becomes more threatened each day as encroaching destroys its habitat. To create more awareness, AuthenticFlorida.com, has joined forces with Oscar Scherer State Park and Clyde Butcher, Jack Perkins and Jeff Klinkenberg to present “Authentic Florida Meets Real Florida.”This special event is January 18, 2013, 10-11:30 a.m., at the Girl Scout Event Conference Center, 4740 Cattlemen Road in Sarasota. Emmy Award-winner and author Jack Perkins will serve as master of ceremonies. Special guest speakers include the renown local photographer, Clyde Butcher, widely considered the “Ansel Adams” of Florida, and journalist and author Jeff Klinkenberg. Sponsored by AuthenticFlorida.com, tickets are $30 per person. ... Read More »

“Twenty years! It seems like yesterday that we began the joyous hard work creating the dream of Big Cypress Gallery in a setting surrounded by the peace of over a million acres of wilderness. The public has been a big part of that dream, and we invite everyone to join with us as we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our Big Cypress Gallery” Clyde will be in the gallery all three days to greet guests and autograph books from 10am-5pm. This rare opportunity to meet the photographer will also feature family friendly activites throughout the weekend including speakers throughout the day: Rangers from ... Read More »

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners is seeking applications for positions on several advisory committees. The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee currently has three vacancies representing the following: Employers in Local Jurisdiction (Term expires on October 1, 2014); Labor Actively Engaged in Home Building (Term expires October 1, 2015); and Alternate Member. One of the above must be a resident of Immokalee. This is an 11-member committee created by Ordinance No.91?65, as amended, to monitor the implementation of the Affordable Housing Task Force’s recommendations, and the goals, objectives, and policies of the Housing Elements of the County’s Growth Management Plan and the ... Read More »