ORGANIZERS OF THE Music & Arts Festival would have us believe that there’s magic in the 800-acre oak and pine tree-covered site that they’ve named Sunshine Grove
JoAnne Russell’s athletic resume bursts with big-time tennis achievements. She was Wimbledon doubles champ in 1977 and was ranked as high as No. 22 in the world in singles in 1983 and now teaches tennis at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples.
That’s not her only sport. Ms. Russell, 61, also plays pickleball.
According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the future of the republic teeters in the balance. Unless the United States Senate bows to the will of President Barack Obama and approves his replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, everything we hold dear will be lost.
Maybe you have seen the commercial on cable television. It features movie star Jennifer Aniston. She is 40,000 feet aloft in an airplane, on her way to some faraway destination that requires many hours of flight. We know she is suffering the consequences of her arduous trip.
History exists not in one, but in two places: the past, and at the point of the plow that cuts the hard dirt of what’s to come. It rolls up fragrant and new like dark soil from the furrows of each deed and every thought shared by any of us with all of us.
The Community Foundation of Collier County and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation host the second annual giving day in Collier County starting at noon Monday, Feb. 29, and ending at 11:59 a.m. Tuesday, March 1. Give Where You Live is an effort to give Collier County nonprofits a much-needed boost with donations and a $400,000 matching fund.
Last weekend, someone knocked as I was organizing the kid detritus in our entryway.
I was immediately suspicious. We had barely moved in and hadn’t had the opportunity to offend anyone yet. Come to think of it, however, the soccer ball had been sitting in the front yard for a few days, and in our old neighborhood that might have raised eyebrows.
“The New College Guide: How to Get In, Get Out and Get a Job” is a workshop offered by the Office of Continuing Education & Off-Campus Programs at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Hodges University invites students, alumni and the public to a job fair and open house from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in the John White Community Room in the Stock Building on the Naples campus.
The Naples Press club invites Collier County high school seniors who plan to pursue studies in the field of journalism to apply for the club’s journalism scholarship. The $1,000 award is renewable annually for recipients who continue to meet the scholarship’s criteria.
First Baptist Academy hosts a Christian College Fair from 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, March 2, at First Baptist Church in Naples. All are welcome to meet representatives from approximately 20 Christian colleges/universities and to attend a 10:15 a.m. presentation about college financial aid.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of Feb. 29-March 4:
Monday, Feb. 29
Vanderbilt Beach and Goodlette- Frank roads: Speeding
U.S. 41 North and Pelican Bay Boulevard: Speeding
Pine Ridge and Livingston roads: Red-light running
There is a little piece of plastic that goes in between a smartphone and the portable credit card reader to cradle it and keep it in place. This is a simple idea that is a relatively inexpensive accessory, and it is only appreciated by a select few who have heavy usage. What does it have to do with the SUV seen here? More than you might think.
Channeling George Carlin
AARP offers classes to help older drivers learn about new traffic laws, refresh their driving skills and reduce their risk for tickets and accidents. Drivers over age 55 might be eligible for a discount on auto insurance.
Local author and mental health advocate Deena Baxter is making presentations at venues throughout Southwest Florida and beyond for the “Surviving Suicide & Sudden Loss Project.” Here are the next two:
¦ 3-4 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at Unity Church of Bonita Springs. Attendance is free and open to all. No registration is necessary.
The Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida has started a support group for gay, lesbian, transgender and questioning adults. Sessions are from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday at MHASWFL headquarters in the Mooring Professional Building, 2335 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 404, in Naples.
Group leader Reid Kirchhoff says the goals are for participants to:
Beth Tikvah of Naples invites the public to “Unraveling Your DNA: What You Need to Know About It” from 7-9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, at 1459 Pine Ridge Road. Attendees will hear the latest information and what to ask their health-care provider about what genes can tell us about ourselves and our families in relation to diagnosing and treating various diseases.
DNA results show that shelter workers are often mistaken when they label a dog as a pit bull, with potentially devastating consequences for the dogs, a new University of Florida study has found.
Fibromyalgia is a long-term (chronic) pain condition that affects 5 million or more Americans ages 18 and older. For unknown reasons, most people diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women, although men and children also can be affected. People with certain disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may also have fibromyalgia, which can affect their disease course and treatment.
Lee County’s politicians found themselves darting around their duties last week like alarmed fish in a little bowl.
While Lee County struggles to identify money that will pay for growth, continually fine-tuning the planning dial like a person aiming to capture a weak radio signal, in Collier County officials still use the rule of thumb once also embraced in Lee: Growth pays for growth.
“Charlotte county revenue sources (for transportation and infrastructure) include gas taxes, sales tax money and impact fees,” explains Brian Gleason, the county’s communications manager.
“We also get money from the state of Florida and the federal government for state and federal highways.
In the blink of an eye, we’ve gone from opening combat jobs to women to Republican presidential candidates endorsing registering women for a draft.
Hide your daughters — our deluded and cowardly political elites are a clear and present danger to common sense.
Say what you will about Bernie Sanders (and I will: he is an inveterate backbencher who has spent 25 years in Congress, 16 in the House of Representatives and nine in the Senate, with an almost zero record of accomplishment), the crusty senator from Vermont has thrown Hillary Clinton for a loop.
Nothing has changed since 2013, when a version of this column first appeared.
To fix the water catastrophe now taking place both east and west of Lake Okeechobee, somebody is going to have to suffer.
Maybe it is just me, but I think we are witnessing the full-blown emergence of two different universes. They exist parallel to one another in American politics. Though they co-exist side by side as separate realities, they are bound together by the gravitational pull of their origins in American democracy.
Leigh Benoliel and her partner Blaine East opened Paradise Wine in the Pavilion Shopping Center last fall.
Investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author Edwin Black will present four talks for the public in Southwest Florida as a guest of the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida.
Mr. Black has written 11 books, numerous articles and scholarly papers on topics such as the Holocaust, human rights, corporate criminality and academic fraud.
Intelligent design
After a spirited weekend featuring the best wines produced worldwide and cuisine from the country’s top chefs, the 16th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival generated $11.1 million during at its live auction, bringing the total amount raised since the festival’s inception in 2001 to more than $146 million.
Former Minnesota Lt. Gov. Jim Goetz, center in back row, has been elected president of Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums. The association represents 68 condominiums on and near Gulf Shore Boulevard North. Shown with Mr. Goetz are some of his fellow officers and board members. Front row: David Feight, vice president; Betty Troller, F.E.
The Collier County Bar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Collier County Bar Association, has selected the Neighborhood Health Clinic as its charity for the 2016 season. This is the first year that proceeds from all CCBF events will be donated to just one charitable organization.
The Boston Red Sox have a number of events scheduled to kick off the 2016 spring training season as well as a new team addition fans are sure to love.
A new Red Sox mascot, Tessie the Green Monster, joins her older brother Wally at JetBlue Park this season. Tessie lives with her parents inside the park’s Green Monster wall.
¦ The Neapolitan Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America presents its bi-annual “The Art of Needlework: An Exhibit of Contemporary Embroidery” Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 18-20, in the auditorium at Moorings Park. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff ’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of Feb. 22-26:
Monday, Feb. 22
Golden Gate and Collier boulevards: Aggressive driving
Oil Well and Immokalee roads: Red-light running
Davis and Santa Barbara boulevards: Red-light running
Cadillac is an iconic American brand with an American sense of luxury.
So even when it comes time to build a super sedan in the style that’s been made popular by the Europeans, Caddy still does it on its own terms.
The heart of the Cadillac CTS-V is in great muscle car tradition of stuffing the largest motor in the corporate family into the engine bay.
¦ The sixth annual Walk For Wishes 5K Walk/Run to benefit Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida steps out Saturday morning, Feb. 27, at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida has started a new support group for gay, lesbian, transgender and questioning adults. Sessions are from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday at MHASWFL headquarters in the Mooring Professional Building, 2335 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 404, in Naples.
Group leader Reid Kirchhoff says the goals are for participants to:
Discovered only in the 1990s, micro RNAs are short molecules that work within virtually all cells. Typically, each one functions as a “dimmer switch” for the expression of one or more genes, regulating a wide variety of cellular processes, including learning and memory.
IN 1983, JESSE JACKSON UNDERTOOK an ill-advised run for the Democratic presidential nomination, which was to be conferred the next year at the party’s national convention in San Francisco.
The headline unfurled like a banner across a recent article appearing in the business section of the daily newspaper. It read, “Florida — The Future is Here.” The story announces Enterprise Florida Inc.’s newest branding initiative.
Commercial airline service returns to Naples Municipal Airport later this month when Elite Airways begins flights to and from Newark, N.J., and Portland, Me. Beginning Feb. 27, Elite will offer weekly non-stop flights to Newark and twice-weekly flights to Newark via the Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB), and to Portland via Orlando Melbourne International
Airport (MLB) as follows:
Less than one month after the attacks of Sept. 11, a senior FBI official, Ronald Dick, told the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, “Due to the vital importance of water to all life forms…
We live in the age of working-class discontent, which, if it wasn’t obvious before, has been made plain by the passions roiling 2016 presidential politics.
Just like my favorite football team, the Denver Broncos, during Super Bowl 50, sea turtles are a winner, as their nesting numbers are trending upward. I recently attended the sea turtle permit holders meeting in Jacksonville, where basically a lot of people gathered to talk turtles and discuss the 2015 highlights and players of the year.
A sad thing about growing older is watching musical acts from your youth disappear from the media stream that brought them into your life. It’s a sad day when you realize that not only do you have crow’s feet, but also that No Doubt released an album a year earlier and you didn’t even know about it.
Avow invites the community to its annual butterfly release Saturday, March 26, at Cambier Park. Festivities begin at 10 a.m. and include children’s activities and a walk-through butterfly exhibit showcasing hundreds of live butterflies.
Spring training is right around the corner, and the Boston Red Sox have a number of events scheduled to kick off the 2016 season as well as a new team addition fans are sure to love.
A new Red Sox mascot, Tessie the Green Monster, joins her older brother Wally at JetBlue Park this season. Tessie lives with her parents inside the park’s Green Monster wall.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of Feb. 15-19:
Monday, Feb. 15
The Jeep Cherokee of the 1980s was one of those vehicles that instantly clicked with buyers. It gave them a convenient size while avoiding the stigma of driving their parent’s station wagon. That issue has now come full circle as the next generation of family drivers who are trying to avoid SUVs that carted them around as youngsters.
AARP offers classes to help older drivers learn about new traffic laws, refresh their driving skills and reduce their risk for tickets and accidents. Drivers over age 55 might be eligible for a discount on auto insurance.
Frontiers of fashion
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a striking signature in tumor DNA that occurs in five different types of cancer. They also found evidence that this signature might be present in many more types of cancer.
¦ Pilot Club of Naples/Naples Pilot Foundation meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at Perkins on Pine Ridge Road.. The next meeting is Feb. 11. Guests and new members are always welcome. Reservations are not required. Attendees order from the menu and pay for their meals.
Beth Tikvah of Naples invites the public to “Unravelling Your DNA: What You Need to Know About It” from 7-9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, at 1459 Pine Ridge Road. Attendees will hear the latest information and what to ask their health-care provider about what genes can tell us about ourselves and our families in relation to diagnosing and treating various diseases.
Physicians Regional Healthcare System has entered into a lease for 8,000 square feet of medical office space near the intersection of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and U.S. 41 on Thomasson Drive in East Naples.
Physicians Regional Healthcare System hosts free lectures and educational events as follows:
¦ Lake Park Elementary School hosts its 31st annual walk-a-thon and silent auction Saturday morning, Feb. 20. The walk steps off from the school campus at 8 a.m. and proceeds through The Naples Zoo. The fun continues with carnival games, food vendors and a silent auction. Admission is free.
Keeper did not want me to even lift his lip to look at his teeth, and his breath was terrible. It had been only six months since his last dental exam and cleaning, but clearly something was wrong.
Hey, you there, reading the paper, get up. There’s stuff to do.
Nobody in recorded Southwest Florida history had ever experienced what all residents just endured — a January with nearly 13 inches of rain.
Imagine for a moment your tap water was the color of a rusty nail. It tasted terrible, it smelled like the bottom of your garbage can and bathing in it gave you a rash. Imagine if your kids manifested health and behavioral issues subsequent to the changes in the water.
At the moment, the Republican establishment is relevant to the presidential-nomination battle only as an epithet.
Many of us migrated to the Paradise Coast to enjoy the clean air, the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding pristine beauty. With continuing development, we need to balance our growth with a concern for maintaining the environment. Will our water be clean? Will we have enough?
PARK CITY, Utah – A Houston grand jury returned a surprise indictment last week. It was tasked with investigating videos that purported to expose Planned Parenthood for selling the body parts of aborted fetuses.
The Community Foundation of Collier County has partnered with the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation to host the second annual giving day in Collier County. Starting at noon Monday, Feb. 29, and ending at 11:59 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, Give Where You Live is an effort to give 40 Collier County nonprofits a much- needed boost with donations and a $400,000 matching fund.
A framed “Hotel California” album signed by band members of the Eagles, dinner and wine for eight by Chef Brian Roland, a Sun Valley retreat and a limited edition Stars Wars poster signed by the actors are a sampling of silent auction items offered for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida’s 12th annual gala, A Choice Affair.
Gross. Disgusting. Ugly. Smelly.
When people use these words in response to my query about what they think about vultures — and more often than not, they do — I make it a personal mission to change their minds.
Jeannie and Christopher Smith have been awarded the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s highest honor, the Eagle Award, for their contributions and commitment to the protection of Southwest Florida’s natural resources. Rob Moher, Conservancy president, and Lynn Slabaugh, board chair, presented the award at the recent annual meeting.
Newest fashionistas
The Naples chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society offers field trips, presentations and workshops throughout the season. Reservations are required for field trips and workshops; lectures are open to all without reservations. Here’s what’s coming up:
We are fortunate to have one of the world’s largest automobile auctions taking place in our backyard. After all, even if you’re not a bidder, having more than 3,000 vehicles in one place is still one heck of a car show. But this year there’s more to the story than just volume; it’s also about diversity.
Dr. Massoud Eghrari and his late wife, Isabella, knew from their personal experiences how grueling it could be to pursue an education and career. So, in addition to funding scholarships for education through The Immokalee Foundation, they established scholarships for $500 each that students could use for whatever they wished.
Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary marks World Wetlands Day with a festival of learning and fun from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. The day commemorates the 1971 signing of an intergovernmental treaty called the Ramsar Convention, held in Ramsar, Iran. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was honored as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention in 2010.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of Feb. 8-12:
Monday, Feb. 8
Immokalee and Rock roads: Speeding
Golden Gate Parkway at I-75 southbound exit: Red-light running
Pine Ridge Road and Napa Boulevard: Aggressive driving
Couples who attempt to conceive within three months after losing an early pregnancy, defined as less than 20 weeks gestation, have the same chances, if not greater, of achieving a live birth than those who wait for three months or more, according to a National Institutes of Health study.
