All dog owners do it. We get nose-to-nose with our four-legged best friend and in that special “dog talk” voice beg the question: “Who’s the best boy in the world?”
Wouldn’t you love to have a portrait of that extreme close-up of your canine companion’s wet snout, wide eyes and goofy face just bursting with love and admiration for you?
Attorneys and contractors are using the law to squeeze inflated homeowners insurance claims from insurance companies, causing premiums to surge and endangering the state’s catastrophic insurer.
Like a gunfighter who could shoot with both hands, Bill Cornwell mastered the two most coveted skills in writing: On the one hand, he gave you clarity, simplicity and telling detail harnessed effortlessly to a compelling story. On the other, he served up an intimate charm and wit typically associated with great conversationalists, somehow magically conveyed in print.
Powerful political imagery has a long and valued tradition in American history. When a marriage of opportunity weds a symbol to a political cause, it becomes more than the sum of its parts. Recent examples include those hot pink hats with pussycat ears sported by millions of participants on the day of the Women’s March on Washington.
With U.S. missiles flying in Syria, the “mother of all bombs” exploding in Afghanistan and an aircraft carrier strike group heading toward North Korea, has there been a revolution in President Donald Trump’s foreign policy?
Naples Historical Society celebrates the first decade of The Norris Gardens at Historic Palm Cottage with free admission to both the cottage and gardens from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Following the open house/garden hours, the Naples Dixieland Jazz Band will perform in the gardens. Admission to the concert, which is part of the Stay in May program of performances, is $17.
Michael Simonik, executive director of Humane Society Naples, has informed the organization’s board of directors of his plan to retire at the end of July 2017.
Iberiabank hosts another paper-shredding party from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 29, at the branch at 775 Airport- Pulling Road. Residents and small business owners are invited to dispose of outdated bank statements, checks, contracts, junk mail and other documents in a safe and secure manner. Shredding services will be complements of Shred-It secure document destruction services.
Training day
Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series on how Harvard University researchers are tackling the problematic issues of aging.
Catch it early.
Is your dog or cat itching and scratching uncontrollably?
Recent wildfires in Golden Gate Estates have prompted the Florida Department of Health in Collier County to caution the public about the health effects of wildfire smoke as a respiratory irritant. Smoke can cause scratchy throat, coughing, headaches or irritated eyes and nose, and can also worsen asthma and other chronic lung or heart conditions.
AH, THE DAYS OF “SEASON” HAVE FLOWN. So, too, have many of our beloved snowbirds, those part- time Florida residents who boost Florida’ s economy exponentially in our winter months. But snowbirds’ commitment to Florida’s economy doesn’t necessarily end at the close of tourist season.
“Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away…” — The Go Gos
Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and stress free, but the planning that goes into one can be exhausting exasperating.
To adopt or foster a pet
Jim Henderson believes firmly in the power of the sun.
Hodges University’s Johnson School of Business recently inducted 14 students and six university administrators, faculty and staff members into its Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society at the ninth annual induction ceremony on the Naples campus.
Variable annuities can seem like ideal solutions for retirement income, but their drawbacks typically outweigh their benefits.
Back in fall 2013, I bought a bunch of stock in networking software specialist Extreme Networks. It looked good at first.
A couple of months later, I saw that some insiders were selling off stock. I did nothing. That was really dumb. Within a week, the stock tanked — and then a few weeks later, it tanked again on weak earnings and a new CFO being named.
Q: What’s a company’s “capital allocation”?
— B. R., Sioux City, Iowa
WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD “FISH,” YOU expect a creature that looks like a snook or a grouper or any one of a gazillion species here in Southwest Florida. But sawfish … well, they look like something else entirely. They resemble a shark (and are, actually, in the same family as sharks, skates and rays) — with one major difference.
America’s military personnel have found themselves in harm’s way in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last 16 years, their battlefield experiences documented for the home front through video, pictures and the written word.
For the third straight year, the Florida legislature has punted on fracking. No decision was made — not to ban outright, not to regulate or even to study the possible damage, if any, it might cause.
Lawmakers in Tallahassee are half-way through the 60-day legislative session. The state’s annual business agenda is supposed to be completed by May 5, but don’t count on it. The House and Senate have not yet reached agreement on major legislative proposals pending; and the deadline is fast approaching to get the state’s future year budget approved.
The circumstantial evidence is mounting that the Kremlin succeeded in infiltrating the U.S. government at the highest levels.
Girls. We have girls in the pool, in the bathrooms, in the yard. They plunder makeup, raid the pantry, excite the dog and scream. My God, the screaming.
Naples Botanical Garden invites visitors to bring donations for the Salvation Army food bank all day Saturday, April 29. Garden members who do so will receive one free adult admission for an accompanying friend; non-members will enjoy $5 off the price of regular admission ($14.95 for adults, $9.95 for ages 4-14, free for ages 3 and younger).
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Friends of Rookery Bay are looking for volunteers to help with a number of projects and programs.
Docents are needed to help with educational and school programs.
College and high-school students are welcome to sign up for summer duties, many related to children’s activities.
GenShoah SWFL holds a Holocaust Remembrance Day service at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 23, at Temple Shalom, at 4630 Pine Ridge Road. All are welcome.
Try, try again
True to its name, the Naples Children & Education Foundation recently awarded $200,000 for children’s education to The Immokalee Foundation. The grant was among the awards given to local charities and long-term initiatives for underprivileged children from proceeds of the 17th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival, which took place in January.
The office of the Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Courts invites the public to learn about tax deed sales and foreclosure sales during a free seminar from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at Naples Regional Library, 650 Central Ave.
Collier Freedom and the Collier County Democratic Party present two 60th anniversary benefit screenings of the landmark film “A Face in the Crowd” on Tuesday, April 25, at the Sugden Community Theatre.
As the end of April approaches, the weather turns warmer and the summer season begins to trickle into Southwest Florida. Around this time each year, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida hosts its annual Earth Day Festival. Featuring a variety of eco-friendly activities, food, presentations and games, the 2017 Earth Day Festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22.
More than four years of research is yielding remarkable results in the study and management of the invasive Burmese python in Southwest Florida. Over the course of four breeding seasons, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s wildlife biologists have removed more than 6,500 pounds of python and more than 3,000 developing python eggs from the local ecosystem.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be on traffic detail the week of April 24-28:
Monday, April 24
Collier Boulevard and Tuscany Cove Drive: Speeding
Bayshore Drive and Botanical Place Circle: Speeding
Immokalee Road and Juliet Boulevard: Red-light running
Few people are better known in sea turtle circles than Dave Addison, a 43-year veteran of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and lead biologist in charge of the Conservancy’s sea turtle monitoring and protection program.
Auctions are intimidating by design. They are in a room filled with so many people it requires stadium seating (plus live network TV,) and everything is focused on one item at a time. So, if you’re the person bidding on a car, it can feel like hundreds of eyes are following every twitch of your fingers.
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. Cost is $15 for AARP members, $20 for others. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the number listed with the session you wish to attend.
¦ Friends of Foster Children Forever invites people of all ages and abilities to take part in the first-ever Sunshine 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, April 22, at Vineyards Community Park, 6231 Arbor Blvd. W. Registration starts at 7 a.m. and the walk steps out at 7:30 a.m. Family fun and entertainment will go on from 9-11 a.m.
AS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES and prices drop, what we think of as everyday desktop printing is beginning to change.
Fourth-grade teacher Donna Treiser started collecting pull tabs/flip tops from aluminum cans 15 years ago. When her daughter was a patient at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida (now Golisano Children’s Hospital), Ms. Treiser learned of the wonderful assistance Ronald McDonald House provides for families of sick children.
For some time now, many Americans have recognized that presidential candidates often drift like rudderless yachts away from the row-boat experiences of ordinary citizens.
Since a conservative Supreme Court has established campaign finance laws that allow billionaires to unduly sway elections, many Americans also recognize that something has to change.
It was a spectacular find, really.
Trumpism is in crisis.
This isn’t a function of poll numbers, or any melodrama of the past months, but something more fundamental: No officeholder in Washington seems to understand President Donald Trump’s populism or have a cogent theory of how to effect it in practice, including the president himself.
Collier Freedom invites all who want President Donald Trump to release his tax returns to take part in a “Release Your Taxes” march and rally from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Cambier Park.
Similar marches and rallies are planned in more than 120 U.S. cities in 42 states, and in six cities overseas.
Collier Freedom and the Collier County Democratic Party present two 60th anniversary benefit screenings of the landmark film “A Face in the Crowd” on Tuesday, April 25, at the Sugden Community Theatre.
Almost 2,300 low-income seniors in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties will no longer receive supplemental food from a government program operated by the Harry Chapin Food Bank starting July 1, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve hosts the season’s final Lunch ’n’ Learn program from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
Iberiabank and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office host a program about what to do in an active shooter situation on Thursday evening, May 11, at the Iberiabank branch at 1905 Pine Ridge Road. CCSO Sgt. Neal Bohannan will provide instruction and discuss tactics to help improve your chances of surviving an active shooter scenario.
World’s coolest city
[img_assist|nid=279720|title=|desc= Naples resident Michelle Lennane Gorman walks on the set of ABC Television’ “The Toy Box” with her Butterfly Book invention. The episode airs from 8-9 p.m. Friday, April 14.
What happened to trucks?
It wasn’t too long ago that the rear bumper was a premium option. Now, ones like the Ram 1500 Sport Crew Cab 4x4 feature a button on the key fob to lower the suspension so that it’s easy to hop inside. Is this progress? Or are our tough pickups just going after people who need coddling?
The answer might be both.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be on traffic detail the week of April 17-21:
Monday, April 17
Collier Boulevard and Tuscany Cove Drive: Speeding
Bayshore Drive and Botanical Place Circle: Speeding
Immokalee Road and Juliet Boulevard: Red-light running
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. Cost is $15 for AARP members, $20 for others. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the number listed with the session you wish to attend.
[img_assist|nid=279735|title=|desc= The Annual Walk the Talk for Epilepsy took place at North Collier Regional Park earlier this month as a way to raise funds and awareness about epilepsy. This year’s Clayton Feig Youth award went to Antonio Garcia, who has dealt with epilepsy all his teenage life. 1.
Every second of every day an adult aged 65 or older falls in the United States. Every 12 seconds, one of these older Americans is admitted to the emergency department for a fall; and every day, 74 of those will die from a fall.
The National Alliance for Mental Illness-Collier County invites caregivers and anyone who sometimes feels overwhelmed by their compassion for others to “Coping with Compassion Fatigue,” a workshop with George Drobinski, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at NAMI headquarters, 6216 Trail Blvd. in Naples.
Drug Free Collier invites residents to safely dispose of expired and/or no-longer-needed prescription and over-the
Hodges University invites those who are interested in becoming licensed practical nurses to learn about the school’s LPN certificate program by attending one of two information sessions set for 5-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, April 18 and 25.
Food insecurity.” It’s the modern-day buzz-word for not having enough to feed your-self or your family.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in April 2007. Now most of us cannot imagine a day without one. That same month, a potent little package of newsprint and smart design put its first edition on the streets and online. It was Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
