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 Fort Myers Beach Election Returns
(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)22.8%, or 1,152 of the island's 5,052 registered voters went to the polls this yesterday, fighting through thick season traffic to participate in the the Town of Fort Myers Beach's election for two seats on the council. Candidates Larry Kiker, seeking re-election, and long-time LPA member Alan Mandel won against Joe Kosinski who, despite being a relative political newcomer, managed to pick up 25% of the vote. Total election results are as follows:
Alan Mandel: 837 votes (39%)
Larry Kiker: 784 votes (36%) Joe Kosinski: 534 votes (25%) Read more... | |
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County Accepts 20 Acre Donation for Wildlife Corridor
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During Tuesday's meeting of the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC), the commissioners were pleased to approve a revamped recycling program that will be less expensive to residents, and accepted a donation of land to complete a wildlife corridor along State Road 82.
Chairman Hall began the meeting with a ceremonial presentation honoring the Girl Scouts. "March 12th marks the 98th anniversary of the formation of the Scouts, and since that time 50 million girls have participated - growing strong, learning leadership skills and realizing their potential,” she said. Read more... | |
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Good Samaritans Help Kayak Racer
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At about 10:30pm Sunday night, Jan and Randy DeWise were watching the surf from their patio at Villa Del Mar when Jan noticed an odd light approaching from the water. The couple, vacationing from Michigan, ran out to the beach where they encountered retired Marine Steve Isaac, dripping wet and pulling his 17-foot kayak onto the shore. It turns out that Isaac, who hails from Cleawater, had capsized in his tiny vessel less than 24 hours into a 1200-mile kayak race that circumnavigates the state of Florida. "My husband and I saw his headlamp heading in, and we figured it was someone who needed help,” Jan told us. They helped the hypothermic paddler to shore and helped him warm up. Read more... | |
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
Miss. school prom off after lesbian's date request
A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The Itawamba County school district's board decided Wednesday to drop the prom because of what it called recent distractions but without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The student, 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen, said the cancellation was retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance. School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's constitutional rights.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Indictment of 'Jihad Jane' shows terrorism evolved
The self-described "Jihad Jane" who thought her blond hair and blue eyes would let her blend in as she sought to kill an artist in Sweden is a rare case of an American woman aiding foreign terrorists and shows the evolution of the global threat, authorities say. The suburban Philadelphia woman, Colleen R. LaRose, is accused in the indictment filed Tuesday of actively recruiting fighters, as well as agreeing to murder the artist, marry a terrorism suspect so he could move to Europe and martyr herself if necessary. LaRose is "one of only a few such cases nationwide in which females have been charged with terrorism violations," said U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Class-action lawsuits could cost Toyota $3B-plus
Toyota owners claiming that massive safety recalls are causing the value of their vehicles to plummet have filed at least 89 class-action lawsuits that could cost the Japanese auto giant $3 billion or more, according to an Associated Press review of cases, legal precedent and interviews with experts. Those estimates do not include potential payouts for wrongful death and injury lawsuits, which could reach in the tens of millions each. Still, the sheer volume of cases involving U.S. Toyota owners claiming lost value — 6 million or more — could prove far more costly, adding up to losses in the billions for the automaker.
Monday, March 08, 2010
JFK condolence letters published for 1st time
Among the 1.5 million condolence letters sent to President John F. Kennedy's widow after his assassination in 1963 were more than two dozen from Jane Dryden, a dogged and dramatic 11-year-old who churned out a letter a week for six months straight. "I know that you hate the whole state of Texas. I do to," she wrote to Jacqueline Kennedy from Austin in January 1964. "I wish I lived in Washington, D.C. where maybe I could maybe see you standing on your porch. I am determined to move there as soon as I can. I would feel safer there."
Friday, March 05, 2010
Gunman killed after shooting 2 Pentagon police
A California man killed in a shootout with Pentagon police drove cross-country and arrived at the military headquarters' subway entrance armed with two semiautomatic weapons, authorities said Friday. The shooter apparently left behind Internet postings resentful of the government and airing suspicions about the 9/11 attacks. Investigators have found no immediate connection to terrorism, and the attack that superficially wounded two police officers at the massive Defense Department headquarters appears to be a case of "a single individual who had issues," Richard Keevill, chief of Pentagon police, said in an early morning press conference Friday.
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Volunteers Work in the Matanzas Preserve
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On a chilly Saturday morning, Friends of the Preserve hosted a large group of one-time volunteers to work in the Preserve. The occasion was that Disney World had advertised on the Internet that if you do volunteer work in the community for one day you get a free ticket to Disney World. This offer has been in effect for over a month, and each work Saturday, the Friends have had new volunteers come out and work in the Preserve. Last Saturday was their busiest day, however, since 32 Disney volunteers showed up, and if you count the regulars plus the Parks and Recreation folks, there were 43 people altogether doing the work. There will be one more opportunity for Disney people to volunteer, since the program ends on March 20th. The work they did was to pull up wedlia, a noxious plant that runs like ground cover and takes over everything in its path. With this Saturday, they cleared out almost all of it. Jim Rodwell is the point man for the regular volunteers, and he was really impressed with all of the work that was done with that many people. Anyone who wants to get a ticket to Disney World can come and work two weeks from now since the volunteers work every other Saturday. They can sign up on the Internet or call Jim Rodwell at 463-4292 or Terry Cain at 707-3015. Read more... | |
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| Fish Tale Celebrates 25th | |
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 Fish Tale Celebrates 25th
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Al and Kathy Durrett pulled out all the stops Tuesday night at the Fish Tale Marina in Santini Marina Plaza to mark their 25th year at the popular boaters' haven.Several hundred guests, made up of customers, staff and friendsof the Fish Tale family, were regaled with food, spirits and song on what turned out to be a spectacular evening.
Every year, Al and Kathy host this annual customer appreciation party in one of the huge boat storage barns on the property. This time, the entrance was decked with a giant white tarped entryway, festooned with plants of every variety. On the apron of the entry was a full open bar, with folks bellied up for libations all night. (For more on this story read The Island Sand Paper) | |
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| Lion's Club Kid’s Shrimp Run 2010 | |
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 Lion's Club Kid's Shrimp Run 2010
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It was a chilly Saturday morning on March 7, but school children from Fort Myers Beach were excitedly assembling for the 37th Lion's Club-Kid's Shrimp run, an annual event for students in grades K-5.Joellyn Reckwerdt, Shrimp Run chairman and past president, recently succeeded by Patsy Dorsey, declared that the purpose of the run is "to get kids involved in the Shrimp Festival and to get a little exercise". (For more on this story subscribe to the Island Sand Paper) | |
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