Bonita

You might call them super trees. Citrus trees designed to combat canker and greening will soon go into the ground in Hendry County. It will be one of the first field tests of its kind in the country. Canker and greening are the most destructive and deadly diseases facing growers in the world today. Full story »

Hiring someone to manage construction projects instead of simply hiring a contractor to do the work has saved Lee County taxpayers more than $17 million over the years. That’s according to a new report on construction management contracts done by Public Works director Jim Lavender. And some commissioners aren’t buying it. Full story »

Six weeks following the mistrial in Fred Cooper’s original murder trial, prosecutors are working to buttress their case with new evidence that attempts to contradict Cooper’s original defense, public records show. Cooper, 30, is charged in the slayings of Gateway couple Steven and Michelle Andrews in 2005. His second trial begins in mid-February, four months after the original trial ended in a hung jury. The new trial will be held in St. Petersburg. Full story »

It was a big year for news in 2008, even if much of it wasn’t good.
The local housing market continued its downward spiral and foreclosures continued to climb.
Elections brought a new sheriff to Collier County and visits from vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Full story »

Island Coast AIDS Network, Inc. (ICAN) teams with Burlington Coat Factory, the retail authority in coats, One Warm Coat, a national nonprofit organization that assists in the donation of free coats, and ABC's Good Morning America to bring warmth to the needy. The Second Annual Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive kicked-off last week and officially runs through Jan. 16, 2009. Coats collected in Southwest Florida will be distributed free of charge to HIV/AIDS infected and affected children and adults served by Island Coast AIDS Network. Full story »

December is the season for annual Christmas boat parades. Probably more than any other holiday events in Southwest Florida, boat parades capture the Christmas spirit Florida-style, and all are free to the public and can be viewed from many waterfront vantage points throughout Collier County. Full story »

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Christine Ross is already the president and chief executive officer of a chamber of commerce. It’s the one in Falmouth, Mass.
Soon, she is headed to Bonita Springs for the same gig, but she will be giving up the former locale’s quaint downtown, colonial architecture, ferry to Martha’s Vineyard and lighthouse along the Atlantic shoreline.
Full story »

Florida Gulf Coast University expects to graduate 738 students during fall commencement exercises at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 at Alico Arena. Full story »

When Kevin Leahy started his towel cleaning business Klean Towel — “from scratch” as he puts it — he didn’t anticipate it would be so successful.
“I originally started this business to have the time and money to travel and be an actor. It hasn’t worked out that way,” Leahy says.
Although he doesn’t have the spare time to go to acting auditions, he says he loves his job.
Leahy, 33, has been a restaurant server, carpenter and stand-up comedian. But he says he’s happy now as an entrepreneur. Full story »

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man who tried to rob a CVS Pharmacy located at 19070 South Tamiami Trail on Dec. 2. Full story »

According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, a Lee County school bus was involved in a two-vehicle collision on Gunnery Road just south of 16th Street West this afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m. Full story »

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A discussion over the contract of Bonita Springs’ community development contractor, CH2M Hill OMI, has been continued. City Council was expected to discuss at its Wednesday night meeting a memo sent by Community Development Program Director Beverly Tew that defined payment the company should receive for its building inspection and permitting services during a seven-month period from June 1 to Dec. 31. That discussion was continued until a later date. Full story »

A Bonita Springs City Council discussion over whether the city should encourage state legislators to adopt a bottle bill turned into a new recycling policy for city-sponsored special events Wednesday. The council did not decide to add to their legislative platform a bottle bill that would provide a cash incentive to Floridians who recycle drinking containers, but council did make it mandatory for recycling containers to be placed at all city-sponsored events. Full story »