Local News

2012 hurricane season: Atlantic primed for early tropical activity
The 2012 hurricane season might get an early start, with the possibility of a tropical depression or storm in the western Caribbean some time next week, according to a cutting-edge forecast Tuesday by federal scientists. Read at marconews.com

Superintendents: Miscommunication about FCAT changes to blame for low writing scores
“Somewhere there’s a miss. Somewhere there’s a disconnect,” Collier Superintendent Kamela Patton said. “There’s no way scores drop 50-60 points.” Read at marconews.com

Cook killed in fatal crash remembered as 'great person;' teen remains critical
Emil Altidor had been a cook at the Snook Inn in Marco Island for more than a decade, manager David Scott said. “I’ve known him for 12 years, and he’s a very dependable, reliable, great person,” Scott said. Read at marconews.com

Too tough? State ed board may lower passing grade after fewer students pass FCAT writing part
The State Board of Education has set an emergency meeting for Tuesday to consider lowering the passing grade on the writing portion of Florida's standardized test, after preliminary results indicated only about a third of students would pass this year's tougher exam. Read at marconews.com

‘Brushing up’ on yardwork: Keller Williams ‘Red Day’ project targets Charter Middle School
For Keller Williams Realty, it’s about giving back to the community. Each year, the real estate company, on Marco Island and at their 830 offices nationwide, sets aside one day – “Red Day” – for public service projects. So on Thursday, May 10, the local Keller-Williams office turned out 26 pairs of hands at the Marco Island Charter Middle School, to work on clearing away a massive unwanted Brazilian pepper hedge. While they budgeted the entire morning for the project, the crew made short work of the unwanted vegetation, and proved that “many hands make light work” really is true. By 10 o’clock, the wild was tamed. Read at marconews.com

Vanishing beachfront: County’s Coastal Advisory Committee denies emergency funds for Hideaway Beach
On Thursday, Erik Brechnitz, chairman of Hideaway Beach’s Tax District Board, told his group there was a glimmer of hope for funds to prevent a disaster at the gated community’s 5000 and 6000 high-rise condominiums. On Friday, that hope was gone. Between a rock and a hard place, the board attempted to request Tourist Development Council (TDC) catastrophe funds for T-groin structures to abate sand loss in front of the two buildings. Onshore waves have washed away nearly 12 feet of sand per year in front of the condominiums since the disappearance of Coconut and Sand Dollar islands. Read at marconews.com

Collier commissioners vary approach in tapping taxpayer money to attend events
Collier County commissioners have attended or will attend a $125 per person lunch with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, a $500 Leadership Marco program, the $125 per person Myra Daniels gala and a $180 per person Temple Shalom Gala. And Collier County taxpayers will pay for all of it. Read at marconews.com

Are you covered? Collier's new flood zone maps take effect Wednesday
Time is running out for Collier County property owners to find out what type of risk they have under the new flood zone maps affecting flood insurance. The 2012 Federal Emergency Management Flood Zone Maps go into effect Wednesday, May 16, for all of Collier County, including the cities, for insurance purposes. Read at marconews.com

CHURCH LADY: Mother to many: St. Mark’s reverend spiritual journey brings her to Marco Island
Many call her Mother. Some call her Sue. Her name is the Rev. Sue Price, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s assisting priest. Read at marconews.com

Justine Giles Lely’s Winged Foot candidate choice
On the soccer field and in the classroom Lely senior Justine Giles exceeds. Read at marconews.com

Cashing in on art: Arts Center awards $2,500 prize at exhibit opening
The May “second Tuesday” opening of a new show at the Marco Island Center for the Arts took a walk on the wild and exotic side, but the patrons’ focus was more on the mundane and financial. Read at marconews.com

Marco Island Code Compliance goes on offense to solve public nuisances
It’s a jungle at 1909 Sheffield Ave. Vines creep up stairways, bougainvilleas overrun driveways and weeds cram poolside cracks. The broken lanai door stands slightly ajar, and tattered screens flutter overhead like listless birds in a humid rainforest canopy. Read at marconews.com

Don’t make mom do the dishes: Meal choices abound for special Mother’s Day on Marco Island
Mother’s Day – the chance to show mom your appreciation for all those home-cooked meals she put on the table when you were growing up. You can spend hours in the kitchen on Sunday, overcook the roast, gash your fingers, while making a tremendous mess – and don’t forget, even though you cooked, you can’t have her do the dishes. It’s Mother’s Day, after all. Read at marconews.com

Speed limits studied, will change on some Marco Island roadways
Over the last 12 months, nearly two dozen roadways have been studied to determine what speed limits provide the maximum safety factor for the Island’s motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Read at marconews.com

Collier School Board approves $16.5 million cuts, expects more in years to come
The cuts include reducing central office and school budgets, and eliminating 100 jobs, including central office and related arts and media specialist positions. Read at marconews.com

Marco Island’s City Council resolves Bald Eagle Drive lighting controversy
After more than six months, “red shirt” representatives from Olde Marco won’t sit at City Council meetings and speak their minds during public comment. On Monday, Marco Island City Councilors approved Collier Boulevard street lamps for the Olde Marco District and promised to remove the industrial type lighting so offensive to people in the area. The motion passed by a vote of 6-0. Councilor Joe Batte was not present at the meeting. Read at marconews.com

PHOTOS Talk Derby to Me: Upon a Star Foundation ‘passes the hat’ at Marco Brewery
“Talk Derby to Me,” the annual fundraiser for the Upon a Star Foundation, was held Saturday at the Marco Island Brewery, with dozens of ladies attending in extravagant hats. Everybody had their bets down when, just after the Kentucky Derby started, the iconic horse race that “Talk Derby” is based around froze on the big screens surrounding the party, due to a malfunction of DirecTV. Attendees yanked out their smartphones to discover the winner was, fittingly, “I’ll Have Another,” making Curt and Jacquie Koon winners. Cindy Hamilton won for best hat. MIB owner Frank LaCava donated the restaurant’s proceeds to the cause, and the event raised $30,000, said Upon a Star co-founder Howard Jordan. To support the work of the Upon A Star Foundation, call 239-272-3090 or go to www.uponastarfoundation.org. Read at marconews.com

Cautiously optimistic: Marco Island's police and fire pension trustees assess first quarter earnings
It was a good quarter for the two boards that manage pension funds for the city’s police and fire personnel. Trustees of the City of Marco Island’s two public safety pension plans heard the good news from financial consultant David Wheeler on Thursday. Wheeler outlined earnings on investments for the first quarter of 2012. The separate boards met as one group for convenience and economy of consultants’ time. The two pension plans are discrete with no comingled funds, but their boards often meet to review and share financial statements and market trends that could benefit both. Wheeler explained each investment and earnings result from a mix of fixed income and equity funds. Trustees for both plans hoped to meet a 7.5 percent earnings benchmark. In the first quarter of 2012, the fire fund fared better. Read at marconews.com

TripAdvisor touts free parking at south beach; Marco Island Planning Board says swale parking must stop
Go to tripadvisor.com and one comment about Marco Island’s south beach reads: “Parking is available for $8/day but usually there is street parking within a block for free.” Another entry headlines: “come early for on-street free parking.” Residents and Marco Island’s Planning Board agreed Friday that corrective action on south beach’s parking problem needs to happen sooner rather than later and preferably before July 4. Two area residents reported losing real estate sales because buyers were not happy with swale parking. Joe Irvin, city zoning administrator, offered several solutions. Among them were additional parking lots in C-3 areas near the south beach and Marriott entrances, and placing a beach tram in service from inland parking areas to deliver beachgoers to public beach entrances. Neither curried favor with most board members or the public. Read at marconews.com

Patricia Bliss reassigned; no longer Marco Island's city finance director
City Manager Jim Riviere hopes some last steps he is taking will finally separate the city’s utility company operations from running day-to-day city government. One of those steps reassigned Patricia Bliss and removed her from the city finance director position. On Monday, Riviere said her new title would be senior staff advisor. An April 6 memorandum sent to Marco Island’s City Council and city department directors stated Bliss had been reassigned to special projects. The memo also named Robert Lange as acting director of finance. Read at marconews.com