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POST COMMENTS, SHARE VIEWS, READ BLOGS ON CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM Close call Cape High CAPE CORAL again loses to Bishop Verot DAILY BREEZE —SPORTS WEATHER: Sunny • Tonight: Clear • Wednesday: Mostly Sunny — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 48, No. 50 Tuesday, March 3, 2009 50 cents Council shares ideas on cutting next year’s budget “We’re talking about freezing wages City could face $33.4M reduction and negotiating with the unions as they come up. To keep from any more By GRAY ROHRER — namely the police and fire nating the $250,000 budgeted for layoffs and more economic distress [email protected] department budgets — is largely Cape TV were some suggestions to for our city, we may have to go this Cape Coral City Council mem- considered untouchable, but a myri- help find the reductions. route.” bers discussed the possibility of fac- ad of proposals by council members On the revenue side, increasing — Councilmember Dolores Bertolini ing a $33.4 million reduction in next signified that no idea is too outra- the millage rate and instituting pub- year’s budget Monday, and seem- geous. lic service fees were posited by ingly no proposal — save one Cutting non-public safety city some council members as ways to Bertolini suggested holding wages to take a certain amount of unpaid exception — was off the table. staff by 10 percent, furloughing lessen the amount of reductions firm, shutting down some facilities leave — as ways to save money The sacred cow of public safety some employees, shutting down Sun needed. an hour early and furloughing Splash Family Waterpark and elimi- Councilmember Dolores employees — forcing city workers See BUDGET, page 3A Learning the steps Study links sleep deprivation to bad economy for some One-third of Americans losing sleep from worry By MCKENZIE CASSIDY [email protected] “It’s easy to understand Financial difficulties and over- why so many people are bearing stresses over the economy concerned over the are keeping many awake at night, economy and jobs, but tossing and turning as they attempt sacrificing sleep is the to make sense of lost investments wrong solution. Sleep is and accruing debt. essential for productivity A study released Monday by the and alertness and is a National Sleep Foundation found vital sign for one’s over- that one-third of Americans are los- all health.” ing sleep out of worrying about the troubled economy and their person- — David Cloud, National Sleep Foundation al finances. chief executive officer Furthermore, National Sleep MICHAEL PISTELLA Awareness Week runs from March 1-8 to educate people on receiving Jim Hill, supervisor of Lee At left, a member of the International Young Americans Music Outreach Tour works on the necessary amount of sleep, and it Memorial Health System’s three coincides with daylight-saving time. dance moves with local students during the first day of an intensive, three-day per- See SLEEP, page 3A forming arts workshop. The workshop culminates in a performance at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cape Coral High School. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They can be purchased after school at Cape High or on the night of the performance. For more information on the group, visit: www.youngamericans.org. Cooper takes stand, Students participate in workshop testifies about affair focusing on performing arts field Closing argument next By STEVEN BEARDSLEY Wednesday. “The worst thing in my “The reason they do it is to reach out to stu- Special to the Breeze Young Americans dents in the community and teach them to sing Fred Cooper’s fate moves into mind is that (detectives) and dance — to keep music alive in schools,” the hands of 12 Pinellas County actually find out what said Susie Freeman Johnson, production coordi- jurors today. was going on between teach classes with nator for Paramount and Young American alum- Monday, the panel listened as me and Michelle and it ni. the defendant described having sex would get back to Johnson was involved in the group when it with one of the victims and then Kellie.” final performance sang alongside Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and lying to conceal the act. Even as a — Fred Cooper, defendant Bob Hope. She said the program builds an double-homicide rap loomed, By MCKENZIE CASSIDY unbreakable confidence in each participant. Cooper feared that his longtime [email protected] girlfriend would discover the slip, Cooper, 30, became the immediate “We have changed many youths’ lives,” she suspect when detectives learned his The International Young Americans Music said. he said. Outreach Tour opened a three-day workshop “The worst thing in my mind is longtime girlfriend, Kellie Ballew, The Young Americans at Cape High will had recently begun an affair with this week at Cape Coral High School, where teach the steps and music of the group’s original that (detectives) actually find out aspiring local students will receive world-class what was going on between me and Steven, a co-worker. performance to an expected 150 students from Cooper told jurors Monday that instruction in the performing arts. 10 schools in Lee County. The show is a mon- Michelle and it would get back to Young Americans, a nonprofit organization, Kellie,” he said. he and Michelle became “allies” as tage of many performing arts styles including they tried to salvage their relation- was founded in 1962 by music teacher Milton pop music, hip-hop, choral music and ballet. Michelle Andrews and her hus- C. Anderson to showcase arts in the public edu- band, Steven, both 28, were found ships. They had sex the night before The workshop culminates in an evening per- the couple was found dead. cation system. There are 220 members of the formance Wednesday where one act is the dead in their Gateway bedroom on group, and 46 are visiting Cape High until the morning of Dec. 27, 2005. Michelle was “someone to talk See WORKSHOP, page 6A See TRIAL, page 3A St. James City to host Great Rubber Duck Race cross the finish line. At that time, the ducks will return to To go Yearly event features raffles, auctions shore and the winners of the What event will be announced. By MARIANNE PATON where folks will gather to cheer contacting Pink Wesorick at Great Rubber Duck Race on their favorite rubber ducky. 283-7249. The duck that crosses the [email protected] finish line in first place will When Those looking for a high Each of the bright yellow ducks The race will take place in Saturday, March 7 is numbered, and those holding the Monroe Canal directly earn the ticket holder the grand spirited, fun-filled afternoon prize, which has a value of Where will want to mark their calen- the tickets for the first quackers behind Woody’s and is set to to cross the finish line will win commence at approximately 4 more than $250. As many as Woody’s Waterside dars for the Great Rubber Duck 50 prizes will be awarded, and in St. James City Race to take place Saturday. a prize. p.m. Tickets are available for $5 More than 2,000 ducks will each gift bag presented will Why The festivities will begin at have a minimum value of noon at Woody’s Waterside per duck or 5 for $20. They can be dumped into the canal, then To benefit the Restaurant in St. James City, be purchased at Woody’s or by plucked from the water as they Calusa Land Trust See RACE, page 2A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE Council for Progress to meet Entrepreneur School’s Council for Progress will meet at 7:30 a.m. Annie’s Mailbox........8A Nation ................6A Friday at GulfCoast Village on Santa Barbara next session Wednesday The Southwest Florida Enterprise Center Cape Life ..........7A Police Blotter ....2A Florida Boulevard. City and county officials will dis- cuss the UEP. Submit questions/comments will begin Entrepreneur School from 5-7 p.m. Classifieds ............1-4B Sports ........11-13A Lottery Wednesday at 3903 Dr. Martin Luther King CASH 3: ahead of time. For details, call 282-2186. Comics ............10A State ..................5A Jr. Blvd., Suite 5, Fort Myers. Classes will be 3-9-3 / 5-7-1 held for six consecutive Wednesdays. The Crossword........10A Today in History ......9A PLAY 4: school is designed for those who are consid- 0-3-1-2 / 9-4-1-3 Former resident to share ering starting up a new business or buying an Dr. Donohue ........8A TV Listings..............9A Fantasy 5 stories of city’s early days 4-15-20-21-26 existing business or franchise. It will cover Editorial..............4A Weather ............2A The Cape Coral Historical Society will such things as the legal structure of a busi- Lotto meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cultural Park Horoscopes........8A 6-9-16-31-32-42 ness, introduction to writing a business plan, Florida Powerball Theatre, 528 Cultural Park Blvd. The guest marketing issues facing small businesses and 3-16-20-42-58 speaker will be Betsy Zeiss Lewis, a former financial planning. Tuition is $53 per person, PB 7 x 5 full-time resident of Cape Coral who wrote with a spouse or business partner attending “The Other Side of the River,” an historical for $26.50. The Southwest Florida Enterprise account of the city’s early days. For informa- Center is operated by the city of Fort Myers. 7 48445 46010 1 tion, call Anne Cull at 772-7037. Page 2A Tuesday, March 3, 2009 cape-coral-daily-breeze.com CAPE CORAL DAILY BREEZE POLICE BLOTTER (The police blotter contains ceny.