THREE DAYS A WEEK POST COMMENTS AT CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM Making CAPE CORAL contact Cape Majors Little League softball team loses in tourney BREEZE — SPORTS EARLY-WEEK EDITION WEATHER: Chance of Storms • Tonight: Partly Cloudy • Wednesday: Chance of Storms — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 49, No. 89 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 50 cents City to investigate whether MWH records are public sion, resulting in broken families for services. Information needed to pursue completion of Kessler audit and some residents losing their Although council prefers not By MCKENZIE CASSIDY council voted 5-3 for the city Kevin McGrail voted against the homes. spending too much on the legal [email protected] attorney to find out if the city has motion. According to Menendez, if the process of obtaining the records, The Cape Coral City Council access to MWH financial records Mayor John Sullivan said city obtains the documents from Menendez said she couldn’t pro- directed City Attorney Dolores that were previously withheld Cape Coral citizens have a right MWH and finds the city was vide an estimate of legal services Menendez to seek a legal judg- from Kessler International, a New to know whether MWH over- overcharged, they could claim a for her office or another firm to ment on whether records from York-based firm specializing in charged the city for services con- breach of contract or fraud, but pursue the records. MWH Constructors are public or corporate investigations and tained in a 1999 contract. He said the statute of limitations for mak- City staff said financial private. forensic accounting. many residents spent upwards of ing these claims was five years so records already turned over by After debating what step they Councilmembers Derrick $30,000 on assessments and the city may not have the option MWH, such as employee time should take, members of the city Donnell, Marty McClain and impact fees for the utility expan- of recovering funds even if they find that MWH had overcharged See MWH, page 6A Checking out the plants Council allows residents to keep pot-bellied pigs By MCKENZIE CASSIDY she was three weeks old and we [email protected] love her very much, she is part of Petunia the pot-bellied pig is our family.” safe from exile after the Cape So far, the Toboll family has Coral City Council voted 8-0 to owned 150-pound Petunia for the exempt her from a city ordinance. last 4 1/2 years. Cape Coral residents James “I never thought I would have and Susan Toboll petitioned a problem because she is consid- council Monday asking that ered a domestic pig and back Petunia not be removed from the when we got her there was no city based on a 2008 ordinance. code saying we couldn’t have The Tobolls requested that coun- her,” he said. cil either grandfather Petunia in He added that pot-bellied pigs or classify her as a domestic ani- are housebroken, clean, intelli- mal. gent and caring. Sometimes, Council’s decision “grandfa- Petunia even cuddles up with the thers-in” pot-bellied pigs owned family dog named Spike. For by residents prior to the enact- weeks, Toboll has been collecting MICHAEL PISTELLA ment of the 2008 ordinance. signatures to petition council. “We’ve been given notice that “We’ve got hundreds of signa- Don Butler and Donna Clarke check out the firebush plants at the Huge Native Plant we have to get rid of her because tures to keep Petunia and there Sale at Rotary Park Saturday. More photos are available online at: cu.cape-coral-daily- of a change of code,” said James breeze.com. Toboll. “We have raised her since See PIGS, page 6A Huge Native Plant Sale Mayor addresses attracts a record crowd residents’ questions By MCKENZIE CASSIDY Chapter of the Florida Native to the region. [email protected] Plant Society were also avail- “The vendors were happy, This year’s Huge Native able to answer questions and they sold a lot of plants,” said at town hall meeting Plant Sale at Rotary Park was make suggestions about native Archey. the most popular ever, said city plants. Cape Coral resident officials. John Sibley, president of the Courtney Acevedo spent the By MCKENZIE CASSIDY The park has been hosting the Coccoloba Chapter, was a ven- afternoon searching for native [email protected] plant sale every spring and sum- dor at the sale and said he expe- plants that would help attract Nearly 100 residents attended Cape Coral Mayor John mer since 2002 and even though rienced an excellent turnout. butterflies. Her plan is to create Mayor Overall, there were approxi- Sullivan’s town hall meeting organizers were worried about a butterfly garden for her chil- John mately 1,000 plants for sale and dren. Saturday morning. the potential for rough weather Sullivan left behind by Tropic near the end of the event there “I’ve been to the park but The mayor fielded questions Depression Bonnie, it wasn’t were about 100 left. I’ve never been to a native plant on a number of city issues and fazed. “A lot of people come year sale before,” said Acevedo. addressed concerns about busi- “We pretty much sold out of after year, they look forward to She left the event with some ness with MWH Constructors, most of everything,” said Honey the event,” said Sibley. plants and said she would return utilities within the city, the swim Archey, an environmental recre- He estimated that some 500 to a future sale at Rotary Park. center proposal, the recent hiring of City Manager Gary King and records which he says hasn’t been ation specialist with the city of local residents came to the sale The sale had trees, plants, granted up to this point. Cape Coral. “People were here on Saturday. shrubs, flowers and grasses taxes. Sullivan said he is concerned “If anything wasn’t wrong, before I was ready to go.” Archey said many people ranging in price from $5 to $40. why won’t they show us the This sale is unique because it attended this year’s sale because It was open from 9 a.m. to 1 with MWH’s billing practices and ethics complaints, and his efforts records?” he asked. offers residents an opportunity they lost a significant amount of p.m. Sullivan also explained why to purchase plants that are native plants due to the colder weather For more information on are on rehiring Michael Kessler, president and CEO of Kessler city council voted against the to Florida. Ironically, native this winter. native plants, visit the website of construction of an Olympic swim plants are more difficult to Some wanted to replace lost the Coccoloba Chapter of the International, a forensic account- ing firm that investigates comput- complex through the National locate in traditional gardening native plants, while others want- Florida Native Plant Society at Swim Center Corporation. stores, said Archey. Experts ed to replace their lost items www.fnpscoccoloba.org . er records and corporations. from the local Coccoloba with plants there are more native Further, he wants the city to have access to MWH’s financial See MAYOR, page 3A Cape store to hold car wash to benefit injured soldier Event to be held Saturday at 7-Eleven on Skyline ed from the Field Artillery Automated Tactical Systems Keith Campbell, a member of the 7-Eleven franchise com- By MEGHAN McCOY thing to pay back Army Pfc. Specialist Advanced Individual munity, said they wanted to do something to pay back Army [email protected] Corey Kent because he has been a Training course at Fort Sill, Pfc. Corey Kent because he has been a customer of “our A car wash will be held at the customer of “our stores for years Lawton, Okla. Skyline Boulevard 7-Eleven and a few of his family members stores for years and a few of his family members work for He was involved in an attack 7-Eleven.” Saturday, July 31 for a Cape work for 7-Eleven.” that occurred at roughly 3 a.m. Coral solder who was wounded in “The franchise organization all eastern standard time on Monday, Afghanistan earlier this month. wanted to do something to pay July 12, in an improvised explo- Keith Campbell, a member of back the local hero,” he said. squad in Afghanistan. As a result, thigh and fingers on his left hand. sive device explosion while on the 21-year-old lost his right leg the 7-Eleven franchise communi- Kent, who is a 2006 graduate dismounted foot patrol with his ty, said they wanted to do some- of Mariner High School, graduat- up to his hip, his left leg to his See SOLDIER, page 6A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE No ‘oversized load’ trucks Substitute teachers Annie’s Mailbox......11A Horoscopes......11A allowed in eastbound lanes orientation Aug. 19 Effective immediately, “oversized load” The Lee County Association of Cape Life...........7A Obituaries..........2A CASH 3: trucks are not permitted in the eastbound Professional Substitute Teachers & Lee Classifieds.............1-4B Photo Page......14A 2-0-7 / 7-4-6 travel lanes at the Midpoint Bridge toll plaza County Public Schools will host its Annual PLAY 4: due to work on those structures. This Substitute Orientation Event at 8 a.m., Comics.............10A Police Blotter......2A 7-9-0-8 / 0-0-6-7 includes oversized load trucks with state per- Thursday, Aug. 19, at Island Coast High Community.........8A Sports.........12-13A Fantasy 5 mits. Oversized load truckers should use the School, 2125 DeNavarra Parkway, Cape 6-12-15-22-27 Crossword........10A TV Listings..............9A Cape Coral or north bridges for access to Coral Lotto Fort Myers while the toll plaza is under con- There will be various workshops Dr.