Advances APE ORAL Cape Coral C C rolls past Hollywood Hills DAILY BREEZE — SPORTS WEATHER: Sunny • Tonight: Mostly Clear • Saturday: Mostly Sunny — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 48, No. 30 Friday, February 6, 2009 50 cents Superintendent replies to oversight concerns “Every issue he refers to has either Claims issues have been handled been investigated or audited by the Board Internal Auditor, the Auditor By MCKENZIE CASSIDY the same officials replying to allega- “Every issue he refers to has General or outside independent audi- [email protected] tions that the district is being lax either been investigated or audited tors, or the district’s Professional One week after Lee County with how it conducts business. by the Board Internal Auditor, the Standards Department.” School Board Member Robert Chilmonik’s letter discussed Auditor General or outside inde- Chilmonik sent a letter to the state irregularities with record keeping, pendent auditors, or the district’s — Superintendent James Browder outlining his concerns over ques- the bidding selections process and a Professional Standards tionable district practices, potential for fraud. Browder, on the Department,” said Browder in his Superintendent James Browder for- other hand, contends that all of the memorandum. “During the past six official report or document provided board auditor Julie Nieminski warded a memorandum last week to issues had been dealt with and no years as superintendent, no findings to the school board.” fraud has been discovered. of fraud have been identified in any According to Chilmonik, former See ALLEGATION, page 3A Visual upgrade Former reporter predicts decline of American ‘empire’ Boca seminar speaker By DEBBIE KIEWIET “I will argue that the evi- [email protected] “The American ‘empire’ is in dence of American over- decline,” Jim McCartney told his stretch is before our audience at the Boca Grande eyes.” Community Center last week. A reporter and columnist in — Jim McCartney, former reporter and Washington for more than 35 years, columnist in Washington McCartney specialized in national security and politics and worked extensively in the Middle East. After America may emerge from the retiring, he taught courses in foreign current economic collapse as a dif- affairs and politics at Georgetown ferent nation, McCartney said. In the University and now teaches at the future, America may still have a Pierian Spring Academy, the prominent role in the world, “but not a dominant role.” MISTELLA PISTELLA University of South Florida and Longboat Key Education Center. See AMERICA, page 3A The Quality Inn on Cape Coral Parkway was the first downtown business to receive a $100,000 grant from the Cape Coral Community Redevelopment Agency under a new CRA program designed to help refurbish their facades. Military support Plan to incorporate golf course group collecting into CRA district nears fruition items for soldiers into its boundaries. City council members are scheduled to discuss the Sponsors 88 from Lee Grant increase issue Monday. They could decide to move forward with a study to determine if the area is blighted and By MCKENZIE CASSIDY can be incorporated into the CRA. [email protected] “They are all Lee County aids businesses According to city documents, the study is project- The Lee Memorial Military grown and from Cape ed to cost $26,500 and should be completed by Support Group is organizing a Coral High, Fort Myers March 31. March shipment of care packages High, Riverdale High and By GRAY ROHRER Mariner High.” [email protected] for soldiers serving overseas and is asking members of the community Plans to bring The Golf Club golf course into the In other news — Kim Gaide, coordinator Cape Coral Redevelopment Agency are inching clos- ■ The master utility plan for the CRA is nearly for donations. of the Lee Memorial er to becoming reality, as officials with the course’s complete. The plan is currently being reviewed by Starting today and continuing Military Support Group current owner, Florida Gulf Ventures, and the Trust CRA staff before being submitted to CRA board until March 5, the support group is for Public Lands, a nonprofit organization dedicated members, and eventually to city council members for accepting personal hygiene items, ies.” to the preservation of open spaces, are nearing an their approval. chicken-flavored dried noodles, Other popular items are toilet agreement to purchase the course. Under the new plan, all utilities will be incorporat- canned goods such as ravioli and paper, lip balm, sunblock and foot- “The Trust for Public Lands and Florida Gulf ed into one comprehensive plan, making it easier for soup, snack packs, meat in pouches related products, said Gaide, includ- Ventures, they’ve agreed to everything in principle,” developers to design plans that adhere to city codes. and tube socks. It also is accepting ing foot powder and socks. said John Jacobsen, executive director of the CRA. “It takes six months off the cycle,” Jacobsen said holiday items for St. Patrick’s Day “Anything to do with the feet According to Jacobsen, the two parties will agree of the time cut from the city’s red-tape-filled permit- and Easter. because they are on their feet all of on an appraiser and the parameters of the appraisal of ting process. Kim Gaide, coordinator of the time,” she said. the property. MWH developed the plan over nine months with LMHS Military Support Group, said The military support group is As the golf course’s purchase is being negotiated, input from the Lee County Electrical Cooperation, Girl Scout cookies are especially currently sponsoring 88 U.S. ser- the CRA is looking to annex the surrounding land so Comcast, Embarq and other utility companies. popular among the troops — includ- vicemen and women from Lee it may buy the land from TPL. George Joyce, MWH project manager, said ing Thin Mints, peanut butter and County including those stationed in The CRA must get the approval of the Cape Coral streamlining the utility plan would make the down- Shortbread. submarines, on ships, in the Air City Council and the Lee County Commission to town area more attractive to developers. “They don’t have Publix over Force and Navy. annex the 180-acre course and surrounding homes there to get them,” said Gaide. See CRA, page 3A “They inhale the Girl Scout cook- See SOLDIERS, page 3A Cape man allegedly robbed of prescription drugs according to reports. The pills police a man matching the sus- were a combination of pect’s description was spotted Meds valued at more than $3,000 Oxycotin; Lyrica, a seizure in the gas station’s parking lot, medication; and Xopnex, for neither the Circle K nor the By CONNOR HOLMES was leaving the Center The victim could not be asthma or chronic obstructive Center Pharmacy has surveil- [email protected] Pharmacy at 826 Del Prado reached for comment by tele- pulmonary disease. lance video, police reported. A 74-year-old Cape Coral Boulevard, S., an unknown phone Thursday. A witness told police the A Cape Coral detective man told police he was robbed white male in a gray hooded The suspect didn’t touch or suspect, between 5-feet-10 and made contact with a male of over $3,000 worth of pre- sweatshirt and long pants hurt the victim when snatching 6 feet tall, snatched the drugs matching the description of the scription drugs outside a local grabbed a bag of prescriptions the bag of medications, the vic- from the victim and ran to the alleged robbery suspect at pharmacy Wednesday after- from his hand and fled on foot. tim said. north. Southeast 12th Avenue and noon. The incident allegedly hap- The bag contained 4,980 Though a Circle K clerk on Southeast 9th Street, but the He told officers that when he pened at approximately 4 p.m. pills at a value of $3,151.90, Country Club Boulevard told See ROBBERY, page 3A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE Funeral home sets seminar Lee County TDC to meet The Coral Ridge Funeral Home & The Lee County Tourist Development Annie’s Mailbox ....6A Horoscopes........6A Cemetery will conduct a “Planning Ahead Council will meeting at 9 a.m. Friday at the Business ................7A Nation ................8A Florida for All the Right Reasons” seminar at 11 Visitor & Convention Bureau, 12800 Lottery a.m. Saturday and Feb. 14 at 1630 S.W. University Drive, Suite 325, Fort Myers. Classifieds ..........1-6B Obituary ............2A Pine Island Road. Refreshments will be Parking only available on the top floor of the CASH 3: Comics ............14A Police Blotter ....2A 7-3-8 / 5-7-4 served. For information, call 283-0540. garage. For information, call Nancy Crossword........14A Sports ........15-17A PLAY 4: Steuterman at 338-3500. 0-0-7-1 / 7-1-7-4 Dr. Donohue ......6A State ..................5A CRA announces workshop Fantasy 5 The Cape Coral Community Preserves focus of forum Editorial..............4A TV Listings....11-13A 1-2-10-18-34 Lotto Redevelopment Agency is hosting a work- A forum, called “U.S. Sugar, Local Entertainment....10A Weather ............2A 2-9-11-17-23-49 shop from 8:45 a.m.-noon today in coun- Aquatic Preserves and the Everglades: How Florida Powerball cil chambers at City Hall. The speaker is Getting the Water Right in the Everglades 7-24-30-32-44 architect and urban visionary Bernard Helps Our Estuary,” will be held Feb. 17 at the PB 18 x 4 Zyscovich. The afternoon session begins BIG ARTS on Sanibel. Shannon Estenoz, of at 1:30 p.m. at the office, 447 Cape Coral the South Florida Water Management District Parkway E., Suite 108. Governing Board, is one of the panelists.