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Post Comments, share Views, read Blogs on CaPe-Coral-daily-Breeze.Com Playoff CAPE CORAL bound Miami Heat battles Atlanta Hawks DAILY BREEZE — SPORTS WEATHER: Partly Sunny • Tonight: Partly Cloudy • Thursday: Mostly Sunny — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 48, No. 87 Wednesday, April 15, 2009 50 cents Trial opens for last defendant in 2005 homicide Cape Coral Five charged for home invasion resident Dave Gaphoor faces By CONNOR HOLMES County jury Tuesday. injured. Gaphoor is charged with first- Gaphoor faces a possible life multiple charges [email protected] in connection to A Cape Coral man is the last of degree murder, two counts of sentence if convicted. five defendants accused in a 2005 attempted second-degree murder, The home invasion and slaying a 2005 home North Fort Myers murder to face one count of aggravated battery happened at 18060 Nalle Road, invasion robbery trial. and one count of attempted home where approximately 11 to 16 and death. Dave Gaphoor, 26, of 3003 invasion robbery in a Thanksgiving employees of Fort Myers construc- S.W. Santa Barbara Lane, began Day break-in that left Jose Gomez, tion company Carpentry Houses CONNOR HOLMES trial before a 14-person Lee 25, shot to death and others See TRIAL, page 9A Down to the wire Educators enlist advocate in push to save programs Proposal cuts 80 jobs By MCKENZIE CASSIDY [email protected] “This is about finding Local teachers are hiring John solutions. We aren’t in an Benham, an advocate of music, to adversarial position with prevent the slashing of 80 fine arts the school board.” and music positions. Not unlike a classic Western — Jeff Hanjian, where a desperate village hires a Cape Coral resident professional gunfighter to thwart bullies, fine arts teachers in Lee County are hiring Benham to drive and officials from the Lee County one simple message to the school School District said elementary art board: Do not cut the arts. programs would be cut if the coun- Right now the Florida ty’s budget shortfall reaches $51 Legislature is struggling to contain million. a $3 billion deficit in state revenue, See CUTS, page 9A DREW WINCHESTER Liberty Tax Service employee Patsy Sayer waves Tuesday at passing cars on Del Commission delays Prado Boulevard, just 24 hours before the federal tax deadline. Sayer is one of 600 applicants who applied to be “wavers” for the three Liberty Tax Service locations in Lee County. Her temporary job expires today. decision to approve Last day for filing taxes on time ethics code changes going to have to pay,” she said. Of course, there is also the general tendency Extension needed to procrastinate. “There’s always people who tend to put Problem with wording things off,” Casanova-Maldonado added. to avoid penalties Not everyone, however, has seen an By DREW WINCHESTER [email protected] “I’m trying to make cer- increase in tax traffic this year. tain our employees won’t By GRAY ROHRER Cheryl Wilcox, district manager for the 22 Revising Lee County’s code of [email protected] H&R Block offices in Cape Coral, Fort Myers ethics policy has proved more dif- come under question. I For the absent-minded and procrastinators and North Fort Myers, said her offices are ficult than commissioners origi- don’t want people to and those who just do not like paying taxes, swamped, but not unusually so. nally thought. have to go on their ver- April 15 is a day to dread. “We are busy, we have procrastinators that Presented by staff Tuesday to bal word.” Today is the last day to file income tax are coming in. It’s probably very similar to last the Lee County Commission, the returns for 2008 without incurring penalties year,” she said. revised policy did not indicate a — Commissioner without filing for an extension, and many who The nature of the tax season varies in paper trail is necessary when Tammy Hall waited until the last minute will descend on the Southwest Florida year to year, Wilcox added, county employees, elected offi- area’s tax preparers to beat the deadline. because many snowbirds wait until the Easter cials or contracted employees dis- who admitted they did not give a Tax preparers typically see a rush as the holiday to migrate back north. close gifts, personal investments detailed summation of what they deadline nears, but Jessie Casanova- “With Easter later this year, many are still or real estate purchases. expected in the policy revisions. Maldonado, marketing director for the around,” she said. According to the policy, verbal Commissioners did agree, Coralwood branch of Liberty Tax Services, For those running late in filing their returns, disclosure when it pertains to per- however, that verbal disclosure is said her office is seeing more people file clos- some post offices will be open later today. The sonal investments and gifts to a not satisfactory. er to the April 15 deadline. Cape Coral Central Post office, located at certain amount are sufficient. “I’m trying to make certain our “This year we’ve definitely seen an increase 1030 S.E. Ninth Ave., will be open until 8 The revision — due in part to employees won’t come under in people filing later,” she said. p.m. the controversy surrounding Lee question,” Commissioner Tammy Casanova-Maldonado blamed the phenome- A mobile unit at the Fort Myers Processing County Manager Don Stilwell’s Hall said. “I don’t want people to non on people not knowing their tax status. and Distribution Center, located at 14080 investment in son-in-law Samir have to go on their verbal word.” “Some people just weren’t sure of their situ- Cabrera’s land deals — stirred Hall also found that the board ation, some people weren’t sure if they were See TAXES, page 9A confusion among commissioners, See ETHICS, page 9A Amended complaint is against Grill directly “Mostly it’s more detail because (Eric Grill’s) attorney Suing Cape official, not company had asked for more detail.” By GRAY ROHRER Johnson filed her original civil company, Grand Cape — Lisa Johnson, owner of Tropical Twisters Gymnastics [email protected] complaint against Grill in Construction, in November 2007 Lisa Johnson, owner of February, after lodging a criminal to build a 7,000-square-foot gym- complaint with the Cape Coral nasium in the north Cape. She August and failed to pay Honc The amended complaint pro- Tropical Twisters Gymnastics, Construction $20,000 for clearing vides more specifics and beefs up filed an amended complaint Police Department, which was made an initial $2,500 payment eventually passed on to the Lee and took out a $46,500 loan from and fill work done on the site. its claim to sue Grill personally, against Cape Coral City Honc subsequently placed a instead of Grand Cape Councilmember Eric Grill last County Sheriff’s Office. Partners Bank in June in order to The criminal investigation is pay Grand Cape. $20,000 lien on the property. Construction, Johnson said. week, responding to a motion from In December Johnson fired “Mostly it’s more detail Grill’s lawyer to dismiss the case. ongoing. Johnson claims Grill stopped Johnson contracted with Grill’s returning her phone calls in Grill and hired a new contractor. See LAWSUIT, page 9A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE Mayor to speak at meeting Special post office hours Annie’s Mailbox......10A Nation ................8A The Democratic Club of Cape Coral will The Cape Central Post Office, 1030 S.E. Fla. Lottery meet at 7 p.m. today at River Towers, 4280 Ninth Ave., will remain open for business until Cape Life ..........7A Obituaries ..........2A S.E. 20th Place. The guest Speaker is Mayor 8 p.m. today. Full retail service and an April CASH 3: Classifieds ............1-4B Police Blotter ....2A 1-9-2 / 9-0-5 Jim Burch. His topic is “What is it like in city 15 postmark will be available until then. government?” For information, call 471- The Fort Myers Processing & Distribution Comics ............12A Sports ........13-15A PLAY 4: 3-8-7-2 / 2-1-5-6 7704. Center, 14080 Jetport Loop Road, Fort Crossword........12A State ..................3A Fantasy 5 Myers, will have a retail mobile unit set up in Dr. Donohue......10A Today in History....11A 4-6-16-18-35 the front parking area from 5 p.m.-midnight. 6-21-23-28 MB 9 Native plant sale planned The mobile unit will sell stamps, offer special Editorial..............4A TV Listings............11A Lotto The Annual Spring Native Plant Sale will services such as certified mail, and postmark be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Rotary Horoscopes......10A Weather ............2A 13-17-42-48-49-50 tax returns. The blue collection boxes in front Florida Powerball Park Environmental Center, 5505 Rose of the Processing & Distribution Center will 7-28-35-46-49 Garden Road. Trees, shrubs, plants, grasses, PB 20 x 4 have their last pick up at midnight for an April seeds and books will be available. There will 15 postmark. also be information on butterfly gardening, All other post offices will close at the end backyard wildlife habitats and Florida friend- of normal business hours. Collection from the 7 48445 46010 1 ly landscaping. For details, call 549-4604. blue boxes will be normal posted times. Page 2A Wednesday, April 15, 2009 cape-coral-daily-breeze.com CAPE CORAL DAILY BREEZE Last week’s Web poll results OBITUARIES Are elementary school arts and music programs a good place to cut costs? Cape Coral, and Joanne (Louis) Owen of Library.