POST COMMENTS, SHARE VIEWS, READ BLOGS ON CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM It s on CAPE CORAL Gulf Middle tangles with Trafalgar Middle in boys soccer DAILY BREEZE — SPORTS WEATHER: Partly Sunny • Tonight: Mostly Clear • Friday: Partly Sunny — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 48, No. 52 Thursday, March 5, 2009 50 cents Question of funding delays road expansion meeting “I really didn’t want to go into a public meeting where I’m Plan widens Burnt Store to 4 lanes not even convinced what lands we need.” By GRAY ROHRER the end of 2008 has been postponed approximately 2.7 miles. In later — Mike Rigsby, engineer for [email protected] for at least one year over “uncertain- stages the road would be expanded Lee County Department of Transportation Lee County’s budget woes could ties regarding funding” linked to to six lanes. delay the widening of Burnt Store land acquisition around the road and Lee County Department of Road north of Pine Island Road, questions over water management Transportation engineer Mike public meeting where I’m not even lies outside the county’s five-year while the number of daily vehicles that could affect the design. Rigsby said specific design plans convinced what lands we need,” he plan. The county is trying to attain on that stretch of road continues to The current plan is to widen could not be made without getting said. the necessary rights of way in antic- rise. Burnt Store from two lanes to four more information from the South The delay in the meeting does ipation of the project. A public meeting on the expan- from Pine Island Road north to Van Florida Water Management District. not necessarily mean there will be a “We’re doing a little bit of land sion of the road that was slated for Buren Parkway, an expanse of “I really didn’t want to go into a delay in the project, which currently See ROAD, page 3A Star power District hands out ‘Golden Apples’ to 2 teachers in Cape Six winners total in Lee SPECIAL TO THE BREEZE High [email protected] ■ Leisha Roy, health Six teachers from the Lee teacher at Gulf Middle County School District were ■ Mirta Torres, third-grade awarded “Golden Apples” teacher at Spring Creek Wednesday morning to recog- Elementary nize their outstanding perform- ■ Tilisa Skerczak, kinder- ance in the classroom. garten teacher at Sunshine Winners include: Elementary ■ Deborah Suhrie, a first- As winners of the Golden grade teacher at Trafalgar Apple Teacher Recognition Elementary Program, each teacher is invit- ■ Debra Hornick, a second- ed to a formal reception April 3 grade teacher at Tice at the Harborside Event Center. Elementary They will be recognized along- ■ Jennifer Tomlinson, side fellow staff and their stu- English teacher at Fort Myers See APPLE, page 3A Annual Oktoberfest MCKENZIE CASSIDY Hilary Duff visited students at Tice Elementary on Wednesday morning to promote the in March event gets Blessings in a Backpack program, which helps students on free and reduced lunch. Celebrity visits Tice Elementary help from local man to raise awareness over program 13-mile walk promotes ful.” fund-raiser, with music After arriving in Lee County at 4 p.m. Tuesday Aids kids on free Duff held a fund-raiser at Bell Tower Shops in Fort By DREW WINCHESTER Myers. Tonight she leaves Southwest Florida to visit [email protected] To go two schools in Detroit and three in Toronto, Canada. If you see a man walking down Five years ago Duff was approached by Stan What or reduced lunch Del Prado Boulevard today wear- Oktoberfest in March Curtis, creator of the Blessings in a Backpack pro- ing lederhosen and playing an By MCKENZIE CASSIDY gram, to collect items of food during her live concerts. accordion, do not be alarmed — When [email protected] Any person attending one of her concerts was that is just Don Ostrowsky. March 13, 4-10 p.m.; Actress and singer Hilary Duff was greeted by asked to bring a can of food, and so far more than 11 Ostrowsky is raising awareness March 14, noon-10 p.m.; March 15, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. hundreds of smiles, flashing cameras and banners million meals have been collected. When Hurricane for the Oktoberfest in March cele- Wednesday morning at Tice Elementary as she visit- Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Duff brought 2.5 bration this weekend at the Shell Where ed to promote a program that helps students who can- million meals to victims in the community. Factory by trekking 13 miles from Shell Factory not afford school lunch. The Blessings in a Backpack program was created Cape Coral to Fort Myers. in North Fort Myers Duff addressed students and faculty, and later was by Curtis in 2005 to help elementary children in Title According to Ostrowsky, assisted by three students — Cornesha Campbell, I schools. Often from lower socioeconomic families, Oktoberfest has been a major Oktoberfest, the more we can give Yuliana Zarco and Sierra Irving — to pack back- each of the students in the program are registered in fund-raiser, helping to stock the back,” he said of his daylong walk. packs full of ready-to-eat, non-perishable food. the federally-funded free or reduced lunch program. shelves of the Cape Caring Center Starting at 8:30 a.m. at Christ Irving even wore a homemade T-shirt proclaiming So far, Tice Elementary is the only Lee County and Community Cooperative Lutheren Church on Del Prado, “Tice Elementary loves Hilary Duff.” school enrolled in the program and 62 percent of Ministries with food for the needy. Ostrowsky will head west across “There is a tremendous need, there are kids who children in the county receive free or reduced lunch “We’ve given $50,000 back to the Midpoint Bridge to Edison are hungry and that should never happen,” said Duff. — a 12 percent increase since last year, according to the community to feed the poor, Mall, where he will hold court “These kids are our future and the families are thank- and the more people we have at See DUFF, page 3A See FESTIVAL, page 3A Local Odyssey of the Mind teams head to states “Diplomat Middle has two teams going to state. We are 1,200 students took part in regionals having to raise a lot of money to go to state.” By MCKENZIE CASSIDY lem on the spot. They are also sep- on Saturday and included 1,200 — Amy Brey, parent-coach of Diplomat Middle School team [email protected] arated into one of five divisions students of various ages ranging Odyssey of the Mind teams based on age. from elementary to those from from Lee County will compete at Topics for the long-term prob- Florida Gulf Coast University. the state level competition in April lems include Earth Trek, Teach Amy Brey, a parent-coach of had to be used in two scenes, but in “Diplomat Middle has two at the University of Central Florida Yer Creature, The Lost Labor of the team from Diplomat Middle, a different way. teams going to state,” she said. in Orlando. Heracles, Shock Waves, said students chose to organize an Diplomat Middle now has two “We are having to raise a lot of Competitors work on a long- Superstition and Candy Factory. 8-minute skit involving a number teams and 14 students attending money to go to state.” term problem throughout the The regional competition was of superstitions. It also had a tech- the state competition, but it needs Other schools in Cape Coral school year and a short-term prob- hosted at Island Coast High School nical aspect where the same prop to raise approximately $3,000 for travel and lodging costs. See COMPETE, page 3A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE Council for Progress to meet USS Indianapolis survivor Council for Progress will meet at 7:30 a.m. Annie’s Mailbox........5A NASCAR..........14A Friday at GulfCoast Village on Santa Barbara to speak at Legacy Series The Uncommon Friends Foundation’s Classifieds ............1-6B Nation ................8A Florida Boulevard. City and county officials will dis- cuss the UEP. Submit questions/comments Legacy Speakers Series continues at Comics ............10A Obituary ............2A Lottery 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Palm CASH 3: ahead of time. For details, call 282-2186. Crossword........10A Police Blotter ....2A Yacht Club, 2360 West First St., Fort 5-0-1 / 8-4-4 Myers. Dr. Donohue ........5A Sports ........11-13A PLAY 4: 4-6-7-6 / 8-4-2-7 Former resident to share The speaker is Harlan Twible, a sur- Editorial..............4A State ..................6A Fantasy 5 vivor of the sinking of the USS stories of city’s early days Indianapolis in 1945 during World War Health ................7A TV Listings..............9A 1-15-17-23-32 The Cape Coral Historical Society will Lotto II. Horoscopes........5A Weather ............2A 1-5-8-44-36-37 meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cultural Park The cost is $25 for the VIP reception, Florida Powerball Theatre, 528 Cultural Park Blvd. The guest $10 for VIP seating and $5 for all others. 1-6-44-49-55 speaker will be Betsy Zeiss Lewis, a former For information, contact the PB 36 x 2 full-time resident of Cape Coral who wrote Uncommon Friends Foundation at 337- “The Other Side of the River,” an historical 9505 or visit: account of the city’s early days. For informa- www.uncommonfriends.org. 7 48445 46010 1 tion, call Anne Cull at 772-7037.