WEEKEND EDITION POST COMMENTS AT CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM Inside PARADE Repeat champs Inside today’s Breeze: • Brien Hyundai About Sela Baker girls capture O’ Ward District 4A-11 soccer title Geico Insert • CSI star talks with win over Fort Myers Insert about town she Lowe’s still calls home Inside cape-coral-daily-breeze.com cape-coral-daily- breeze.com CAPE CORAL BREEZE Vol. 50, No. 10 Saturday, January 22, 2011 50 Cents AT A GLANCE Manufacturer seeks Lee County info By DREW WINCHESTER A broadcast email dated Jan. 19 [email protected] said a “Life Sciences” company was “It’s exciting to find people who are look- A large manufacturer is looking possibly looking to construct a facili- ing to move forward with their projects...” for sites suitable for a 105,000- ty “in or near” the new Veterans square-foot facility and economic Administration Clinic. — Councilmember Marty McClain, development officials hope Cape Of the 105,000 square feet pro- who added confidentiality agreements Coral’s Veterans Investment Zone posed, 60,000 would be dedicated to prevent economic development officials will be in the running if Lee County industrial space, 20,000 square feet from releasing project information becomes the location of choice. to office space, 20,000 square feet to Due to confidentiality agree- packing lines and 5,000 square feet for laboratory space, according to the ments, officials are remaining hush Cape Coral’s Economic “We only received ‘bare’ infor- on the details however the business email. The memo indicated a deadline of Development Office declined com- mation about the needs of this ‘confi- community was asked this week to ment due to requirements that keep dential’ prospect. We are trying to submit sites for possible considera- Jan. 21 for details about suitable properties, if any. details confidential until a deal is tion. arranged. See COUNTY, page 8A Inside today’s Breeze Unemployment Women holding classes to Economy impacts schools dips in Lee promote the use of pure, natu- ral oils to help clense the body By DREW WINCHESTER of harmful toxins. Private institutions look to tuition adjustments, [email protected] — Page 3B om Lee County was still seeing a extra fundraisers, to keep kids learning 12.5 percent unemployment rate EWS OF OTE at the end of 2010, but year- N N By MEGHAN McCOY The VPK program has seen a decrease in enroll- over-year the county’s unem- [email protected] ment from 51 children last year to 36 this year. ployment picture has improved King to address As enrollments dip at private schools due the econ- The VPK program is a little bit unusual, Mitchell some. omy, local institutions have looked to tuition increases said, because parents have the option of dropping off In December 2009, 13.4 per- SWCCNA cent of Lee’s workforce was The Southwest Cape and fund raisers to boost revenues. their child free of charge from 9 a.m. until noon or unemployed, so Southwest Coral Neighborhood Asso- Enrollments have declined slightly by 10 to 30 stu- from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. five days a week for $85. Florida Works’ Barbara Hartman ciaion will meet Wednes- dents from previous years at four area schools which Although the enrollment has remained relatively said the current rate of 12.5 per- day, Jan. 26, in the cafeteria have adjusted tuition amounts to compensate. steady for the last three years, Christ Lutheran School cent is a definite step in the right at Oasis Charter Elementary Meanwhile, fundraisers at the schools have raised, had 115 students enrolled four and five years ago. direction. School, 3507 Oasis Blvd. varying amounts up to $400,000-plus. Mitchell said the decrease in enrollment is “attribut- The guest speaker will be “People moving out of the county isn’t helping a able to the economy and the way it has changed the See UNEMPLOYMENT, 7A Cape Coral City Manager lot,” Iris Mitchell, principal and director of the Early demographics of the Cape” due to families traveling Gary King. Following his Learning Center said about the decrease in enrollment. “elsewhere to find work.” presentation there will also Christ Lutheran School currently has 87 students St. Andrew currently has 250 students enrolled, be a question-and-answer enrolled in its facility, which serves voluntary pre- which is a decrease from the previous year. Services set period. kindergarten through fifth grade. The school also pro- The decrease in enrollment, St. Andrew Catholic vides 75 children with daycare services for those who School Principal Sister Elizabeth Meegan said, is due for student FLORIDA are six weeks old through 4 years old. to people not being able to pay for the tuition because Cape man died after LOTTERY See SCHOOLS, page 8A he was caught in rip Cash 3: current in Costa Rica 1-5-6 / 8-7-4 By TIFFANY REPECKI Play 4: [email protected] 4-1-9-2 / 2-4-4-7 Services have been announced for a Cape Coral man who drowned in Fantasy 5: Costa Rica during a study abroad trip 5-9-28-29-31 organized through his university. A Celebration of Life Service will Mega Money: be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at Fort 1-12-19-24Megaball 10 Myers Shores Seventh Day Lotto Adventist Church for Erik L. 9-12-14-33-35-52 x 4 Downes, 20. A junior at Oglethorpe University, Downes was swimming Florida Powerball: off Playa Dominical on the Pacific 22-36-51-56-59 Coast when he was caught in a rip- PB 32 x 3 tide Jan. 4. On Jan. 7, his body was found in the waters off of Playa Pinuelas. INDEX Downes was a pre-med major and an active member of the community. Blotter . .2A He served as vice president of the Classifieds . .Section C Student Government Association and led the Student Senate, universi- Dr. Donohue . .4B ty officials reported. A resident assis- Editorial . .4-5A tant, Downes volunteered on the Gardening . .3B school’s Center for Civic Hot Property . .1B Engagement service projects. Lifestyles . .3B Oglethorpe students and faculty Horoscopes . .3B members were in Costa Rica for a short-term ecological study abroad Military Notes . .8B PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL PISTELLA Obituaries . .7A See SERVICES, page 7A Puzzle Page . .7B Property Transfers . .2B Real Estate . .1-2B Informational session on Burnt Store widening set Religion . .6B Sports . .9-11A By DREW WINCHESTER best job of presenting this informa- something they hope to avoid nearly Rich O’Donnell said the lighted TV Highlights . .7B [email protected] tion to the people so they come in as five years later. pathways addressed one concern of informed as they can be,” NWNA Also a member of the committee, the neighborhood association, but Weather . .2A The Northwest Neighborhood Association is planning a late member Nate Bliss said Thursday Bliss added, “Pre-education is what was curious as to their overall safe- Weekly Recap . .6A February informational meeting during a Burnt Store Right of Way we’re trying to accomplish.” ty. open to all residents regarding plans Committee meeting. Lee County Department of “Being in law enforcement for to widen Burnt Store Road. Bliss said the NWNA didn’t feel Transportation staff presented an 33 years, those locations are going The meeting’s purpose it to pre- the public was “adequately briefed” updated widening plan to the com- to be impossible to be patrolled by a pare people for a county workshop before the last Burnt Store widening mittee, including added u-turns and car,” O’Donnell said. “They have to 7 48445 46010 1 one week later. workshop in 2006. lighted paths for pedestrian walk- “We’re trying our best to do the Most walked away more con- ways underneath the canal bridges. See WIDENING, page 6A fused than educated, Bliss said, NWNA and committee member District encourages school ‘choice’ applications By MEGHAN McCOY cations, 336 online and 205 in per- parents to come to Batch 1 because batch is closed on March 4 and a let- [email protected] son. that is when they have the greatest ter will be sent out on March 25 to The Lee County School District Director of Student Assignment chance of getting their first choice of inform parents to which school their received more applications during Leila Muvdi said they have been school due to the highest number of child is assigned. Batch 1 for student assignment regis- very busy since Tuesday. She seats available. The Batch 1 Student Assignment tration on Tuesday than the previous explained that they received approxi- “You miss your first batch, your is held for new families to the Lee year. mately 200 more applications online chances are very slim,” Muvdi said County Public Schools, students A total of 661 applications were this year than the previous year on about why it is so important for par- entering kindergarten, students tran- turned in on Tuesday in the east the first day and between 80-100 ents to come before March 4. sitioning from middle to high school attendance zone, with 387 of those more in person. Batch 1 is done through a lottery, and a change of schools being done online and 274 done in “We are having a higher partici- instead of through a first-come first- Although applications can be sub- person. The west attendance zone pation in batch one than last year,” served basis. Muvdi explained that mitted through the mail or in person, had 821 applications, 594 complet- she said about the 2,023 applications everyone who turns in an application Muvdi encourages parents to fill out ed online and 227 in person.