News

Florida education gets high marks for standards, assessments and accountability and its teachers, but a new study notes a significant performance gap between those students who are fluent in English and those still learning the language.
This year’s report added a new group — English Language Learners — to its analysis of states’ efforts to hold schools accountable. The number of English Language Learner students increased by 57 percent nationwide between 1995 and 2005. There are now about 5.1 million English Language Learner students in public schools today.

The Gulf Coast High School Key Club will host a yard sale/ fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, in the parking lot of the school, 7878 Shark Way.

A visit by Florida Municipal Electric Association's executive director, Barry Moline, had some members of the city's electric municipalization committee going back to asking why the city should buy the electric utility, Lee County Electric Cooperative.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about edible plants and the mysteries of the swallowtail kite.

Exhibition will feature more than 20 artists whose works date back to late 19th century France.

Artists also have to put food on the table.That’s the message from local artist Jo-Ann Sanborn, who says the current sour economy doesn’t sit particularly sweetly with professional artists.So, rather than lament the market, she and a group of Marco Island artists are embracing an art marketing strategy they hope will buoy their efforts to keep making a go of their profession.

Fifth annuall birding and wildlife festival will allow those who are curious to explore remote and beautiful places of Southwest Florida.

Since “Heartbreaker’s” release in 2000, Adams has released a staggering amount of work, yet he’s been struggling to regain that effortless form.

It’s a high jackpot. Just like the odds of winning it. At $105 million, the first Florida drawing for the 32-state Powerball jackpot at 10:59 tonight in Orlando is bound to make someone happy, area retailers included. On Sunday, when the new tickets were first issued, sales topped $1.5 million.

It was a chilly December night in 2002 and a Golden Gate woman was keeping score at softball games in Golden Gate Community Park. As always, she warned her 6-year-old son to “be careful.” But this time, she had a feeling something was wrong as she saw him ride off on a friend’s scooter. She would tell others he disappeared in a “blink of an eye” and she knew right away something was wrong.

Over the past week, my e-mail and fax machine seem to be overflowing with inspirational quotes from friends, family and clients.

It wouldn’t be surprising if more than a few investors mumbled “good riddance” as the crowds sang “Auld Lang Syne” to show 2008 out the door.

The firm that built the Lee County Sports Complex and the company that’s building the new Yankee Stadium both made the short list of teams competing for the opportunity to oversee building the new Red Sox stadium in south Lee County. A selection committee eliminated four of the 10 companies that applied to run the job, a project expected to cost anywhere from $50 million up. Those that made the cut will make their pitches to the committee Jan. 14.

Continental cuisine never fails to captivate and with Chef Denis Meurgue at the hallowed hearth of Marco’s first commercial kitchen, the Olde Marco Island Inn is now offering wonderful new flavors and a flamboyant flair with a distinct French twist.

Q: Since my son left for college, I have developed the most insatiable cravings for sweets. It’s so bad that I have to eat candy bars every day and I’ve put on 20 pounds in two months. I’m very embarrassed but I don’t know how to stop myself. — LA, Winter Park, Florida

If you’re new to our Macrophages column you may not know that every other week we give you a chance to win a $50 U.S. Savings Bond from Orion Bank on Marco.

The Lee County School Board heard the grim forecast for the coming fiscal year Tuesday, as they entered the homestretch of a year marked by a budget $80 million slimmer than the previous. District Budget Director Ami Desamours painted a picture for the board of the possible $40 million to $50 million in reductions the district would be forced to make given the current financial situation surrounding reduced property tax revenue and declining enrollment.

Every January, as the calendar turns to the New Year, people around the area vow to stop smoking, lose weight and get in shape.

Houses of worship in the greater Marco area are ready to embrace the influx of seasonal residents. This ebb and flow of visitors is part of life on Marco.

A months-long review of Collier County’s rural growth plan wrapped up Tuesday, but the debate is only getting started. A citizens committee, meeting for the 23rd time since November 2007, voted unanimously to approve a report that could guide growth across 200,000 acres around Immokalee until 2050 and beyond.