Bonita Springs — It’s official. The Bonita YMCA will reopen on May 26, almost a year to the day the doors were shuttered. As reported first by the Spotlight the Venice based South County Family YMCA agreed in January to take over the Kent Road facility from Collier County’s YMCA. The transaction closed at 3 P.M. [...]
If you go… Bird Rookery Swamp Where: 1295 Shady Hollow Blvd. West, 12 miles east of I-75 off Immokalee Rd. When: Open sunrise to sunset. Cost: Free. For more information: www.crewtrust.org. Collier County — As if on cue, a juvenile bald eagle soared overhead as George Luther began his talk at the entrance to Bird [...]
Bonita Springs—In July 1923, Barron Collier sealed the deal to carve his namesake Collier County from Lee County. Collier owned over a million acres of property in southwest Florida, including land in Bonita Springs, and he might have pushed the Collier County boundary further north. If only he had, Bonitians would be parking for free [...]
Bonita Springs — Angela Hicks finds her center in dance. The artist performs sword dance, combining the beauty of belly dance, with the strength of balancing a Turkish scimitar on her head. The blend creates a beautiful and intense presence on the stage. “The sword dance is about overcoming fears,” Hicks said. “You have to [...]
Bonita Springs —For several years, an area nonprofit scouted empty buildings and property in search of a home to carry out its mission to the poor. At each turn it was told ‘no,” whether because of a zoning mismatch, neighbor rejection or a price too high. Last fall it landed on a solution, to build on a vacant parcel of land. Excitement built in the organization; money was raised; [...]
Bonita Springs — When you think about home construction, heavy-duty equipment and able-bodied men immediately come to mind. However, during Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Week from May 5 to 13, the only muscle required for raising a Bonita Springs woman and her family out of poverty housing is a heart. This annual Habitat for [...]
Bonita Springs — It’s official. The Bonita YMCA will reopen on May 26, almost a year to the day the doors were shuttered. As reported first by the Spotlight the Venice based South County Family YMCA agreed in January to take over the Kent Road facility from Collier County’s YMCA. The transaction closed at 3 P.M. [...]
Bonita Springs—In July 1923, Barron Collier sealed the deal to carve his namesake Collier County from Lee County. Collier owned over a million acres of property in southwest Florida, including land in Bonita Springs, and he might have pushed the Collier County boundary further north. If only he had, Bonitians would be parking for free [...]
Bonita Springs —For several years, an area nonprofit scouted empty buildings and property in search of a home to carry out its mission to the poor. At each turn it was told ‘no,” whether because of a zoning mismatch, neighbor rejection or a price too high. Last fall it landed on a solution, to build on a vacant parcel of land. Excitement built in the organization; money was raised; [...]
Bonita Springs — Angela Hicks finds her center in dance. The artist performs sword dance, combining the beauty of belly dance, with the strength of balancing a Turkish scimitar on her head. The blend creates a beautiful and intense presence on the stage. “The sword dance is about overcoming fears,” Hicks said. “You have to [...]
Bonita Springs YMCA Where: 27200 Kent Road Ages: 5 years to 8th grade Dates: May 29 to August 3 Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday Weekly Cost: $55 Members; $75 Non-Members (Free lunch included) Camps will include a variety of sports camps and day camps ranging from swimming to soccer to arts and crafts. A full schedule will be available [...]
Bonita Springs — From the time she wakes in the morning, Linda Liles creates. As she walks her dog in the woods she writes poetry or songs in her head, perhaps trying them out on the wind and the birds. She scoops to pick up pine needles along the walk, because she weaves and winds [...]
If you go… Bird Rookery Swamp Where: 1295 Shady Hollow Blvd. West, 12 miles east of I-75 off Immokalee Rd. When: Open sunrise to sunset. Cost: Free. For more information: www.crewtrust.org. Collier County — As if on cue, a juvenile bald eagle soared overhead as George Luther began his talk at the entrance to Bird [...]
Bonita Springs — In the eyes of Relay for Life participants, all cancer survivors are precious. This was evident as survivors, wearing their purple shirts, opened the Bonita Springs Relay for Life at Riverside Park on Saturday, April 14. As the 60 survivors walked the track, they were led by 5-year-old Tony Marroquin and Cathie [...]
Bonita Springs — Shannon Lane, Director of Operations and Program Management for over 300 children at Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County, is a professional children’s advocate; she tracks legislation that benefits children. “The record is dim,” Lane said. “Children have no one to speak for them, yet they are the future of our [...]
Bonita Springs — Do you ever have those days when you are meeting absolutely nobody’s expectations, not even your own? When your 4-year-old wakes up and says, “I love Daddy the most and you the last.” It’s your day to bring the snack to school and somebody at your house polished off the snacks you [...]
Bonita Springs — It is a beautiful sunny day at the Bonita Nature Place. I call this place home. It was not always the best location for a gopher tortoise to call home. Many years ago, while out looking for tender green grass sprouts to eat, I happened upon a field and realized that it was also the home to a few horses and dogs. But, I [...]
Bonita Springs — Do you hit a fade, slice, or the driver too high? If so relax you are not alone. These are daily golfer complaints that can easily be corrected by reviewing a tour player’s driver setup and their angle of attack, which is how you hit up or down on the golf ball [...]
There are differing views on Bonita Fire’s bid to take over emergency ambulance transportation in Bonita Springs from Lee County’s Emergency Medical Services department. Lee County Board of County Commissioner approval is required. Community support in Bonita is extensive, with City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and other community groups endorsing it. Lee EMS and some other county organizations oppose it. In our December cover story and [...]
Bonita Springs – On April 18 crowds again overflowed City Council Chambers, filling the lobby hall, spilling into Room 118 and out to the parking lot, where a live TV feed of the City Council meeting was set up. The subject, yet again, was St. Matthew’s House proposed homeless shelter, then proposed at 260 beds. [...]
By Rev. Dr. Paul Fahnestock Special to the Spotlight I am a resident of Bonita Springs and a pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Bonita Springs. I cannot speak to the reality of other homeless shelters around the country, but in my research and experience with St. Matthew’s House (SMH) in Naples and Immokalee, I find they have a 25-year [...]
Bonita Springs — In Old Bonita, where Reynolds crosses Felts, there is a small plaque on a wall outside the Bonita Springs Community Policing Office. It honors Cpl. Alfredo Banos, who was “a cop to the core. He loved the profession, not as a job or a paycheck — he believed in what he was [...]
Bonita Springs — Spring Creek Elementary School is a labyrinthine maze of classrooms that boast no doors, with a library at its center. Colorful posters and signs demonstrating school pride decorate every wall. At one end sits Cynthia Hernandez’s 5th Grade classroom. The wall decorations are slowly being covered in preparation for the FCAT and [...]
Bonita Springs — Enrico Costagliola tells the story, “I was born in my mother’s restaurant in Torregaveta, a small Italian village south of Naples. I was destined to run my own restaurant.” He learned from his mother that a restaurant was a friendly place for family and friends to gather and enjoy a meal made [...]
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