Mass shootings have troubled our country since Columbine in 1998. Our schools, workplaces, entertainment venues and places of worship have all been targeted by mentally or emotionally unstable individuals, who should never have had access to guns. Past wounds are reopened with each new tragedy, bringing new calls to “do something.” Everyone retreats to their ideological corners, talking points are tossed back […]
On the morning of April 13, 2018, a most unusual spring garden will burst into bloom on the beach at the Naples Pier. More than 1,500 sparkling blue and silver pinwheels will be “planted” in the sand; each one representing an abused or neglected child currently being served by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collier County. April is National Child […]
The city council election is finished and we are ready to get to work. One incumbent, one former council member and one newcomer grabbed the honors. Linda Penniman, Gary Price, and Terry Hutchison were all sworn in on February 21, and will serve on council through February, 2022. I am constantly asked if I will run for a final term as […]
Naples Municipal Code section 36-93 is complicated, but generally states you cannot park on city easements, unless you fit under one of several very precise exceptions. The question has arisen how does an officer know there is a violation if he doesn’t know whether the owner gave permission? The answer is that it should be presumed there is a violation, which like any […]
VARIABLE ANNUITIES When you purchase a variable annuity, the insurance company adds your money to a professionally managed pool where you and your advisor can purchase stocks, bonds and other investments from premier money management companies like Vanguard, T Rowe Price, and Fidelity just to name a few. The value of the portfolio fluctuates with the markets. The reason people […]
by Laurel Meny Home to the largest selection of locally owned restaurants, boutiques, and entertainment options in Southwest Florida, there is no shortage of business owners who have a story of starting and managing a business along Fifth Avenue South. Interestingly enough, some of the Avenue’s most successful are female – and the three we […]
As one of the newest business owners on Fifth Avenue South, Kathleen McGowan and her daughter, Kayle Allen, opened The Spice & Tea Exchange in 2017. After serving as a reading teacher in Southwest Iowa, Kansas City, and Oklahoma “for too many years to count”, Kathleen officially relocated to Naples with Kayle’s family in2015. Kathleen […]
And, yet another mother daughter duo who call Fifth Avenue South home is Judy Collins and her daughter, Stacie Carroll. Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Judy owned and operated Peach Tree Designs, a retail home furnishings boutique, there for over 30 years. After relocating to Naples in 1997, Judy and Stacie opened a store on […]
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday year-round, with special “Science Saturdays” on the last Saturday of every month. Enjoy the two-story visitor center, art gallery, gift shop, nature trail with viewing platform and more. Themed naturalist programs are offered daily on topics such as manatees, sharks, […]
Mortgage Insurance Premiums – If you itemize your deductions and have deducted the insurance premiums in the past, you generally will be able to deduct them on your 2017 return. EXCLUSION OF HOME CANCELLATION OF DEBT INCOME – When a lender takes a home back and the home’s fair market is less than the balance […]