Deirdre Conner

• Should Florida DCF pay for a wrong that can’t be made right? Published 01/07/2007 at 12:26 a.m.

  Darlene Achille has a jam-packed schedule, and there simply isn’t enough time in it to dwell on the arc of her short life, let alone room to brood about all the people who were supposed to protect her brothers and ...

• Cooling market brings little relief to working-class families Published 12/31/2006 at midnight

  Margaret Raley is clinging fiercely to her life in Southwest Florida, but the Bonita Springs widow admits she can feel her grasp slipping. Raley, a nurse, toils at three jobs to preserve the tiny slice of paradise that she and ...

• Saddam Hussein's execution gets locals attention Published 12/31/2006 at midnight

  Saddam Hussein’s death, while a monumental event in the history of Iraq, is unlikely to change much for U.S. troops there, some Southwest Florida residents concluded on the day after the former Iraqi president’s execution.

• Lee educators expect no big changes with new state leaders Published 12/30/2006 at midnight

  There's an all-new administration in Tallahassee. But Lee County educators don't expect dramatic changes in the schools after Gov.-elect Charlie Crist and Lt. Gov.-elect Jeff Kottkamp are sworn in next week. Lee Schools Superintendent James Browder put it this way: ...

• Camps offer schoolchildren fun way to pass break Published 12/27/2006 at 12:21 a.m.

  This time, Barb Esch wasn’t going to let the school holiday slip up on her. The Friday after Thanksgiving, she had to make a desperate last-minute shift switch so she could care for her 9-year-old granddaughter. Inexpensive and safe offerings ...

• They'll do anything for their 'babies' Published 12/25/2006 at 12:02 a.m.

  Standing in the parking lot outside Coconut Point Town Center, Beverly Oakes peered into her navy blue stroller to check on 3-year-old Maggie. Maggie, snuggled in a Christmas suit, was fresh from an exciting visit with Santa Claus.

• Lee superintendent fares well in biannual review Published 12/21/2006 at 12:26 a.m.

  Lee schools Superintendent James Browder got an early gift from his bosses: Mostly glowing reviews on his performance as chief of the 79,000-student district. The School Board hires and fires the superintendent, and by the looks of the reviews that ...

• Foster care advocates vow to keep fighting after unpopular overhaul Published 12/21/2006 at 12:24 a.m.

  With a business to run, the holidays approaching and a house full of kids, Bill and Peggy Morris hardly have time to brood. But it’s hard not to be disappointed that 2006 didn’t hold the promise they once believed it ...

• From seed to the table Published 12/18/2006 at 12:01 a.m.

  Eggplant — not usually a children's favorite — could be on the table at Bonita Springs Elementary soon. If you grow it, they will eat. That's the idea behind a new program two Bonita residents are bringing to the school. ...

• Some teen dropouts fell through the cracks Published 12/17/2006 at 12:11 a.m.

  The Department of Education overlooked a handful of former Lee County students on Friday when the agency reported the number of teenagers dropping out of school. Last year, 22 teens in Lee County schools did drop out but didn't get ...

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