JEFF WEINER

• A top Collier County administrator likely heading to Afghanistan Updated 01/07/2010 at 5:59 p.m.

  After eight years braving the battle-torn landscape of local government, Joe Schmitt expects to accept a new job in a real war zone. Schmitt, 60, the Collier County administrator of the Community Development and Environmental Services Division, said Thursday he ...

• POLL: Could it snow in Collier County this week? Chances are not zero Updated 01/06/2010 at 7:34 p.m.

  “I’m not going to say the chances are zero, which is noteworthy in itself,” National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Robert Molleda said

• Owners trying to reclaim Naples auto dealership Published 01/05/2010 at 5:10 p.m.

  In the coming months, the former owners of Bob Taylor Jeep will enter into the complicated process of arbitration. They’ll attempt to reclaim their Jeep dealership in Naples, which Chrysler LLC shut down in June as part of its bankruptcy ...

• After a Southwest Florida Christmas, these folks get to talk trash Published 12/28/2009 at 7:23 p.m.

  Each year nationwide, the holiday season generates more than 5 million tons of waste, according to the Clean Air Council, an environmental nonprofit organization. And if an upshot in waste during and after the holidays is the rule, one local ...

• Gov. Crist reveals timeframe for replacing Collier School Board member Calabrese Published 12/24/2009 at 6 a.m.

  Members of the Collier County School Board were hoping to have a soon-to-be-empty seat on the board filled for Christmas. It now appears that seat may remain empty until after the first of the new year.

• PHOTOS/VIDEO Gov. Crist says quick widening of I-75 trumps other projects, is ‘huge’ Published 12/23/2009 at 7:17 p.m.

  Stepping out of an SUV and into a throng of flashing cameras and outstretched hands, Gov. Charlie Crist decreed: “This is a great day for Southwest Florida.” Gov. Crist addressed the media and the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for ...

• Trying to keep Jeep: Local dealer vows to fight Chrysler for franchise Published 12/21/2009 at 12:24 p.m.

  Local auto dealer Bob Taylor Chevrolet will seek arbitration in an attempt to recapture its Jeep dealership, which was shut down by Chrysler in June as part of the company’s restructuring plan.

• Cash for Clunkers hangover: August sales boomed while September's faded Published 10/01/2009 at 12:39 p.m.

  Though few would deny that it was popular, prolific and even pervasive, there’s one P-word few if any dealers would call the late Cash for Clunkers program. That word is punctual. However, as September came to a close, local dealers ...

• Homeschooling six daughters not as hard as it sounds, says Collier mom Published 08/20/2009 at 6:42 p.m.

  The decision to homeschool her six kids wasn’t one that Cynthia Sands came to easily. In fact, she said it wasn’t her idea at all; her daughters, whose church friends were homeschooled, asked if they could be, too.

• PHOTOS: Marco Island resident claims city, sewage project responsible for her sinking house Published 08/16/2009 at 7:26 p.m. 11 Comments

  Desiree Parker’s house is sinking. Technically, it’s Parker’s slab foundation, not her house, that has dropped four inches. Her Marco Island home, which stands on large wooden supports that elevate it off the ground, has what’s known as a “floating ...

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