KATY TORRALBAS

Get Growing: news from the garden community for Lee and Collier counties.

We went to lunch at the Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant in Naples, and left pleasantly surprised. Overall, we enjoyed our meals.

If I were strolling down Fifth Avenue South on a weekend afternoon and wanted to grab a good, healthful and reasonably­priced lunch, I’d keep the Cafe in mind — especially if I wanted to dine in a tables-on-the-side­walk kind of ...

GET GROWING: Pesticide training, plant clinic and orchids for Lee and Collier counties.

Lisa McDonnell fell in love at a French bakery: One bite of pan au chocolat, and she was smitten.

GET GROWING: plant problems and clinics to diagnose them in Naples.

Fresh, homemade baguettes and croissants stand out above all else at French American Bistro, along with smoked salmon entrees and French onion soup. But ham and cheese crepes were more miss than hit, and service, while friendly both times, was ...

Some Southwest Florida parks will close, veterans’ services will continue and the U.S. Postal Service will remain on its schedule if the federal government shuts down at midnight Friday as has been predicted. Locally, those operations to remain open include ...

Pink Ribbon Restorative Yoga, a yoga program for breast cancer survivors, offers free classes in Naples to women who have had breast cancer — whether they had it years ago, are still in treatment or just had surgery.

“I heard the gunshots,” remembers Mary Ann Gordon, a Naples resident. “I turned around and all I saw were bodies on the ground.” Naples woman called 'unsung hero' during President Reagan's assassination attempt

Step inside La Fiesta No. 3 Supermarket, where the men are gathered, and you enter another world: Bright lights, warmth and smells of flour, coffee, onions, tacos. People file in, wait in line, order and check out, replacing hoods and ...

Salsa Brava Mexican Grill is in a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of location, but it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled.

While there will be plenty of adrenaline-pumping rides with names like the Super Himalaya and the Wild Claw, there are also dozens of other attractions and shows, including monkeys riding on racing dogs in the Banana Derby, sea lion and ...

More than 500 people collect state pensions of more than $100,000 in Florida, according to a list released by Governor Rick Scott on a new website, www.floridahasarighttoknow.com.

Gardening news and events in Southwest Florida.

Naples’ famous art festival has expanded north, and it’s setting up shop. Last year, the Naples Art Association stretched its reach to hold an art festival at Mercato in North Naples. The event was a success, so this year they’re ...

Dropping a fishing line in Florida’s waters might soon be simpler. State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has filed a bill that would eliminate recreational fishing licenses for fresh water and saltwater.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has come out ...

You wouldn’t think to look for an owl underground, but that’s exactly where you might find one this time of year. Learn about burrowing owls and hop on a bus to visit them in their burrows during Cape Coral’s ninth ...

Craving vegetables one night, I looked for a dish heavy on fresh veggies and light on time. This linguine with shrimp and veggies is perfect for a quick, weeknight dinner.

Chinese food usually tastes great. But often, shortly after eating you’ll find yourself in a grease-induced food coma. That wasn’t the case with Golden Leaf in Naples. Many of the dishes we tried were much lighter than typical Chinese fare, ...

Florida doesn’t have an Arizona-style immigration law yet, but mention the possibility and you’ll hear a lot of anxious sighs. Business owners, economic experts and tourist officials say measures before the Florida Legislature might taint Florida’s image, dampen tourism and ...

E-mail “Get Growing” announcements to news@naplesnews.com, or mail to “Get Growing,” Naples Daily News, 1100 Immokalee Road, Naples, FL 34110.

It’ll be hard not to tap your toes at this party. Jammin’ in the Hammock, an annual bluegrass festival and fundraiser, comes to Collier-Seminole State Park this Saturday and Sunday. All proceeds from the festival benefit the park.

Joann Au-Clair had unexpected guests at Christmas in her apartment at Somerset Palms in North Naples — bed bugs. Now they’re finally gone, and the code enforcement case against the apartment’s management is closed. But Au-Clair fears the bugs will ...

Satisfy your sweetheart’s sweet tooth with these heart-shaped cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.

Gardening news for Southwest Florida

The owner of a downtown Naples furniture store was arrested and charged with stealing $40,000 of merchandise that was being sold on consignment in her own store, telling the police she was robbed and intending to sell the furniture at ...

It’s different from a thick, beefy traditional chili, but for me, that was a good thing. I made it while the weather was cold and it’s a bowlful of warm, comfort food. Made with cannellini beans, diced green chilis, chicken ...

“I haven’t slept in weeks, these things feed from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the morning,” Au-Clair said. “They were crawling over me, before I even knew what they were.”

There’s something very friendly and homey about Mimi’s Cooking, a small French restaurant in Naples. On a recent weekday afternoon, owner Marie-Michelle Rey flitted around the room, saying “Bonjour!” to diners, asking them how their meal was and even helping ...

After 28 years of living with cystic fibrosis, Jennifer Likness’s lungs stopped working. For three days, a machine pumped oxygenated blood through her body, keeping her alive. Late in the evening on the third day, when doctors say risk of ...

Mother Nature has been tough on farmers in recent weeks, but Tallahassee is giving them a break. An order relaxing trucking restrictions so farmers can more easily transport freeze-vulnerable crops was set to expire on Dec. 31, but it has ...

Soup weather is rare in Southwest Florida, but it’s definitely been here for the last few weeks.

Farmworkers have been dealing with drastically reduced hours since the cold weather hit this year, first in January and again in mid-December. After last growing season’s terrible freezes, many workers didn’t return to Immokalee because they were afraid it would ...

Last minute shoppers packed into stores on Christmas eve, picking up presents to put under the tree. Christmas music played inside Exquisite Gifts & Home Accessories in Naples as Alma Pagan checked out at the register.

The weather has warmed but many farmworkers still feel the chill.

Today is also the last day for priority mail delivery to arrive by Christmas Eve, Barber said. Starting Tuesday packages have to be shipped express mail to arrive by Christmas Eve.

Fresh and homemade are the words that come to mind to describe La Fogata Mexican Restaurant. It’s a small place, tucked in the corner of the large shopping center at the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road. ...

My family was in town for a visit recently, and when they’re around it usually means lots of people, lots of food and lots of dessert. So, I decided to pick a sweet bread recipe — and to make a ...

St. Matthew's House hope to build a 60-bed homeless facility on an 8.8 acre site at 28200 Old 41, south of Bonita Beach Road. The charity's board of director's approved a sales contract for the purchase Thursday and expects to ...

Despite waiting years for a life-saving surgery, Jennifer Likness isn’t focused on herself. Instead, she’s thinking of all the other young patients who, like her, spend weeks at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.