TOM GIRATIKANON

• Naples man looks to provide clean drinking water to impoverished African country Published 12/07/2008 at 6:13 p.m.

  To save lives where the water itself is deadly, Roger Ciskie of Naples is placing his hope in a simple, ceramic filter that keeps deadly bacteria from reaching the lips of impoverished children. The filter itself looks like an oversized ...

• Prep wrestling: Lely takes its own Foxboro Duals title Published 12/06/2008 at 8:19 p.m.

  Methodical and ferocious, Lely’s veteran wrestling squad emerged victorious Saturday afternoon after a grueling two-day meet that pitted 20 high schools against each other.

• TICKET LINK/PHOTOS: Fans camp out in Fort Myers to get spring training tickets Updated 12/05/2008 at 10:01 p.m.

  With seating for nine and hot dogs for 300, Jason Smith’s bamboo tables and bar stools served as the neighborhood cafe for those camped out for Boston Red Sox spring training tickets on Friday evening. Amid a line of dome ...

• Double-down debut: Blackjack comes to Immokalee Updated 12/04/2008 at 10:01 p.m.

  Southwest Florida’s first legal blackjack games began Thursday morning at the Seminole Immokalee Casino. The Immokalee casino is the third Seminole casino to offer the table game, following the debut in June at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood. ...

• POLL: Martinez announces he will not seek reelection Updated 12/02/2008 at 7:33 p.m.

  U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who has struggled to boost public support because of his close ties to President George W. Bush, announced Tuesday he will not seek a second term in 2010, saying he wants to spend more ...

• PHOTOS: Pam Knauz’s artistic showcases at Gallery One have passers-by taking notice Updated 12/02/2008 at 1:10 p.m.

  Every so often these days, in the festive windows of Naples’ Gallery One, the head of Pam Knauz pops out from behind the drapes. The art gallery employee will grab a fish bowl — with a big, live goldfish swimming ...

• Prep basketball: Seahawks boys, girls split against Barron, Gulf Coast Published 11/29/2008 at 10:33 p.m.

  The Barron Collier High School boys basketball team fought off a last-period charge by state-ranked Community School on Saturday night, escaping with a 57-54 victory at the CSN Fieldhouse.

• Prep football: Hyde does it again for Golden Eagles in win over Dunbar Published 11/28/2008 at 11:02 p.m.

  Tall, strong and elusive, Naples High running back Carlos Hyde began the year as a formidable force — ranked by some as the nation’s best fullback, he committed to football powerhouse Ohio State.

• Collier County gets personal with banks to clean up untidy foreclosures Updated 11/28/2008 at 6:09 p.m.

  As a record number of foreclosures hits Collier County month after month, the county is quietly making headway on at least one problem: persuading banks to mow the lawns of vacant homes — and even clean the pools. Officials said ...

• Alcohol sales in SW Florida stay steady or better despite economic downturn Published 11/23/2008 at 9:25 p.m.

  When a man called Naples wine seller Peter Rizzo recently, wondering what vintage might best celebrate a birthday, Rizzo recommended an expensive chardonnay that would be perfect for the occasion: The one the man had already bought.

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