Immokalee's new Bethune Center to be rededicated Feb. 9th

Posted At : January 27, 2012 10:59 AM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

It was 1960.

Dorcas Howard landed her first job out of college teaching first grade at the only first- through 12th-grade all-black school in Immokalee: the Bethune School.

"You can go for one year," her parents told her.

More than 50 years later, she remains rooted in Immokalee by the job and the community as a new campus opens to replace the historic school where she started her career.

After seven months of demolition and reconstruction, two new buildings stand in the place of that historic school.

The $6.5 million Bethune Education Center sits in the middle of Immokalee's black community and is home to the district's alternative schools and federal programs. Inside, a commemorative hallway details the school's history from the days of segregation to now.

To be successful, two things are needed, Howard said: the best education possible and respect.

The Bethune School represented those two things then, and still does today.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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Immokalee, panthers & cattle in the New York Times

Posted At : January 27, 2012 10:34 AM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

Special from the New York Times' Green Blog: (Judge for yourself the accuracy of some statements)

Ranchers in south Florida have long been accustomed to losing calves to coyotes, buzzards, even alligators. They may have to steel themselves for another predator: the Florida panther.

Until very recently, the endangered cats were no threat to Florida cattle. The panther nearly went extinct in the 1970s, when as few as 20 cats remained in the wild. But since a project in the 1990s introduced eight female panthers from Texas that successfully mated with local cats, there are now as many as 160 adult cats in south Florida, said Dave Onorato, a researcher with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The program also introduced much-needed genetic variation into the inbred population.

The first reports of panther depredation (the technical term for cattle loss to panthers) emerged in 2010. Among the first to notice something amiss was Liesa Priddy, a rancher who noticed that more calves than usual were missing at JB Ranch, which she owns and operates in Immokalee, a town in southwest Florida. Before long, ranch workers found a few dead calves with bite marks resembling those of a panther. Similar reports followed at other ranches, but there was little proof to back up these claims.

John Henry named "Florida Mentor of the Year."

Posted At : January 27, 2012 10:25 AM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

John Henry, a mentor in The Immokalee Foundation’s Take Stock in Children program and a TIF board member, has been named “Mentor of the Year” for the state of Florida by the Take Stock in Children program. He will be formally recognized during the program’s state conference in Tallahassee in January.

Henry has been a volunteer board member for TIF for three years and served as the TSIC board liaison to the 18-member TIF board for two years. He currently mentors three Immokalee High School students – Elijah Arreaga, Kerby Henry and Elijah Basile – all of whom nominated Henry for the prestigious honor.

In 2001, TIF brought TSIC to Immokalee. Since then, the program has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships. Qualified seventh-grade students who successfully fulfill their required pledge to earn good grades, exhibit good behavior and meet weekly with a mentor are awarded a full college scholarship upon high school graduation.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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National Guard center closer to opening at IMM Regional Airport

Posted At : January 23, 2012 12:11 PM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

Special from the Naples Daily News:

The construction of a proposed Army National Guard Readiness Center in Immokalee is closer to approval by the government.

But government often moves slowly, so while Collier County and National Guard officials are optimistic about the project, construction still is years off.

Lt. Col. Mark Widener, construction and facilities management officer for the Army National Guard, said this past week that the center currently is the Guard's No. 2 construction priority.

Still, in the ranking recommendation that the National Guard sends to Congress each year, money hasn't been programmed for the project, Widener said.

The new center would bring to 40 the number of Army National Guard readiness centers across the state. A readiness center, Widener said, is synonymous with an armory. Plans call for the Immokalee Readiness Center to host all elements of the 856th Quarter Master Company and its 137 personnel.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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Immokalee's Aaron Henry now looks to NFL

Posted At : January 23, 2012 12:04 PM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

Special from the Naples Daily News:

As a native Floridian who has spent the past four winters in the bitter cold of Madison, Wis., it’s easy to see why former Immokalee High football star Aaron Henry is back in Florida for the next stage of his football career.

But he’s not enjoying days at the beach or fattening up on home cooking; he’s treating his return to Collier County as a business trip.

“It’s all business,” said Henry, who played in the East-West Shrine game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Saturday. “I stopped in to see my grandparents and my family but I’m staying in a hotel in Naples and working on my training at Ignition APG.”

Henry will spend the next few months in Southwest Florida while he trains for April’s NFL Draft. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in December with a business degree, allowing him to shift his full focus to the draft.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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Food Truck fantasia at Immokalee Seminole Casino

Posted At : January 18, 2012 6:34 PM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

Special from the Naples Daily News.

They are the subject of multiple gourmet shows on television. Owners of some of these have been uplifted to celebrity status. Through social media like Facebook and Twitter, they've achieved an almost cultlike following. Food trucks have gone from greasy fast food-mobiles to renowned movable culinary destinations.

And from 6 to 10 p.m. this Friday night, Jan. 20 several of the region's most beloved food trucks will be stationary at the Seminole Casino Immokalee's Food Truck Rally.

Food trucks from Tampa to Miami will be serving signature dishes that range in price from $5 to $10 per item. More than 10 food trucks are expected to participate and DJ Tommy Tunes is slated to provide music and interactive games for the event.

Some of the most intriguing dishes that will be at the truck rally are gourmet plays on traditional food truck dishes like burgers, hot dogs and ice cream sandwiches.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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Early voting begins today for Collier Republicans, despite King holiday

Posted At : January 16, 2012 9:50 AM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

Even though Monday is the federal holiday honoring the life the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., early voting begins today in Collier County in the Florida Presidential Preference Primary.

The Immokalee Public Library will be open - enough, at least, for early voting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The early voting poll will be open each Monday through Saturday until January 28. The primary date is January 31.

Voters in Collier County get a five-day jump on early voting because Collier is one of five Florida counties still under the jurisdicition of the U.S. Department of Justice due to past voting discrimination.

Click here to read more about it in the Naples Daily News.

For more answers and information, click here for the Collier Supervisor of Elections page.

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Bleacher Report: Immokalee's Edge

Posted At : January 9, 2012 12:23 PM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

From the Beacher Report's, "Where are they now?" feature:

On July 26, 2011, Edgerrin James would officially retire from the NFL.

Edgerrin, with cousin Javarris, runs a youth football camp in his home city of Immokalee. They started the camp in 2009, and it is getting bigger every year.

At the camp, the younger kids are able to learn basic football skills while the high school kids get a peek at a mini-combine that tests the skills of each player.

James has stated that he is done with football and just wants to be a fan, something we all were while we watched James dominate at Miami and in the NFL.

Collier County's first-born of 2012 is Immokalean!

Posted At : January 3, 2012 1:34 PM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

The first baby born in Collier County in 2012 is an Immokalean: Emmanuel Huet Ortiz, 7 obs and 19 inches long, born to Yaneth Ortiz and Manuel Huet at 5:42 p.m. on New Year's Day at the NCH Birth Place in North Naples.

Congratulations, Yaneth and Manuel! Welcome to the world, Emmanuel!

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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Immokaleans celebrate Christmas, celebrate family

Posted At : December 29, 2011 9:42 AM | Posted By : Steve Hart
Related Categories: News About Immokalee

For Maria DeSantiago, Christmas is about church and family. The stay-at-home mother of three may not have the means to buy her children any gifts this year, but that doesn't keep her awake at night.

"My oldest son knows about our situation. He knows that as long as we're healthy and have a roof over our head and food to eat, that's what matters," said DeSantiago, whose family moved her to Immokalee from Mexico as a toddler.

DeSantiago tries to be honest with her kids about the holiday, by emphasizing "We don't have to sit there and lie to them. They understand that we love them and that's all that matters.

"We focus on the main things. What's Christmas? It's about Christ. And yes, the wise men brought him gifts because he was the Son of God, but we try and think outside the box."

And though the family may not spend the morning sipping coffee and unwrapping piles of presents, for the DeSantiago family, Christmas is still a joyful day. That's because Christmas is one of the very few days during the year that the whole family gets to spend together. De Santiago's husband, Gijon, works 12-hour days, seven days a week.

"My husband works in the agriculture industry. He used to be a heavy equipment operator at a mine, which was much better, the pay was much better, but he got laid off," she said.

Read more in the Naples Daily News.

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