Biography
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Eric caught the news bug as a teenager delivering the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star and pinning banner headlines on his bedroom wall.
In 1989, he graduated from Indiana University, where he majored in journalism and history. After a summer stint working for the Scripps Howard News Service in Washington, D.C., Eric joined the Naples Daily News as a business and real estate reporter. He later covered Naples City Hall and worked as an assistant city editor.
Since 1996, he has written about growth, the environment and the oceans as a senior writer. When he's not at work, he enjoys walking his dogs and waiting for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series.
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Crewman's memories resurface as Coast Guard cutter set to become Lee offshore reef
Updated 05/24/2012 at 8:25 p.m.
A 77-year-old former U.S. Coast Guard cutter is in port at a Fort Myers Beach marine contractor's dock to be prepared for a new life as Lee County's newest artificial reef.
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Collier commissioners move ahead with Marco, Naples-area beach replenishing
Published 05/22/2012 at 7:30 p.m.
Two projects to add sand to Marco Island and mainland beaches are still on track despite a revote Tuesday by Collier County commissioners.
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Land deal in Glades County opens territory to boost Florida panther population
Updated 05/22/2012 at 8:30 p.m.
A public-private partnership announced Tuesday that it has protected a key piece of Florida panther habitat along the Caloosahatchee River in Glades County after years of being on conservation groups' wish list.
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Naples leaders at loggerheads with proposed new turtle lighting law
Published 05/20/2012 at 6 p.m.
A proposal to change the city of Naples' laws about beachfront lighting to protect nesting sea turtles is running into opposition from some City Council members who say it is regulatory overreach.
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Estates man pleads guilty to shooting panther in Golden Gate Estates in 2009
Updated 05/18/2012 at 7:27 p.m.
A Naples man has pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a Florida panther in 2009 in Golden Gate Estates, federal prosecutors said today. Todd Alan Benfield, 45, faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison, a fine of ...
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Class of '12: From good grades to school involvement, First Baptist grad a class act
Published 05/18/2012 at 7 a.m.
First Baptist Academy senior Ben Head, the school's 2012 Graduate of Distinction, is more than what's printed behind his name in the yearbook — a lot more, those who know him say.
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Novelist Randy Wayne White says tarpon tournament unsporting, restaurants pull sponsorship
Published 05/18/2012 at 5:30 a.m.
Organizers of the catch-and-release tournament say the opposition is baseless but have changed some of their rules this year to try to reduce the number of Silver Kings that end up dead. Critics say the changes don't go far enough.
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Stone crabbers: Summer 'going to be tight' after worst season in memory
Published 05/16/2012 at 6:30 a.m.
Crabbers say they got pinched by smaller claws, smaller catches and smaller paychecks to carry them through until stone crab season reopens Oct. 15.
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Holy Kowiachobee! Animal preserve shuts its gates after code enforcement fight
Published 05/12/2012 at 7 a.m.
Collier County code enforcers have told the Kowiachobee Animal Preserve on Fourth Avenue Southeast that it has to shut its gates because its five acres is not zoned for the nonprofit educational group to be open to the public.
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Florida panther kitten hit by vehicle needs more rehab
Updated 05/09/2012 at 6:15 p.m.
A Florida panther kitten hit by a vehicle and rescued from the side of the road has left a Naples veterinary hospital for further rehabilitation.
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