Biography
Phone: (239) 263-4805
■ Want to be my friend? Find me on Facebook
■ Desperate to know what's happening at Naples City Hall? Follow me on Twitter and find out.
Most political junkies catch a plane to Washington, D.C. for their fix. Not me.
When picking a college, I chose to go to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, because of the Iowa Caucuses. There I learned how grassroots politics work in the heartland, saw the beginning and ending of presidential campaigns and recommended the milkshakes at the Drake Diner to Hillary Clinton.
After college, I fled Des Moines for the slightly warmer climate of Sandusky, Ohio, where I covered cops and a small lakefront community. But after 20-plus years of two seasons - winter and road construction - I decided in 2005 it was time to retire my sweaters and move south.
I started at the Daily News in December 2005 as an education reporter. After a brief stint at the Marco Island Eagle, the political junkie in me reared its ugly head, and I took over the Naples city government reporter job in 2007.
When I'm not hounding Naples Mayor Bill Barnett, I enjoy cooking, reading and hanging out at the beach. Still a political junkie at heart, and I've already asked for a fancy touch screen television that John King uses on CNN in advance of the 2012 presidential election.
Think covering City Hall sounds boring? Think again. Here's some of my favorite stories slightly off the beaten City Hall path:
■ Origins of chickens, roosters that have come home to roost in River Park murky Hear that crow? There are chickens and roosters living in River Park, and neighbors and community members aren't quite sure how the fowl got there to begin with.
■ No cross words for this veteran school crossing guard Louise Lopez spent her career as a street walker. Well, it's sort of true. Lopez has spent the past 25 years as a crossing guard for the city of Naples.
■ Holy cow! Could the Chicago Cubs ever end up in Naples? Could Naples be the new home of the Chicago Cubs spring training site? Some people hope the answer is yes.
Everyone has them - Web sites they just can't live with out - and here's some of mine:
■ Collier County Property Appraiser
■ Florida City and County Management Association
All work and no play makes me a cranky reporter. Here's where I head when I need to take a virtual break from a hectic day:
■ Food Gawker Foodies beware: This site will make you drool and could lead to massive messes in the kitchen.
■Etsy Love crafty, handmade goods? You could spend hours window shopping through Etsy's virtual market.
■ Lifehacker The name says it all "tips and downloads to getting things done." And on more than one occasion Lifehacker has saved my day.
-
Lawsuits mounting over 2011 gas explosion at Mangrove Cafe
Published 05/26/2012 at 6 p.m.
A trio of lawsuits filed in the past year seeking damages related to a 2011 gas explosion at Mangrove Cafe in downtown Naples could just be the first wave of filings that contend a local propane company was negligent at ...
-
Former Grand Central Station, former Daily News site head back to market
Published 05/26/2012 at 7 a.m.
A prime piece of downtown Naples real estate once known as Grand Central Station could soon be up for grabs. And that prospect has the nearby Central Avenue site owned by the Naples Daily News back on the market after ...
-
Graduada con honores y con beca en Yale, primero tuvo que aprender inglés
Published 05/25/2012 at 12:14 p.m.
La joven colombiana Andrea Moreno se gradúa hoy con honores en Community School y con una beca para Yale. Sus padres lloran, mientras ella habla sobre su futuro.
-
Businessman John Barlow files to challenge Collier Clerk Dwight Brock
Published 05/24/2012 at 8 p.m.
Naples resident John Barlow, 68, announced Thursday he plans to run for the Collier County Clerk of Circuit Court job currently held by Dwight Brock.
-
Class of '12: Yale-bound Community School grad first had to learn English
Published 05/23/2012 at 7:30 a.m.
Andrea Moreno has big plans that start with packing her bags and heading to Yale University in the fall. She wants to be an architect, to live the American dream and to make her parents — who 10 years ago ...
-
Gov. Scott: Economic turnaround doesn't 'happen in a day'
Updated 05/14/2012 at 6:16 p.m.
Scott, a Naples Republican, said Monday his continued focus on the state's job market is just one of his priorities as he approaches his first term's halfway mark.
-
Southwest Florida: Romney gets bigger donations; Obama more, but smaller ones
Published 05/13/2012 at 5 p.m.
While the candidates running for president each raked in thousands of dollars from Southwest Floridians in the first quarter of 2012, the size of the check varied from Democrats to Republicans. A Daily News analysis of individual donations reported to ...
-
Immokalee residents reviewing master plan before June vote
Published 05/09/2012 at 7 a.m.
The meeting, held Wednesday night at Hodges University in Immokalee, was a chance for residents and property owners to view the master plan and ask questions before Collier County commissioners vote on it ag
-
Lee libraries stocking steamy novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey' while Collier keeps it off bookshelves
Published 05/09/2012 at 5:30 a.m.
A risque best-seller is nowhere to be found in Collier County's libraries. In Lee County, hundreds of patrons are lining up to read it. Sheldon Kaye said more than 500 people are on the library's wait list for "Fifty Shades ...
-
Crowded race for Connie Mack's congressional seat presents challenges
Published 05/08/2012 at 6:07 a.m.
A crowded Congressional race has candidates battling for elbow room to make sure their message is heard.
View all stories for this staff member.
