============================================================ DIGITAL DIGEST � http://www.marconews.com � November 17, 2004 ============================================================ Subscribe to the Naples Daily News: http://web.naplesnews.com/circulation/ COLLIER GIVES SHERIFF ANOTHER $1.6 MILLION FOR 2005 Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter has until Nov. 28 to decide if an extra $1.6 million he�s getting for fiscal year 2005 is enough for his office to function. On Tuesday, Hunter met with Collier County commissioners and asked them to add about $9 million to his 2005 budget of $119.3 million. Commissioners listened to Hunter and decided to give him an extra $1.6 million. CRIME DOWN IN COLLIER COUNTY BY 11 PERCENT Crime took an 11 percent nose dive in Collier County, with burglaries scoring the biggest decreases, according to state numbers. The Collier County Sheriff�s Office logged a 12 percent drop in crime between January and June, compared with the same period last year, Florida Department of Law Enforcement figures show. The largest decrease was reported in break-ins. LEE COMMISSIONERS PLEDGE MORE THAN $40M TO BUY BABCOCK RANCH LAND Lee County commissioners on Tuesday pledged more than $40 million toward the purchase of Babcock Ranch, making the county the first government entity to step up with funding for what eventually could be a half billion-dollar purchase. The ranch lies along a stretch of Highway 31, much of it in Charlotte County. DOG TRACK OWNER SEEKS REZONING FOR NEW PROJECT Tony Palermo compares the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track�s proposal to build a residential community, office park and 200-room hotel on Bonita Beach Road with plopping a new Wal-Mart onto the faltering road. �This is a pretty big commercial project to me, something as big as a Lowe�s or a Wal-Mart. It�s going to have a pretty big impact ... in terms of community character, traffic, visual impact,� Palermo said Tuesday. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.naplesnews.com IN PERSPECTIVE: ANALYSIS: NAYSAYERS NEED NOT APPLY FOR A SECOND BUSH TERM President Bush is tightening control over his Cabinet, moving loyal insiders into top jobs and fashioning a second-term administration likely to be free of internal clashes � but one in which there may be nobody left to tell him when he�s wrong. Six of 15 Cabinet members have announced plans to step down since the president�s Nov. 2 re-election, some clearly nudged by Bush or his lieutenants. Read more commentary and get local editorials and today�s Letters to the Editor at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/perspective/ IN FLORIDA REPORT: 4 PERCENT DECLINE IN FLORIDA TOURISM IN HURRICANE PERIOD The four hurricanes that hit Florida caused tourism to dip slightly in the third quarter, state tourism officials said Tuesday. Preliminary figures released by Visit Florida showed that an estimated 19.1 million people visited the state in July, August and September, a 4 percent decrease from the same period last year. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne struck Florida in August and September. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/florida/ IN NEAPOLITAN: WAITING GAME: VETERAN SERVERS TAKE THEIR JOBS SERIOUSLY We all have our favorite bad-restaurant-experience stories. One that I�ve often repeated concerns a 30-something man at a local seafood house who introduced himself as �the world�s worst waiter� � and then proceeded to prove it during our agonizingly drawn-out, lukewarm meal. People like Bruno Ciardi grimace at such tales. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/neapolitan/
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