============================================================ DIGITAL DIGEST � http://www.marconews.com � December 23, 2004 ============================================================ Subscribe to the Naples Daily News: http://web.marconews.com/marco/subscribe.html HOTELS BRACE FOR BUSY HOLIDAY WEEK Santa and his elves may be busy right now. But local hoteliers don't expect to get much rest, either, over the next few days. This year will bring them more gifts � more heads to fill their beds and more money for their rooms. "We're getting ready for a very busy weekend," said Scott Shoenberger, managing director at LaPlaya Beach Resort in Vanderbilt Beach. Business at the LaPlaya will pick up today, and it will stay busy through Dec. 31, he said. SANTA BARBARA EXPANSION PLAN MAY MEET CHILLY RECEPTION A majority of the Collier County Commission is expressing reservations about a proposal to expedite widening of a segment of Santa Barbara Boulevard to six lanes. The issue is scheduled to be debated at the County Commission meeting on Jan. 25. A time for the hearing hasn't been set. Residents have said they feel betrayed by the commission's Nov. 30 decision to reconsider a plan to widen four-lane Santa Barbara Boulevard to six lanes from Golden Gate Parkway to Pine Ridge Road. TWO MILLION IN FEDERAL MONEY TO HELP DUNE REPLACEMENT TALLAHASSEE � Nestled in a $68 million package of state beach renourishment efforts is $2 million to jump-start dune replacement efforts on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach. Signed into law this week by Gov. Jeb Bush, the statewide effort will pull down $116 million in federal money to help local communities shore up Florida beaches before the 2005 hurricane season. FORMER PRESIDENTS VACATIONING IN LEE COUNTY Members of the famous Bush clan will be spending part of their Christmas vacation on the Lee County resort island of Boca Grande. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will arrive for fishing, golf and relaxation just after Christmas, locals say, with father former President George H.W. Bush and family accompanying him. President George W. Bush apparently will not make the trip. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.marconews.com PERSPECTIVE: EDITORIAL: FGCU -- FORUMS HELP CEMENT SCHOOL AS HUB OF REGION Florida Gulf Coast University cemented its status as the hub of Southwest Florida by hosting two vastly different forums recently. One was a gathering of business, education, civic and political leaders. The latter heard a familiar theme from the others: Our growing area needs more state funding to keep up with demands for roads and schools. See more of today�s Perspective stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/perspective BUSINESS: INTEREST IN OLD BOOKS NOT RARE This summer David Horenstein installed shutters over the front windows of his rare books shop to block out the sun. His friends wondered if the shades would curb customer traffic. "I wasn't worried about it," he said. "I didn't think people were looking for me." It didn't take long for Horenstein to find out he was wrong. See more of today�s Business stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/business NEAPOLITAN: SCENIC, LITTLE ISLANDS As a profession, theirs can be borderline brutal. Five days a week, Tim Pettay and Lucy Crabtree must contend with high-speed danger. With the whims of the weather. With radiating heat from the pavement and the scorching sunshine. With puffs of exhaust. With fire ants that can creep up into unsuspecting pantlegs. With skittering trash, tossed from car windows and caught in the gulf breeze. With the occasional dead animal. Yes, unfortunately, even that. See more of today�s Neapolitan stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/neapolitan
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