============================================================ DIGITAL DIGEST � http://www.marconews.com � December 31, 2004 ============================================================ Subscribe to the Naples Daily News: http://web.marconews.com/marco/subscribe.html TRAGEDY IN ASIA: QUESTIONS REMAIN FOR COLLIER WOMAN WHO SURVIVED CATASTROPHY You can see it in her face. Her dark eyes are glossy from tears. They're weary from the nightmares that keep her awake at night. You can see it on her fingers. Her nails on her right hand are broken, all ripped away during her struggle to stay above the gushing water. Valerie Leclercq displays her right hand like she's showing off a ring. But instead she looks at her jagged nails. TRAGEDY IN ASIA: TEXT-MESSAGED RUMORS KEEP NERVES ON EDGE PHUKET, Thailand � Word over text messages Thursday afternoon on this tourist destination island off Thailand's southwestern coast was of another tidal wave heading toward shore, one not as large as the series of tsunamis that hit on Sunday, but a wave, nonetheless. There was another earthquake, this one in the Bay of Bengal off India, came another message. The town of Patong had been entirely evacuated, read the message that came over a cell phone. YEAR IN REVIEW: 2004 WAS THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANES Most will remember 2004 as the Year of the Hurricanes but Collier County had its share of other stories that people won't soon forget � the suicide of a prominent attorney who had faced child sex charges and the surprising resignation of the public schools superintendent. Yet nothing could compare with four major hurricanes brushing by the county from Aug. 13 � when Hurricane Charley struck to the north � to a month later when Hurricane Jeanne pummeled the east coast and missed Collier by a few hundred miles. CONDO MANAGER SURVIVES ELEVATOR ACCIDENT The manager of Sandcastle I Condominiums was listed in serious condition Thursday after he survived a free-falling elevator ride at the condos. Chris Halaschak, 42, of 2337 Butterfly Palm Drive, Naples, told emergency responders he was trying to ride the elevator down from the condos' third floor, but felt the elevator falling free. The elevator sped down its shaft and crashed into the bottom floor, causing Halaschak to lose feeling in his arms and legs, police reports said. THE ISLANDER: RUN FOR THE BORDER Marco Island is as far south as you can get in Florida without wading through the Everglades or swimming to the Keys. But it's about to go South of the Border. The fine-art exhibit featuring works by Latin artists will open Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Art League of Marco Island. Christine Neal, executive director of the Art League, said South of the Border will be the organization's first Latin-themed exhibit. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.marconews.com PERSPECTIVE: GUEST EDITORIAL: NEW YEAR'S EVE -- GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2004 Get thee behind us, 2004. It was hardly the worst of years, but it was a year of economic readjustment, of hellish war in Iraq and of a presidential contest that seemed as if it would never end. Time passes slowly when you are in pain, and the political pain was considerable because of the anger on both sides and a division between Americans that seemed to grow wider daily. See more of today�s Perspective stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/perspective BUSINESS: ZIGZAG NOT JUST HOW PEOPLE WALK ON NEW YEAR'S EVE This holiday weekend, you may not have to call your partying short, even if you drove to the New Year's celebration yourself. There is a new alternative to leaving your car parked in front of the bar or at a friend's house in case you sipped one too many cocktails. And it also eliminates having to get a friend or taxi to take you back the next morning to pick up your car. See more of today�s Business stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/business NEAPOLITAN: REVIEW: "THE KING AND I" IS A LATE CHRISTMNAS GIFT Sometimes, the gifts that arrive after Christmas are the best. That's definitely the case with "The King and I," playing at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers through Jan. 2. This gem of a show is lovingly and lavishly wrapped in gorgeous costumes, intricate sets and a marvelous myriad fabrics, colors, patterns, designs and textures. The actors, however, are not at all upstaged because they possess such immense talent. See more of today�s Neapolitan stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/neapolitan
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