News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 3

Lake Trafford thrives jp i- Alabama's $32 million deal lures NFL head coach for 'new era' of college ball. SABAU LEAVES FINS FOR CRIMSON TIDE Sports, CI 111 1 after muck removed ihhsi yi hs rrnm nnrrnm. ti 1 1 CAPE CORAL 50(t THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2007 I PUBLISHED SINCE 1884 nmmmmmsii IIMGEllOTiK WBt rD MM wmt. Dems begin with ethics, rales I Tilt f- iii BY AARON DESLATTE The News-Press Capita! Bureau TALLAHASSEE Gov. Charlie Crist signed his first executive order Wednesday to create an Open Government office, give tips on clear writing to state agencies and establish new ethics rules for executive employees.

Crist has said he was creating the office after newspaper editorial boards from around the state complained about waiting months for records requests to be processed. He said there is symbolism to signing the executive order on his first day. "You can set a tone from the get go as to how you're going to handle the duties of the office, and it's very important to me to be sure that we have the most ethical government possible, the most open and transparent government possible," he said. See CRIST A2 a. The Associated Press WASHINGTON Congressio.ial Democrats stepped hungrily to the brink of power Wednesday, promising immediate action to limit the influence of lobbyists and pledging to constantly prod the Bush administration to bring US.

troops home from Iraq. President Bush pushed back against the political opposition as he contemplated divided government for his final two years in the White House. He said he would soon propose a five-year plan to balance the budget, and he challenged Democrats to avoid passing "bills that are simply political" statements. "There is nothing political about finding a policy to end the war in Iraq, raising the minimum wage, achieving energy independence or helping kids afford college," shot back Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, due to become majority leader at the stroke of noon today.

"In fact, politics has prevented progress on these issues for See DEMOCRATS A2 Also see South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson improving, but still needs ventilator at night A2 its THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Florida Gov. Charlie Crist makes a point during an interview Wednesday his first day as Florida's 44th governor. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. Rep.

Rahm Emanuel talks to reporters about Democratic leadership plans after the party takes charge today on Capitol Hill. neWS- "Reader forum: Are 'you pr6SS. impressed that the first thing Crist rnmpYtra; did as governor was take a stand for iUi nc All da open government? Why? Why not? INSIDE Gv' Crist has the task of making a friendly wager with his counterpart in Ohio Democrat Ted Strickland on next week's Florida-Ohio State BCS National Cham- pionshipgame. WOOD STORK CAPEv: CORAL' SHOW HER THE MONEY booth operator who says she has seen more than money The Cape 1 Survey may help endangered birds BY KEVIN LOLLAR One thousand feet beneath the single-engine Cessna earlier this week, pink and white specks glittered against the coppery water of the western Everglades. Pink specks were obviously roseate spoonbills and of no concern to Jason Lauritsen, resource manager at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County.

Lee resident caddied for Ford in 75 pro-am South Fort Myers man, then 16, asked president for bag BY SETH SOFFIAN As far as south Fort Myers resident Glenn Zakany knows, golf buff Gerald Ford was the only sitting U.S. president to play in a professional pro-am. The event was the PGA Tour's Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, now the Honda Classic, in Lauderhill in 1975. Zakany, a mop-haired junior at South Plantation High School at the time, also apparently was the only person in the United States who thought to write Ford a letter asking if he could caddie for him. He got the gig of a lifetime.

"Out of 45,000 people there that day, 40,000 followed our group," Zakany, 48, said of a foursome that also featured Gleason, Bob Hope and Jack Nicklaus at Inverrary Golf Country Club. "It was pretty intense." Zakany, who owns to Turf Services, a golf course supply company in south Fort Myers, said Ford told Zakany before their round to treat him like an ordinary person. "He was a nice guy, down to earth," Zakany said. "Wasn't a big head." See CADDIE A4 Also see President Ford's body laid to rest A4 His target was wood storks. "Great egret, egret, egret, spoonies," Lauritsen said, looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Ibis, spoonie, egret I don't see any storks in that batch. Although there's a stork. Two storks. Could you get a little closer, there, Shawn?" Obligingly, Capt. Shawn Homoky of Beaver Aviation put the Cessna See WOOD STORKS A4 Also see Edison Farms canal digging an issue B3 Nesting needs Lumber to a new site Shoreline Lumber, a San Carlos Island landmark for the past quarter century, will move late this year to a 4-acre location at Pine Ridge and Kelly roads in south Fort Myers.

BUSINESS MONEY, Dl If area wetlands get plenty of rain in the summer and a good dry-down, storks will start nesting; if one element is missing, they won't build nests. Six times since 1968, hydrological conditions have prevented storks from nesting at Corkscrew at all. Abundant rainfall f'lj I Vy I I V. 1 Sufficient INSIDE WEATHER High 83 Low 64 Partly sunny, no chance of rain; forecast BIO INDEX Classifieds Fl-10 E4 Crossword.E4,F2 4S By the numbers i Fledglings 4 Nesting pairs E2 E2 Wet season In an ideal year, lots of ram will fall dunng the summer wet season, so water levels rise and small fish, invertebrates and amphibians multiply in vast numbers. There must be water, preferably with alligators present, around the bases of nesting trees to prevent predators such as raccoons from climbing the trees and eating the eggs and just-hatched chicks.

DearAbby. Horoscopes Movies Obituaries Opinion Poker Dry season A good dry-down is important because wood storks feed by touch, not by sight It's easier to catch food when prey is concentrated in small ponds. If the wetlands don't dry down enough, prey remains scattered over a much larger area, making food difficult to catch. EiAu -8e ww -r'M- -m .66 18-9 J6 i 16 thousand TV Wood stork nesting comparisons 4 '4 loi-Zrt 1 Total fledglings The News-Press, A Gannett Newspaper Copyright 2006 1958-1979' 1980-2006 84,722 (average pa season 21,519 (average per season 827) 44,914 fledglings (4,491 per season) 632 fledglings (633 per season) 17,000 Most productive decade 1960s 4 least productive decade 1990s A A Most fledglings in a single year I A 1 Most ma single year since 1980 2002 3,162 v. i rsi SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS President Gerald R.

Ford with caddie Glenn Zakany at the 1975 Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic at Lauderhill in Broward County. '59 "60 'S2 4 '66 '67 'M '69 10 71 75 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 tH "81 '82 H3 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 'SI D2 'M "95 '96 '98 "99 '00 '01 TO '03 '04 "OS '06 SOURCES: CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY; RESEARCH BY THE NEWS-PRESS PHOTO BY ANDREW WEST; GRAPHIC AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL DONLANTHE NEWS-PRESS Azul fr n. ii. We'll Reduce Your Cellulite and Reduce the Price! NEWI TRI-ACTIVE LASERDERMOLOOY FOR CELLULITE REDUCTION FOR THE WHOLE BODY. 12 treatments (one area): $1,200 (save $300) 12 treatments (two areas): $1,900 (save $500) f.n i i'i XS? complimentary consultation.

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