Bonita Springs, Florida Mold Remediation

Suzie Black, 24, and Ben Black, 27, were trying to close on their new home the week they were getting married.

Local News 'Hands Across the the Sand' draws attention to offshore drilling - and a host of other issues By DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com Hundreds of people joined hands on the Yacht Club Beach Saturday, a statement of solidarity against offshore drilling, all while promoting the use of alternative and green energy sources.

Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff Buy this photo>> Jim Riviere, 68, goes from being chairman of the Marco Island Planning Board to leading the city as the new interim city manager at a special-called meeting of City Council on Friday morning.

Canals, a Southwest Florida tradition since the ancient Calusa, have permanently changed the region's natural waterflows and habitats.

At noon today, hundreds of people will join hands on beaches in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Sanibel, Marco Island and many other cities around the nation to oppose offshore oil drilling and support clean energy.

A free wind mitigation and hurricane awareness seminar will be held at 9:30 a.m. today at the Hawksridge Clubhouse, 2402 Hawksridge Drive, Naples.

In the spirit of Independence Day with its fireworks, barbecues and that patriotic swell-of-the-heart feeling, we asked a question: How did you claim your independence? The question could be interpreted any way, but it was mostly intended to be personal.

Krista Saunders hasn't taken a vacation in about five years. She works six days a week, mostly double-shifts, at the Shrimp Shack in Bonita Springs.

That's the reality for jobless residents in Southwest Florida who were counting on an extension of unemployment benefits to help them get by as they continue to hunt for work.

A Naples-based nonprofit plans to open a homeless shelter in Bonita Springs - " once they find a home for it.