Aubuchon Strong

Back in the dark ages when I was in elementary school, the letter grades on our report cards were S, N and U. The "S" stood for satisfactory, the "N" for needs improvement and the "U" was the dreaded unsatisfactory grade. Someone reminded me that the same grading system also included the letter "E," which stood for excellent. That troubled me because I didn't remember seeing an "E" on my report card, so I tore the attic apart until I found the shoebox that contained a few of my old report cards.

FEW YEARS AGO, AN ACQUAINTANCE SENT Wellesley College economist Karl "Chip" Case a T-shirt depicting a cartoon of a smiley-face house surrounded by soap bubbles, called "Mr. Housing Bubble." But it was the words captured in a comic-book cloud on the shirt that gave this otherwise goofy image its bite: "If I pop, you're screwed!"

Paulson seeks to calm investors’ fear over mortgage companies

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, seeking to calm nervous investors about the financial state of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said Friday the government’s primary policy focus currently is to leave the congressionally created mortgage giants intact.

“Today our primary focus is supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form as they carry out their important mission,” Paulson said.

Alva
• Alva Elementary, 17500 Church Ave.

• Alva Middle School, 21219 N. River Road

Bonita Springs

• Bonita Springs YMCA, 27200 Kent Road

Cape Coral

• Mariner Middle School, 425 Chiquita Blvd. N.

• Diplomat Elementary, 1115 N.E. 16th Terrace

• Diplomat Middle School, 1039 N.E. 16th Terrace

• Mariner High School, 701 Chiquita Blvd. N.

• Skyline Elementary, 620 S.W. 19th St.

Estero

• Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Pkwy.

• Estero High School, 21900 River Ranch Road

• Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway

Tropical Storm
Winds 39-73 mph

Category 1 Hurricane
Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 knots). No real damage to buildings. Damage to unanchored mobile homes. Some damage to poorly constructed signs and some coastal flooding and minor pier damage.

Category 2 Hurricane
Winds 96-110 mph (83- 95 knots). Some damage to building roofs, doors and windows. Considerable damage to mobile homes. Flooding damages piers and small craft in unprotected moorings may break their moorings. Some trees blown down.

Category 3 Hurricane

If you think sitting back and letting the hurricane season roll by this year is a good idea, you might want to rethink that plan.
And plan is exactly what Lee County Emergency Management Chief of Planning Gerald Campbell suggests for the 2008 hurricane season, which begins on June 1 each year and runs through November 30.

“Hurricane season is a reality,” Campbell said. “Everybody needs to have a personal safety plan. We worry about complacency; people may have misconceptions about hurricanes.”

The rain came hard, as it often does in the late afternoons of July in southwest Florida, but that didn’t stop nearly 50,000 people from attending the city’s 26th annual Red, White & BOOM! Fourth of July celebration.

“It rains pretty much every year,” said Glenn Simon, a lifetime resident of Cape Coral who enjoyed the festivities with his family, wife Gwen and two children, Chase and Brent.

“It’s a good time,” said Gwen. “But we should’ve come after the rain.”

Daniel L. Dombal
236 Henry St.
Massapequa Park
New York, 11762

July 1st, 2008

To whom it may concern,
I have been involved in real estate for a few years , and my purchase of a speculative condo in cape coral in April 2005 led me to and through a new experience with the southwest Florida real estate market.

Between the three management companies and a condo assoc that disbanded , i had a investment that went up in value by 30k in 1 year and now is down 50% of original purchase price .

Then, in one night, Red, White and Boom lights up the skies in and around Cape Coral. The party is one of the largest annual events in Southwest Florida. This year, more than 50,000 "guests" are expected to attend the fireworks and gastronomic celebration along Cape Coral Parkway.

"It's the single biggest one-day event in Southwest Florida," Bob Knickman said. "We're proud to be able to do that for so many people."

By DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

About 50,000 people are expected to hit downtown Cape Coral next Friday for the annual Red, White & BOOM! event; one of, if not the biggest 4th of July celebration in all of Lee county.

More than160 volunteers will make the event possible, covering operational aspects ranging from security to fireworks to garbage collection.