News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 1

mwmw Td)TQ)1 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2005 PUBLISHED SINCE 1884 BONITA COLLIER I 25t BONITA VOTERS HEAD TO THE POLLS TODAY BONITA SOUTH LEE 1 THE PHANTOM COMES TO THE MANN LIFESTYLES El In As Chamber refunds tax survey fee I War critics praise Iraqis Read for yourself: Download CC copies of the newspaper uncovered that: The chamber's contract fell just $11.59 below the $25,000 threshold that needs board approval during a public meeting. The chamber began its work weeks before signing a contract with Lee schools. Survey questions from a telephone poll contained inaccurate and misleading data. Following a series of published See BROWDER A3 "general research and consulting services." Browder hired the chamber to collect public opinion about a half-cent sales tax increase and other revenue-generating options to fund school constructioa After learning the school district already had started surveying taxpayers, The News-Press began an investigation into the district's process of hiring the chamber and the work it was performing. After weeks of public records battles with Lee schools and the chamber, the BY DAVE BREITENSTEIN The Chamber of Southwest Florida has returned the full amount of a botched contract with Lee County schools after its work was criticized as secretive and misleading.

Lee County Superintendent James Browder said the school district received a check Monday afternoon for $24,988.41 the full amount it paid the chamber in December for v-. I original survey and read let The Associated Press PARIS World leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac and other leading opponents of the war in Iraq, heaped praise on Iraqi voters Monday for their strnne ters Derween James Browder BROWDER and chamber Superintendent leadership im" mi turnout Ul 1CU1U mark elections, saying terrorists were the losers. Chirac called President CHIRAC Opponent of war in Iraq SI 0 69 loor tixed at Caloosa Middle turnout among Iraq's once-powerful Sunni Muslim minority and appeals to Iraqi authorities not to exclude any peaceful ethnic, religious or political groups as they draft a constitu-tioa It could take up to 10 days for final results to be known, but Shiites, who comprise 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, were expected to dominate the new government. There also was pressure for a pullout by U.S.-led troops amid warnings that difficulties ahead made that unlikely to happen soon. In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the US.

mission was to "put Iraq on a path to democracy and in position to defend themselves. And then our troops can return home with honor." Bush plans to visit Europe next month, and the fact that Sunday's election for a National Assembly and provincial legislatures was not the disaster some skeptics predicted could help improve trans-Atlantic ties. 1 Iraq roundup A4 Bush to say he was satisfied and to reiterate a French offer to train Iraqi security forces and civil servants. The European Union also said it was prepared to send more aid to bolster Iraq's move to democracy. "These elections mark an important step in the political reconstruction of Iraq.

The strategy of terrorist groups has partly failed," Chirac told Bush, according to the French leader's spokesmaa Praise from world capitals was tempered by concerns over the low -ft 4 is ill Li. j9 1 1 si i Viruses, X-rays make cancer list to WWIMAVtW; ANDREW WESTTHE NEWS-PRESS Caloosa Middle School students head home for the day after school Monday. The area on which they are walking was reinforced because of complaints that the floor shook. Building practices questioned Caioosa Middle timeline our general environment that can cause cancer," Portier said. Dr.

Michael Thun, who runs the American Cancer Society's epidemiological program, said adding the viruses was important "These are human carcinogens and very important carcinogens," he said. The list, which now identifies 246 known or suspected cancer-causing agents, is intended to give people who may or may not be exposed to any of the substances something to think about, he said. Take X-rays, added to the "known" category. 'This is simply to remind them that when they are making a decision about an X-ray to think about it and talk it over with your physician," Portier said. But the American College of Radiology faulted the addition of X-rays and gamma rays, saying it was misleading and could prompt patients to avoid getting needed care.

The Associated Press WASHINGTON The government is adding viruses for the first time to its list of known or suspected causes of cancer, including hepatitis and and a third virus that causes sexually transmitted diseases. Lead, X-rays and compounds in grilled meats also are joining the list. It has been known that the hepatitis viruses can cause liver cancer and that some forms of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus can cause cervical cancer. But they were added to the list Monday only after officials decided to go beyond the report's historical focus on the occupational and environmental causes of cancer, said Dr. Christopher Portier, associate director of the National Toxicology Program, which prepared the latest update.

"We felt (the report) needed to be expanded to include other things in Dec 2004: OAK is asked to reinforce the second floor landing at Caloosa Middle 1998: Cakxsa-i 2003: 2004: Browder- Middle and Superintendent orders a second Caloosa James Browder engineering Bementaryare orders the first study, demolished engineering study on the vibrations at Caloosa Middle, i i 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 O'Brien, 12, a sixth-grader. Construction manager Owen Ames Kimball Company and Harvard, Jolly, Clees, Toppe Architects spent about $50,000 to add an inch of concrete and three steel reinforcement beams to the elevator and stairway landing. A triangular area roughly 20 feet in length was reinforced. The work, which took about three weeks, was completed last week. The problems at Caloosa Middle have raised questions about district oversight of construction projects and See SCHOOL A3 BY TANYA S0MAR00 Numerous complaints about a shaking second floor at Caloosa Middle School in Cape Coral prompted Lee County school officials to ask the architect and construction manager to correct the problem four years after the school was built.

Superintendent James Browder said the school was never unsafe, but he wanted to stop the shaking. "It's scary to be up there on the second floor because it feels just like the floor is going to collapse," said Jeanne Jan. 2005: Browder orders his staff to hire an outside architect to inspect Caloosa Middle to make sure the school was built to the correct specifications. He adds an additional architectural review to every new school project Aug. 2000: School board Owen Ames candidate Robert Kimball Chilmonik reports Company concemsabout rebuilds both shaking floor at schools.

Caloosa Middle. THE NEWS-PRESS SOURCE: THE NEWS-PRESS RESEARCH INSIDE CORRECTION Mariner grad calls shuttle shots If WEATHER High 75 Low 49 Sunny, no rain predicted; complete forecast B12 Survivors of Social Security beneficiaries can receive a share of benefits up to the full amount. A story by The Associated Press on A20 in Sunday's paper incorrectly stated what survivors could receive. See for yourself: An interactive look at the history and future of shuttle program neer for a technical problem with the Space Shuttle Discovery. She has had a lot of cold breakfasts recently.

Stilson, 35, who grew up in Lee County, is managing the first shuttle launch since Columbia broke apart Feb. 1, 2003, as it re-entered the atmosphere. See NASA A2 0 Space shuttle facts A2 About Stephanie Stilson A2 BY CHARLES RUNNELLS The waffles were almost done when Stephanie Stilson's pager went off. She looked at the readout. NASA calling.

It was Dec. 26, and in Fort Myers, Stilson's father was scrambling eggs and trying out the new waffle iron he'd gotten for Christmas. jr. a Ill Nil Instead of eating breakfast with her family, Stilson spent the next 90 minutes on her cell phone with Kennedy Space Center officials, trying to track down a NASA engi STEPHEN HAVFORDTHE NEWS-PRESS Stephanie Stilson, NASA vehicle manager for the Space Shuttle Discovery, will be responsible for giving the approval for the shuttle to return to space. (2P Hundreds of rolls, room size imltCH TSNiidTBj Florida tpariet Utlet 1 i remnants and area rugs in stock.

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