WEEk of JaNuarY 8, 2025 FLIER INSIDE
Art showcase Pine Island Potters’ Guild to hold first show of year Saturday at Koucky Studios — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 36
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Maria Ramirez By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Creative Coast Daycare owner and operations manager Maria Ramirez said she would describe herself as a very modest, albeit determined, woman. Although she is a mother to three of her own adult kids and has a grandchild, she said she feels as though she’s practically become a grandmother to the kids she serves at the daycare as well. Ramirez has been caring for island kids since 2008, however she said her career in early childhood education has gone on for much longer. “Before I came to Pine Island, I was in daycare since 1990,” Ramirez said. During Christmas break in 2002, while pregnant with her third child, she and her husband came to the island to visit. It was while they were here that she said they fell in love with Pine Island and decided to move here and raise
their kids. “We knew we wanted to raise our kids here. My two oldest children were in middle school but we knew we wanted to move to the island so that my youngest could be practically born and raised on the island,” Ramirez said. The Ramirezes first bought land in Pine Island in 2004, but she said building their house took some time, in fact, they were finally able Maria Ramirez to move in 2008. She said her greatest contribution to life on the island, so far, has been in her ability to prepare the children for
By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JULIA GAYLOR
Islanders rally to raise funds for Tania Watkins By PAULETTE LeBLANC
ccording to Julia Gaylor, Tania Watkins has been on Pine Island since she was in middle school in the late 1980s. She has worked in numerous Pine Island restaurants, including the Waterfront, the Raged Ass, Bert’s and the Blue Dog Bar and Grill. After Watkins suffered a brain hemorrhage on Oct. 23, her blood pressure became too high, Gaylor explained. “She had a massive brain bleed, which is considered
A
See MARIA RAMIREZ, page 14
Flu season off to an early start
From left are Blue Dog owner Tammy Lynch, Tania Watkins, Sam Green and Staci Simms.
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
their next chapter, which for a great deal of them becomes a season of grammar school at Pine Island Elementary. “In speaking to the teachers since we first opened in 2008 — in particular, Cathy Frahm, said it has made their lives really easy when transitioning the VPK kids into kindergarten, because the kids have already learned how to speak English. Before 2008, she said was very hard for them to communicate with the kids,” Ramirez said. This was an ongoing struggle for the teachers, said Ramirez, because many of them do not speak Spanish. Teaching the children to communicate with their teachers is an astounding aid in guidance Ramirez has been able to accomplish quite naturally. It was easy for them to start kindergarten, once they could understand the lan-
a stroke — just a different kind of stroke,” Gaylor said. After having spent a week in the ICU at a local hospital, and another week in a regular room, Watkins had to go to a rehab facility. She is at home now, without lateral vision of her left eye, Gaylor said. Unable to drive or to work, Gaylor thought a fundraiser might be just what Watkins needed to help her. Not only did Eagles Nest Restaurant owner Tami Sagar agree to allow the use of the restaurant for the fundraiser, but 10% of food sales were given to See TANIA WATKINS, page 12
Feeling under the weather? You’re not alone. Lee County’s leading healthcare system is reporting an uptick in influenza and respiratory illness cases over the last few weeks, before the usual peak of flu season. Lee Health Medical Director of Epidemiology Mary Beth Saunders said the system has seen an influx of individuals exhibiting flu-like symptoms. “For this flu season, we’re seeing a much higher spike than we have seen in years past, early in the year,” Saunders said. “Just a lot of influenza in our community. Though not necessarily a lot of people having to be hospitalized. It is concerning when you see such high numbers.” From Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, Lee Health reported a total of 1,273 cases of influenza in acute care hospitals and ambulatory, the overwhelming majority being cases of influenza A. The week prior, a total of 1,244 cases were reported. As for why the county is seeing such an increase of flu cases compared to previous years, Saunders said the answer is not black and white, and that the data available on the number of individuals who have received the flu vaccine is not yet available. “I think there may not have been as many folks taking influenza vaccine early in the year like they usually do, and it has kind of caught up with us,” she said. The typical peak of flu season in South Florida usually comes after the holidays, in the months of January and See FLU SEASON, page 14
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