WEEK OF APRIL 23, 2025
VOLUME 63, NUMBER 23
Student winners named in refuge’s annual contest
Forecast: ‘Above average’ hurricane season predicted
By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
On April 13, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) announced and awarded winners and finalists in the 11th annual “Ding” Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel, following a contest judging on March 28. Sponsored by the Theodore Cross family, the competition invites high school students from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties to compete for prizes, like a Canon digital SLR camera package, one-year subscription to Adobe photography software and one-year pass to the refuge. Cross, who lived part-time on Sanibel, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; advised the Johnson and Nixon administrations on anti-poverty programs; wrote the book “Black Capitalism,” among others; and created Birders United, a birding Web site that ranked legislators according to their record of bird protection support. Late in life, Cross decided to indulge his love for birds and photography and traveled the world to collect stunning portraits and
With the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season having made its mark as the third-costliest on record featuring multiple Category 5 hurricanes, top forecasters are predicting yet another active season. Researchers at Colorado State University, one of the leading entities in hurricane season forecasts — now in its 42nd year — are predicting an “above average” season in their initial 2025 estimate. The team points to an above-average subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea surface temperatures as a primary factor for its forecast number this year. The CSU Tropical Weather and Climate team is predicting 17 named storms for the Atlantic season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Of those, researchers forecast nine to become hurricanes and four to reach major hurricane strength (Saffir/Simpson Category See HURRICANE SEASON, page 18
ISLANDERINSIDE
See CONTEST WINNERS, page 17 First place winner in the 11th annual “Ding” Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest is Cypress Lake High School student JuliAnn Davis with her creation “Great Blue Heron on the Lake Side.” JULIANN DAVIS
SPD releases annual report on crime, arrests and calls
By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
On April 1, the Sanibel Police Department released its Annual Crime Statistics Report for 2024. The SPD reported that an analysis of the federally reported crimes data reveals a 42% decrease in the overall number of crimes compared to 2023 — down from 101 for the prior year to 59 for 2024. “There was a 45% reduction in reported burglaries, falling from 40 in 2023 to 22 in 2024. Additionally, thefts decreased by 49%, from 59 in 2023 to 30 in 2024,” it reported.
“These statistics suggest that burglary, theft and other crimes are returning to more normal levels following Hurricane Ian.” Increases were seen for some crimes from 2023 to 2024. Assaults rose from one to three, vehicle thefts from one to two, and rapes from zero to two. There were zero robberies and murders for each year. “The total number of non-federally reportable crimes — including trespassing, drug violations, DUIs (driving under the influence), criminal traffic violations, criminal mischief and harassment — decreased significantly,” See SPD REPORT, page 22
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