WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
Busing goals School District of Lee County continues looking at transportation issues — INSIDE PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 47, NUMBER 19
St. James City resident charged with homicide By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Brant Dustin Kelling, 33, of St. James City, has been charged with second degree murder, after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says a DNA profile match connected him to a death that occurred on Aug. 9. According to a LCSO report, after responding to a call
for medical assistance in St. James City on Aug. 10, deputies located an unresponsive male, who paramedics pronounced deceased on the scene. According to the medical examiner, the cause of the victim’s death was found to be blunt force trauma to the head. A search warrant was obtained, after a Lee County Sheriff’s detective observed what were described as con-
Stearns Custom Builders encourages Pine Island spirit
A Daughter of the American Revolution celebrates upcoming Constitution Week
By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Former chapter and Idaho State Regent Ann Beebe has been a part of the Daughters of the American Revolution since the organization’s 100th anniversary in 1990. She also served on the National Board of Management in Washington before taking a job with Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. The United States Constitution has been upheld in “Constitution Beebe’s family as one of the Week is about the biggest priorities. Her mother, founding fathers Elizabeth, was a member of the spending a whole DAR in South Carolina and her summer in maternal grandmother, Ottie Lee Philadelphia, Rast, was a charter member. beating the Beebe feels most people Constitution into don’t typically spend too much shape before any time studying and pondering of the representa- U.S. history, the way they did tives would even when she was young. vote on it.” “My mother’s mother was a — Islander charter member of the DAR Ann Beebe when it was first founded (1880), so I always grew up with that kind of pride. I was kind of late getting involved in DAR because when I was young I thought they just put on their hats, pins and white gloves and went to the meetings and sat around and drank tea and talked about relatives. When I got involved it taught me a lot more about our founding than I had paid attention to. Constitution Week is about the founding fathers spending a whole summer in Philadelphia, beating the Constitution into shape before any of the representatives would even vote on it,” Beebe said. Constitution Week is Sept. 17-23. It was enacted Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, but it was President George W. Bush who officially declared Constitution Week in September 2002. The DAR had petitioned Congress prior to Eisenhower's enactment to recognize the importance of the Constitution. The Constitution of the United States is a most impressive document, Beebe said, adding that it is so inclusive and enduring, in her opinion it had to be from
cerning injuries on the victim. Blood was reported to have been found on the lanai, driveway and exterior of a vehicle parked in the driveway, according to the report. Kelling, who was arrested on an outstanding warrant for charges in Ohio, is currently being held at the Lee County Jail with a $1 million bond. His arraignment will be held on Sept. 26.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ANN BEEBE
Above, young Ann Beebe, left, and her mother Elizabeth. Below is Ann Beebe’s grandmother, Ottie Lee Rast, who was a charter member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
See DAR, page 13
Stearns Custom Builders owner Derrick Stearns said the company has been busy reconnecting with clients for which they’ve done work, to make sure they have everything they need. He credits upgraded building codes for the large success rate of homes that have fared well through the last 20 or 30 years of tropical storms and hurricanes on islands like Pine Island. Good engineering and good execution cannot be ignored, he said, but another important factor is pile foundations. In surveying and assessing damage due to storm surge from last year’s Hurricane Ian, Stearns said pile foundations became worth their weight in gold, as they were the heaviest evidentiary proof he found in homes that did well. “There were multiple homes that I saw — some we built and some were built by others — but if they had a driven pile foundation, even if the land eroded next to or behind it, the house stayed still,” Stearns said. Although some builders may overlook pile foundations, those who know the island well, will not. Not only is it reliable for settlement that comes over time, but in a catastrophic event it will make sure the house stays put, he explained. “There are multiple kinds of piles, like wood, concrete and helical. The alternative is not driving the pile, but doing a conventional shallow concrete footing, but when the soils erode 4, 5, 6 feet, it fails, because the soil is the only support,” Stearns said. Conversely, with a pile foundation there is no dependency on the soil, so if the soil erodes, the house will be maintained, he said. In an area such as an island, where a waterfront home is vulnerable to storm surge soil erosion, Stearns recommends having a Geo Technical Exploration Survey soil test. This test will show whether the soil conditions require a pile foundation to prevent settlement. See PINE ISLAND SPIRIT, page 13
insidetoday Cat of the Week...............13 Letters to the Editor..........4 Web Poll.............................4 Classifieds & Obituaries Athlete of the Week.........14
Island Mahjongg...............8
On the Water......................8