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In light of plane crash, Naples residents
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Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten
Water tank, not tower, part of new school Q: I live off Immokalee Road just past the new Bear Creek Elementary School that the county is currently building. I was curious if you know what the big, round structure on the school property is for. It looks like it might be a big water tank. If so, what is the purpose? Also, a cell tower has been erected on the property. Any idea what providers will be on the tower and when it will go live? — Cliff Marano, Naples
J A N . 2 4 - 3 0 , 2025
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Wasson: Indoor courts another boon
We wait for it all year! The Naples Winter Wine Festival
Opera Naples set to make land offer with million-range gift By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
A seven-figure gift has provided the base for Opera Naples, Theater in the Garden and the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation to build an international center for the arts, the groups announced recently. Any information beyond that, however, awaits a firm contract. The organizations said the location
is to be kept undisclosed until negotiations for the land it has selected are finished. The donor has requested anonymity, and that the dollar amount not be disclosed until the contract is signed. The opera would say only that it is seven figures. Discussions for a multi-use center began in November 2023, when Nicoletta Pavarotti, president of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, accepted an invitation to create a U.S. home for her organization on the land. According to the organizations, it
is planned to be a multi-purpose space designed to honor the legacy of the world-famous tenor while also filling the need for such a facility in Naples. Plans for the property have targeted a 900-seat state-of-the-art indoor theater, an outdoor amphitheater, an opera museum, space for The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition and an opera-themed See OPERA NAPLES, Page 12A
‘A price tag on free speech’
Q: Can you find out how this eyesore was approved right on Immokalee at the new school being built just west of Valencia Trails development? They couldn’t have pushed it farther back? — Michael Losurdo, Naples A: Passersby can’t miss the monumental tank and pine tree cell tower under construction at the intersection of Immokalee Road and Cornerstone Drive, about 3 miles east of Collier Boulevard. The more than 28-foot-tall tank is part of Bear Creek Elementary School, which is targeted to open in August for the 2025-2026 academic year; the 185-foot cell tower is not on school property, nor does it have any association with the school district. Bear Creek Elementary, under construction on 22 acres at the southeast corner of Immokalee Road and Moulder Drive, is the first new elementary school built since 2008 by Collier County See ATEN KNOWS, Page 6A
A man conveys his opinion through his signs. Photo by Annalise Iraola/WINK News
Naples Pride Fest set for June, but drag show will remain indoors 0
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By Aisling Swift
It’s an issue that divides the community, pitting inclusion and support for the LGBTQ+ community against people who oppose them. In the end, Naples City Council on Jan. 15 agreed the annual Naples Pride Fest will be held at Cambier Park this June, but the nonprofit’s request to return the drag-queen
show to the park’s main stage was rejected. At issue is whether drag-queen shows are “family friendly.” The annual festival, which started in 2017, held the show outside until 2023, when Florida’s “Protection of Children Act” made it a misdemeanor to expose children to “sexually explicit live performances” — a law that’s since been ruled unconstitutional. Event organizer Naples Pride said that law never should
have applied to its show. Naples Pride Fest is the nonprofit organization’s major fundraiser, an annual event that brings together religious and secular communities, nonprofits, banks, health professionals and other vendors, along with music and entertainment. After hearing comments from supporters and opponents during eight hours over two days, Jan. 13 and Jan. 15 — some remarks violent and threatening — Naples City
Council voted 5-2 to grant Naples Pride’s permit to hold the festival 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 7. Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison and Councilman Bill Kramer opposed any permit. The vote mandates that the drag performances must be held indoors at Norris Center or another indoor venue, and restricts attendance to people ages 18 and older. Security costs for Naples Police, See PRIDE FEST, Page 7A
MORNINGS Taylor Petras
Corey Lazar
Lindsey Sablan
Zach Maloch
Rachel Cox-Rosen