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3A | GETTING CLOSER 8-story Naples hotel passes its first
F E B . 7 - 1 3 , 2025
6A | BOOKSTORE IS BACK
9B | SUGARSHACK OPENS
with the opening of the new Barnes & Noble
the live music venue launches in Bonita Springs
Following a series of invitation-only events,
Bestselling author Janet Evanovich helps
hurdle in the approval process
I-75/COLLIER COUNTY
Tim Aten Knows
Jet crash still a mystery The Avenue Tim Aten
set to break ground on Fifth Ave.
Q: What are they doing at Fifth Avenue South and 10th Street at the old St. George lot? – Janet B., Naples A: An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant, just east of Four Corners at 936 Fifth Ave. S., to 11th Street South. “It’s a legacy project,” said developer Andy Penev. “It’s something we want to be the center of downtown and we’re putting in the time and effort to make sure that that happens.” The iconic local restaurant, which operated from 1969 to 2012, was razed years ago, but three other nearby buildings also will be demolished as part of The Avenue redevelopment project on 4.3 acres. As soon as permits are approved by the city, you’ll see the demolition of the three-story Florida Gulf Coast University Renaissance Academy and a single-story former bank/real estate office in the 1000 block of Fifth Avenue South, as well as MHK Architecture’s former three-story office building on the 900 block. “We have the fencing up and contractors mobilized. Everybody’s ready to go,” said Penev, who hopes to start construction this quarter or the second quarter of this year. “It’s all dependent See ATEN KNOWS, Page 8A
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Two passengers and a cabin attendant walked out of the wreckage of this Bombardier Challenger 604 after it crashed on I-75 on Feb. 9, 2024. Photo courtesy WINK News
One year after tragic crash, more questions than answers By John Guerra
One could call the Feb. 9, 2024, crash of a corporate jet on Interstate 75 the “Miracle on I-75” to mirror the January 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson.” Not only did passengers walk away from each crash, the engines on both U.S. Airways Flight 1549 and the Bombardier Challenger 604 shut off in mid-flight. Capt. Sully Sullenberger’s engines shut down as he took off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, while the Bombardier’s engines shut down as the plane approached Naples Municipal Airport. The events have another thing in common: The pilots of both aircraft heroically used their skills to save passengers.
INSIDE
I-75 crash led to off-airport use of specialized foam truck PAGE 13A
It was not, however, as complete a miracle. Both Bombadier pilots died. But thanks to them, two passengers and a cabin attendant were able to flee the flaming wreckage on the shoulder of I-75. The aircraft was operated by Hop-A-Jet, a worldwide executive jet charter service. The first anniversary of the crash that stunned Collier County is approaching, and the aviation community is as curious as ever as to the cause.
In the New York crash, National Transportation Safety Board investigators determined that Canada geese flew into the Airbus A-320’s engines, shutting them down. Could a small flock of white ibis or other birds have hit the blades of the Bombardier’s engines, shutting them down? “The NTSB’s investigation will also examine the possibility of bird ingestion as a possible cause of the engine failures (in Naples),” said Christopher Rusing, an attorney with Aviation Law Group, which represents clients involved in crashes and other aviation-related cases. Rusing, who is also a Florida-based Airbus A-320 pilot, agreed to speak with The Naples Press about the NTSB’s methodology as it investigates the See JET CRASH, Page 13A
HSS at NCH orthopedic surgical hospital set to open this spring By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
It all started, as many big projects do in Southwest Florida, with Patty and Jay Baker. The Bakers, one of the region’s most active and recognized philanthropic couples, had high praise for the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City — the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health — after he was a surgical patient there. As a member of the board at Naples Comprehensive Health, he offered to connect the healthcare system’s President and CEO, Paul Hiltz, with the powers-that-be at HSS. The rest, as they say, is history. Hiltz, who came to Naples in 2019 to take the CEO role at NCH, said Baker offered early on to make the introduction at HSS. “When I came here and started talking about partnerSee HOSPITAL, Page 14A
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