Today’s the deadline to register to vote in time for next month’s primary election. Election supervisors from around Southwest Florida are preparing for an onslaught of people to register by tonight. Anyone older than 18 without a felony conviction is eligible to cast a ballot in the September 5th primary. Some races such as judges’ contests, county commissioners and school board seats could be decided next month. Collier County chief deputy elections supervisor Gary Beauchamp (BO-shah-mp) says the reason to vote is a simple one.

“So it runs the whole field of elected officials that represent each one of us...whether we’re registered or not but only the people that are registered to vote have the ability to make that choice. And so it does help to make your voice heard by casting your vote.”

The Collier County elections office will remain open until midnight to give its residents maximum time to register to vote or change their party affiliations.

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If you want to vote in next month’s primary election and haven’t registered, today is the deadline to do so. Election supervisors are expecting thousands of would-be voters to register today all throughout Southwest Florida. In Collier County, the elections office will stay open until midnight. Collier deputy elections supervisor Gary Beauchamp says about half of the county’s residents are registered to vote.

“Nationally and historically, it’s about 55% of the population in any given place that is registered to vote. So we are close to that 55% mark. I would certainly like it to be 60 or 70%. It has increased over the years because our younger people are staying here that are turning 18.”

The primary is September 5th. Voters will choose their party’s candidates for governor and other statewide positions. Locally, many school board seats and county commission races could be decided during the primary.

Florida’s tomato industry finds itself in a quandary. After two straight years of heavy losses because of hurricanes, tomato growers now face problems of another kind: there aren’t enough workers to harvest the crop. The issue has quickly consumed the industry and it’s a major topic of discussion at this year’s state tomato conference in Naples. W-G-C-U’s Russell Lewis has the story.

Dozens of Lee County’s high school principals, teachers and administrators gathered in Fort Myers Wednesday to brush up on what to do in case of an emergency - like a terrorist attack, natural disaster or school shooting…WGCU’s Mike Kiniry was there and has this report…

Tropical Storm Chris has apparently lost its punch and continues to weaken in the Eastern Caribbean. The storm isn’t expected to reach hurricane status and will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression soon. Forecasters had thought the storm would reach Florida by this weekend as a hurricane. But now they say that’s not the case. National Hurricane Center forecaster Jaime Rhome says it’s not easy to calculate a storm’s intensity or path.

“Some storms seem to be just very, very resilient for whatever reason. You could impart strong shear across a storm and it just wouldn’t respond. Others you could just put a little bit of shear across it and it falls apart. So it’s a complicated interplay between the storm itself and the environment in which it’s embedded in.”

Rhome says forecasters have gotten better at predicting a storm’s likely path. But the intensity is much harder to zero in on.
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Forecasters say Tropical Storm Chris is no longer a threat to turn in to a hurricane and it will likely continue to weaken. The system is more than a thousand miles from the United States and meteorologists say it’s no easy task to predict a storm’s track or intensity.

Chris has vexed meteorologists with its slow track and yo-yo intensity over the past few days. The National Hurricane Center’s Jaime Rhome says predicting a storm’s strength is the most difficult aspect of forecasting. He says plotting the track is easier but still difficult. Rhome says as hurricane season continues, people might see rapidly changing forecasts.

“We want to be upfront with the public. We want the public to know that we’re not perfect. We don’t want to claim to be perfect and we want them to know that there’s still a lot of mysteries in hurricanes that science has yet to discover.”

Rhome says every storm responds differently to atmospheric conditions like wind shear, air currents and cold fronts. He says forecasters have to walk a tightrope by not downplaying a storm or crying wolf.

Tropical Storm Chris has apparently lost its punch and continues to weaken in the Eastern Caribbean. The storm isn’t expected to reach hurricane status and will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression soon. Forecasters had thought the storm would reach Florida by this weekend as a hurricane. But now they say that’s not the case. National Hurricane Center forecaster Jaime Rhome says it’s not easy to calculate a storm’s intensity or path.

“Some storms seem to be just very, very resilient for whatever reason. You could impart strong shear across a storm and it just wouldn’t respond. Others you could just put a little bit of shear across it and it falls apart. So it’s a complicated interplay between the storm itself and the environment in which it’s embedded in.”

Rhome says forecasters have gotten better at predicting a storm’s likely path. But the intensity is much harder to zero in on.
-----

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Chris is no longer a threat to turn in to a hurricane and it will likely continue to weaken. The system is more than a thousand miles from the United States and meteorologists say it’s no easy task to predict a storm’s track or intensity.

Chris has vexed meteorologists with its slow track and yo-yo intensity over the past few days. The National Hurricane Center’s Jaime Rhome says predicting a storm’s strength is the most difficult aspect of forecasting. He says plotting the track is easier but still difficult. Rhome says as hurricane season continues, people might see rapidly changing forecasts.

“We want to be upfront with the public. We want the public to know that we’re not perfect. We don’t want to claim to be perfect and we want them to know that there’s still a lot of mysteries in hurricanes that science has yet to discover.”

Rhome says every storm responds differently to atmospheric conditions like wind shear, air currents and cold fronts. He says forecasters have to walk a tightrope by not downplaying a storm or crying wolf.

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One prominent Florida-based Cuba expert says if the communist island nation becomes a democracy, there could be some economic benefits to the Sunshine State. Cuba is home to 11-million people and few outsiders have had the opportunity to tour the country that sits 90 miles off Florida’s coast. If Castro’s nearly half-century run as president comes to an end, University of Central Florida professor Luis Martinez-Fernandez says it opens up important tourism possibilities for this state and Cuba.

“Miami and Havana are in many ways twin cities. And I don’t see why tourism could not be constructed in terms of a regional package.”

Martinez-Fernandez is also director of U-C-F’s Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies. He spoke on Gulf Coast Live and said if Cuba becomes a democracy, there are other economic possibilities too. He points to the Cuban workforce, which he says is very disciplined and skilled.

Local health departments around Florida are holding workshops with community groups and businesses to educate them about the avian ‘bird’ flu and its potential to become a pandemic. Collier County holds a session today on Marco Island. Health and emergency officials say it’s not a matter of if, but when a pandemic flu will occur. If Avian flu were to become easily passed between humans, a worldwide outbreak would mean the community would need to work together in unprecedented ways. Deb Milsap with the Collier Health Department says preparation is very different than getting ready for a hurricane.

“In the case of a pandemic flu we’re looking at trying to prepare ourselves for six months to a year of people being ill – whether it’s in your own family or at work. It’s expected that 30% of the population might not be at work at any given time. It’s possible the schools could close down and parents would need to stay home with kids.”

Milsap says businesses and families need long term recovery plans.
She says stores may not be able to restock for weeks and pharmacies may not be able to get enough medicine.
The Collier County presentation is this morning at 11:30 at the Marco Island Yacht club. Reservations are required.

(239-389-9931)

Fidel Castro blames the United States trade embargo for Cuba’s failure to prosper. Most Cubans live in what Americans would consider poverty. Opinions vary on whether or not to lift the embargo. Some Cuban-Americans believe the Cuban trade embargo should be lifted. The rationale is -- if Castro didn’t have the embargo to blame for the country’s poverty – people would rise up against him – reject socialism and embrace capitalism. Others take a different view. Antonio Jorge left Cuba in 1959 – today he teaches International Relations at Florida International University in Miami.

“Castro is a man who is obsessed with being a world leader and about exporting socialism – he’s not interested in the economic well being of the people of Cuba. His aims are to foster world revolution so to lift the embargo would be to provide him with more resources to do more of the same.”

Jorge says the people of Cuba would fare no better under the rule of the dictator’s brother, Raul Castro. Meanwhile, Canada, Mexico and every other Central and South American country trades with Cuba – but despite that the island nation’s economy remains depressed.

One prominent Florida-based Cuba expert says if the communist island nation becomes a democracy, there could be some economic benefits to the Sunshine State. Cuba is home to 11-million people and few outsiders have had the opportunity to tour the country that sits 90 miles off Florida’s coast. If Castro’s nearly half-century run as president comes to an end, University of Central Florida professor Luis Martinez-Fernandez says it opens up important tourism possibilities for this state and Cuba.

“Miami and Havana are in many ways twin cities. And I don’t see why tourism could not be constructed in terms of a regional package.”

Martinez-Fernandez is also director of U-C-F’s Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies. He spoke on Gulf Coast Live and said if Cuba becomes a democracy, there are other economic possibilities too. He points to the Cuban workforce, which he says is very disciplined and skilled.