The new terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport is open. With 27 gates and the capacity to expand to 35 it nearly doubles the capacity of the old terminal. The first flight left from there Friday at six a.m. The first plane landed at about 8:40. Valerie Alker was there – along with host of officials and other folks to record the event for posterity.

IT'S THE LAST DAY OF MEETINGS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL FOR U-S CHIEF JUSTICE NOMINEE JOHN ROBERTS. FRIDAY HE DROPPED BY THE OFFICE OF REPUBLICAN FLORIDA SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ. CHAD PERGRAM WAS THERE AND HAS THIS REPORT.

As operations get underway at Southwest Florida International Airport’s new 438-million dollar, 798-thousand-square foot terminal – the airport’s OLD terminal awaits demolition. Airport officials say they’ve received a number of calls to use the old building to house Hurricane Katrina victims…but say that’s not an option. One of the main reasons is that the old terminal – built in 1983 – is no longer up to code. 24-hour security would also be required due to its direct access to the “active aircraft” portion of the airport. There are also restrictions by the Federal Aviation Administration on how airport property can be used. Airport spokeswoman - Susan Sanders - says if the old terminal doesn’t generate revenue, it would violate grant agreements with the FAA…and that would mean having to repay some of the grants that originally funded the terminal.
She says all of these factors point to demolition.

“The concept is, you want to maintain the airport for the use and convenience of the people in the area…and it’s our job as an airport operator to keep operating costs as low as we can so that we have good air service. And the way we do that is to generate maximum revenue from all of our airport resources.”

Sanders says using the old terminal as a local hurricane shelter has also been suggested…but that’s not possible for the very same reasons.

Soaring gas prices are apparently prompting people to take the bus. Lee County Transit—or Lee Tran—reports a dramatic increase in ridership. In August, there were 214,000 rides—up about 23 percent from August of LAST year. Spokeswoman JoAnn Haley says the numbers reflect more than just southwest Florida’s growth.

“We’ve been experiencing a more or less standard rate of growth—corresponding with the area’s growth of two to five percent a month. And this increase in August of 2005 of almost 23 percent is unprecedented… and so much larger than the previous increases that we have to attribute it to the supply and cost of gasoline.”

Higher gas prices may mean more passengers. But at the same time, every penny increase at the pump costs LeeTran about 9-thousand dollars a week. Sarasota County Area Transit also reports an increase in ridership. Although, a spokesperson said that was based on drivers’ observations, not concrete data.

REPUBLICAN FLORIDA SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ FRIDAY APPLAUDED THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S DECISION TO RECALL FEMA DIRECTOR MICHAEL BROWN TO WASHINGTON. BROWN'S COME UNDER FIRE FOR HOW HIS AGENCY'S HANDLED HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS IN LOUISIANA. MORE FROM CHAD PERGRAM ON CAPITOL HILL.

Reports of the re-discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker made headlines earlier this year. And the bird isn’t the only elusive species that has been seen again after many years. In Southwest Florida, nature enthusiasts made an equally important find when they came across an orchid that had been considered lost. Alexa Elliott reports. To find out more about South Florida’s native orchids, watch “Earth Edition” tonight at 8:30 on WGCU TV. (AUDIO)

Relatives of a flight attendant—killed in the attacks of 9/11—gathered in a Fort Myers movie theatre just days before the anniversary. They attended the local premiere of “The Flight That Fought Back.” Produced by the Discovery Channel, it tells the heroic story of United Flight 93—which crashed in rural Pennsylvania. The documentary includes interviews with friends and family of those aboard, recordings of cell phone and air traffic communications, and re-enactments. It’s clear the 40 men and women knew the plane would be used as a missile—and fought hard to prevent it. Cee Cee Lyles, of Fort Myers, was a crewmember. Her aunt, Frances Watson, drove from Fort Pierce to see the film.

“The crew and the people that were on the flight set a standard for the United States of America. God picked them up from different parts of the United States, and caused them to work as one. And we in America need to continue to do that—work as one and not let the standard down. They gave their lives and we that are left living should give more. And I don’t think the country displays that unity.”

“The Flight That Fought Back” airs on the Discovery Channel this Sunday evening—September 11th at 9. Just yesterday/on Wednesday, a jury chose the winning design for a permanent memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Images are available on the web at flight93memorialproject-dot-org.

More than 19-thousand homes on about 17-thousand acres 8 miles east of downtown Fort Myers… Another 74-thousand acres set aside for preservation. That’s the “vision” announced Thursday - by developer Syd Kitson - for the Babcock ranch. (AUDIO)

Water managers are working to lower levels in Lake Okeechobee—as the peak of a very active Hurricane Season approaches. That’s because high water and high winds could cause a breach in the lake’s levy system. That possibility was NOT an agenda item at the 30th Annual Conference on Water Management—underway this week in Ft. Myers. But, with the scope of disaster—caused by the breach of levies in New Orleans—it’s certainly on water managers’ minds. Valerie Alker has more. (AUDIO)

A new plan to crack down on student drinking is under deliberation in Sarasota County. School officials are deciding whether to do Breathalyzer tests on students at school events. This plan developed after several principals made the request. Sheila Weiss with the Sarasota County school district says breathalyzers would be a preventative measure. She says the district is not alone:

“There isn’t a school district in this country that wouldn’t like to stop teenage drinking, and it’s really not just a school district problem, that it is also a community’s problem, and family’s problem. We need to all work together to help prevent students from thinking that alcohol is a way out, a fun beverage to partake in. It’s just something that we all need to work together to help one another put a damper on students drinking.”

An incident during an off-campus Valentine’s dance earlier this year also helped fuel the plan. Several students allegedly drank before the dance and then beat a disabled man in the parking lot. The district’s policy on security and number of chaperones did not change as a result.
Many school districts nationwide conduct breathalyzer tests on students before activities.