You get the FR Citizien of the Week Award!
Posted on 06/13/2002 7:45:35 AM PDT by elcaudillo
You get the FR Citizien of the Week Award!
Whether its building sandcastles on the beach or relaxing in the Sandcastles Lounge- The Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort offers something for everyone. Marco Island is the largest of Florida's famous Ten Thousand Islands, located off the Southwest coast of Florida and just South of Naples, Florida. Recipient of AAA's 4 Diamond designation, the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort has been providing guests with award winning service and accommodation for more than 15 years. In 2001 , the hotel has also received the Zagat Award as one of the best resorts in the United States. All our rooms are junior suites and are 25 percent larger than a standard hotel room. All rooms have private balconies and are decorated with tropical flair. The many touches of luxury in every room include soft bath robes- televisions in every bath and coffee/tea service. The Hilton offers resort guests an array of dining- recreational and entertainment choices great for the entire family. Enjoy casual- poolside or elegant formal dining in the hotels two restaurants or watch the sun go down from the club bar. Watersport activities include sailing- windsurfing- parasailing or wave runners. There is beach volleyball or poolside sunning if something more relaxed is a priority. The hotel has three lighted clay tennis courts and championship golf is only minutes away. A state-of-the-art fitness center offers exercise equipment- sauna- massage therapy and a professionally staffed aerobics classes. There is also a supervised children's activity program. The resort is located 50 miles from southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Meyers. 90 miles from Miami International Airport. 100 miles from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. Warm Gulf stream water- an array of activities- an ideal vacation spot- It happens at the Hilton. 
"I have called Fox in the past when 2 of the 9-11 terrorists lived in the complex across the street from me in Delray."
Every one that lived near you made the same call. No story there.
Take a shot.
Number of Marco drug busts increasing
Friday, June 14, 2002
By VICTOR A. HILL, vahill@naplesnews.com
When it comes to illegal drugs on Marco Island, users tend to get busted for marijuana or possession of more exotic substances such as Ecstasy or heroin.
And the number of Marco drug busts is on the rise, so much so, that island police could more than double their number of arrests this year than in any year since 2000, a review of Police Department reports reveals.
The department logged 47 drug arrests by May 31, compared to 53 in 2001 and 50 in 2000. The arrests include everything from possession of narcotics paraphernalia to the bust of two crack houses May 31.
"Nothing is happening any differently. It's not like we're into a surge of drug activity," Capt. Thom Carr said.
"We're getting used to who we're dealing with."
"We're doing a better job is what those numbers are," Police Chief Roger Reinke said.
Police haven't stepped up efforts to curtail drug activity, Reinke said. Rather, officers of the department, which hit the beat three years ago, are more familiar with drug "hot spots," he said.
Officers Brian O'Malley and Hector Diaz, who handles a K- 9, recently completed a drug recognition school that taught them ways to recognize people potentially transporting drugs.
The department also received a $10,000 grant this year from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct narcotics investigations. The city added $1,100. The bulk of the money will pay for overtime hours for officers to work in areas of known drug activity such as local bars and along San Marco Road, Carr said. Officers will also increase patrol time around Tommie Barfield Elementary and Marco Island Charter Middle schools.
Despite the surge in arrests, the idea of Marco having a drug problem is a subjective assertion, at best, police said.
"We have the same drug problem as the average city in the United States has," Carr said. "I say it's better for us here because we don't have the poorer neighborhoods here. It does make it a little easier for us. We don't have people dealing drugs off the corner."
Detective Kevin Hennings, a former narcotics investigator in Fort Pierce who took the position in February after a stint as a beat cop, agreed.
"Define 'problem,'" he said. "I mean, me personally, if I had a crack dealer living next door to me, it would definitely be a problem."
The May 31 drug arrest of 53-year-old Falco Giancarlo, accused of manufacturing and selling crack and powdered cocaine from two apartments at Marco Manor, added another drug into the mix on an island known for occasional busts, usually involving marijuana, Ecstasy or heroin.
"It's whatever people want," Carr said. "Cocaine was for the rich, but because it's so cheap and plentiful now, anyone can get it."
Giancarlo's arrest came after lengthy surveillance by Marco police and relied on an anonymous informant to make drug purchases.
Hennings and Carr said they expect more arrests in the months to come but declined to elaborate.
Like a casual drug user who seeks a bigger, better fix, Marco has graduated as well, Hennings said.
"If we didn't send a message when we hit those apartments, we will be soon," Hennings said. "Expect it."
Talk about being vindicated FAST. He needs a heads up about this, he can use this info right now. He would be very motivated to help with publicity.
Remember...Marco Island is about 7 miles in diameter at most....is all of this necessary? Or is there really more to the ever growing picture here?
State committee on terrorism chaired by Chief Murphy
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
By VICTOR A. HILL, Staff Writer
When the planes crashed, when the towers fell, firefighters and police were the protectors, the first ones on the scene.
To protect Florida against such destruction and loss of life, Marco Island's own fire chief, Michael Murphy, has quietly chaired a state committee on terrorism in the months since Sept. 11, working to obtain more equipment to combat threats to domestic security.
He heads up the State Working Group on Domestic Preparedness through next year. It was previously a committee of 25 officials from local and state agencies. But after Sept. 11, the committee grew to more than 50 members with a half-dozen subcommittees that investigate ways to deal with terrorism and methods to streamline cooperation among agencies.
Since then, local fire and police departments have benefited from the group's work, including Marco Island, which re ceived about $70,000 worth of high-tech equipment such as radiation detectors, decontamination equipment and computers. Other county agencies will receive equipment as well, Murphy said. The allocation is part of a $9.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Murphy doesn't see Marco's share of equipment as an indication the island could be a target for terrorism.
"All American cities have the potential for terrorism," he said.
"It can take many forms, wheth er it's an attack on a visiting dignitary or someone who lives in the community and has ties to various organizations who could become a target.
"I don't think anybody needs to be paranoid about terrorism, but they need to be aware of it, and terrorism isn't new to the United States."
The fallout of Sept. 11 only adds to concerns committee members already had, Murphy said. As an example, abortion clinics have been targets of domestic terrorism for years.
"Terrorism is here, and it has been," he said.
Florida officials took a lead in establishing measures to combat terrorist activity before Sept. 11. Florida was one of only two states approved for grant money from the Department of Justice and was one of only four states that had a plan to deal with terrorism, Murphy said.
"What Florida did a little bit differently is it drove money and resources down to a basic level and put it in the hands of people who do the job," he said.
"It didn't try to create a level of bureaucracy."
Under the committee's guidance, state and local law enforcement and rescue workers agreed to share resources and intelligence.
The committee is working to coordinate a consistent system of communication among agencies so fire departments and state agencies speak the same lingo, Murphy said.
"Each group is going to operate on the same page," he said.
Marco is part of a 10-county regional task force coordinated by Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter.
A truely great American and even greater Pastor!!
Good work!
I would give Marco Island a five diamond rating for the discriminating terrorist.
Boy, this guy can really spin!! He should get some kind of an award for hiding an operation in plain sight. Too bad he wasn't on to this guy. (Or maybe he was, and wasn't ready to close in, before this guy lost control of his desires)
"...I'd doubt that they'd testify against one another..."
Why?
. . . . do they all 'Look Alike' to each other, too ??
Spot on...
The arrest happened right after this story came out later that night.....
He's the man! And dittoes to Rev. Graham for the courage to address the convention with it. Could you contact Rev. Vines? He definitely needs to be made aware of this.
In the meantime, I found the contact page for the Southern Baptists Convention and already sent a "heads up" message about this story. If anyone would like to send a statement of support, here it is: Contact page for Southern Baptist Convention
I wonder if there is any chance that the rape never occurred, and was just a cover story to justify holding this guy so he couldn't bolt. On the other hand, they didn't need to do that for the guy they've got in the brig in Charleston, so my speculation is likely offbase.
You have contacted the FBI about this subhuman. Now you need to contact the appropriate District Attorney with the information you have about his 9/11 activities and how he is a potential/likely flight risk. He needs to be held here and not released and you can probably have an effect on that if you get the right information to the right person in the DA's office. Call first thing tomorrow morning.
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