LAURA GATES

• Moving up Published 05/18/2013 at 4 a.m.

  It was a full house for the Estero Fire Rescue Commissioners meeting Tuesday night. The attendees didn’t show up because of a hot issue in fire or emergency medical services; they were there to see someone they loved move up ...

• Duck tales: Estero Firefighters help out wayward ducklings Published 05/18/2013 at 4 a.m.

  Estero firefighters engaged in a heroic rescue this week, reuniting a family in crisis. The mother thanked them with a “quack” before scolding her six stray ducklings, who had fallen down a drain in the Meadows community.

• Asking for their hand...to prom: Teens going to extreme measures these days to get a prom date Published 05/16/2013 at 1:02 p.m.

  Doug Small had a stealth mission, one which required planning, an accomplice and a touch of romance. The sun was setting as he finished his work on the driveway outside of Savannah Glasgow's Naples home.

• Dreams can come true: Community's generosity sends local teen to prom Published 05/16/2013 at 1 p.m.

  Sarah Reveland loves to dance, dress up and socialize. Her longtime dream of attending prom came true May 11, thanks to the generosity of her school and the local community.

• Lee County could lose Conservation 20/20 & extension office Published 05/15/2013 at 4 a.m.

  Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 program and the Lee County Extension Office are both on the chopping block, as county commissioners grapple with budgetary woes.

• New face in town Published 05/15/2013 at 4 a.m.

  No one in Estero knew which Fortune 500 company was interested in relocating its headquarters there until the news broke last week, but Estero planners are now fully entrenched in ensuring the new Hertz campus meets the community’s strict design ...

• Walking the red carpet: Golisano Children's Hospital hosts annual Spring Bling for young patients Published 05/01/2013 at 4 a.m.

  Rachel Bender flashed a Hollywood-worthy smile as Mary Kay consultant Gina Barfield held up a small mirror. The eight-year-old admired her lightly brushed makeup, as a headdress of brightly colored coils sprung around her glowing face. She was ready for ...

• A flocking good time Published 04/26/2013 at 11:09 a.m.

  As robbie powell left the house for work on a recent morning, he abruptly noticed his yard had turned pink. A flock of flamingos had landed on his lawn in Three Oaks.

• Pink invasion: SWFL lawns get 'flocked' for a good cause Published 04/24/2013 at 4 a.m.

  As Robbie Powell left the house for work on a recent morning, he abruptly noticed his yard had turned pink. A flock of flamingos had landed on his lawn in Three Oaks.

• Walking to fight: Estero hosts Relay for Life 2013 Published 04/24/2013 at 4 a.m.

  When Karin Petrocelli walked with a friend in her first Relay for Life event 10 years ago, she choked up a bit as she watched the survivors take the opening lap, remembering her mother, who had just died of cancer.

View all stories for this staff member.