Page 3424 – WINK News

A man meets the woman he helped save from a scary bear attack in a Collier County. But he says not to call him a hero.

He detailed how his normal bike ride turned into a rescue mission. Joe Schmitt says it was a scary site. “The bear got up on its hind legs and it actually towered over you,” Schmitt says.

This is the first time he and the woman he saved are trading stories. “She was punching punching and kicking it it was unbelievable. You did it all!”

Kathleen Boyle says her dad did teach her a little about bears. “My dad just drummed into my head brown bear stay calm black bear you’ve got to stand and fight,” said Boyle.

Boyle hasn’t seen Schmitt since he helped her and her two dogs fight off a bear on Christmas Eve. The bear came at her in her Fiddler’s Creek Community.

She tried her best to find him. “We’ve contacted everyone we know in the community and said ‘do you know who it is?” Boyle said. “There’s a fellow who drives on his bike in the morning you know bright green bright yellow shirt.’ ‘Oh yeah we’ve seen him.’ ‘Who is it?’ ‘I don’t know his name.’ ‘Ahhh!!'”

Now, Boyle is finally getting to express her gratitude to the man who saved her. “Thank you so much! Only reason I’m standing is because you came around that corner and were able to distract the bear,” she said.

Schmitt said that he was just on his normal morning bike ride when he heard something. “Actually, just getting toward the end of the ride and I heard some screaming,” he said.

So, Joe Schmitt rode as fast as he could to help. “All I could think of was it was a matter of split-second you know I have to get down there I thought you were being attacked I mean I thought you were going to be bit,” Schmitt said.

Together, they were able to get the bear away. “I said this is not going to be good I thought the next thing I’d be doing is first aid on you,” said Schmitt.

Boyle says she knew that there wouldn’t be many people out and just hoped someone would come and help.

“I know as Joe said there are only a few people out there early in the morning and I just was trying to hold on long enough that someone would be walking,” she said.

But, despite helping her, Schmitt says he doesn’t want too much credit. “I didn’t really do as much as she thinks I did because all they did was scream and yell and kind of get the bike in the way,” Schmitt said.

He believes it was all Kathleen. “She went full martial arts,” said Schmitt.

But whether he takes full credit or not, at least she got to thank him. “So delighted yes, we finally get to thank him because it would’ve been a different holiday for Don if Joe hadn’t come around that corner,” said Boyle.

Kathleen Boyle and her husband will forever be grateful to Joe Schmitt, the bicyclist.

One of Boyle’s dog’s, ironically named Bear, was injured in the encounter but is recovering well.

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Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose famous name embossed myriad consumer products after his iconic Space Age styles shot him into the fashion stratosphere in the 1960s, has died, the French Academy of Fine Arts said Tuesday. He was 98.

A licensing maverick, Cardin’s name embossed thousands of products from wristwatches to bed sheets, and in the brand’s heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, goods bearing his fancy cursive signature were sold at some 100,000 outlets worldwide.

That number dwindled dramatically in later years, as his products were increasingly regarded as cheaply made and his clothing – which, decades later, remained virtually unchanged from its 60s-era styles – felt almost laughably dated.

The French fashion designer Pierre Cardin (1922-) stands behind a picket fence. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) via CBS.

A savvy businessman, Cardin used the fabulous wealth that was the fruit of his empire to snap up top-notch properties in Paris, including the Belle Epoque restaurant Maxim’s, which he also frequented.

The Fine Arts Academy announced his death in a tweet Tuesday. He had been among its illustrious members since 1992. The academy did not give a cause of death or say where or when he died.

Along with fellow Frenchman Andre Courreges and Spain’s Paco Rabanne, two other Paris-based designers known for their Space Age styles, Cardin revolutionized fashion starting in the early 1950s.

At a time when other Paris labels were obsessed with flattering the female form, Cardin’s designs cast the wearer as a sort of glorified hanger, there to showcase the clothes’ sharp shapes and graphic patterns. Destined neither for pragmatists nor for wallflowers, his designs were all about making a big entrance – sometimes very literally.

Gowns and bodysuits in fluorescent spandex were fitted with plastic hoops that stood away from the body at the waist, elbows, wrists and knees. Bubble dresses and capes enveloped their wearers in oversized spheres of fabric. Toques were shaped like flying saucers; bucket hats sheathed the models’ entire head, with cutout windshields at the eyes.

“Fashion is always ridiculous, seen from before or after. But in the moment, it’s marvelous,” Cardin said in a 1970 interview with French television.

Cardin was born on July 7, 1922, in a small town near Venice, Italy, to a modest, working-class family. When he was a child, the family moved to Saint Etienne in central France where Cardin was schooled and became an apprentice to a tailor at age 14.

Cardin would later embrace his status as a self-made man, saying in the same 1970 interview that going it alone “makes you see life in a much more real way and forces you to take decision and to be courageous.

“It’s much more difficult to enter a dark woods alone than when you already know the way through,” he said.

After moving to Paris, he worked as an assistant in the House of Paquin starting in 1945 and also helped design costumes for the likes of Jean Cocteau. He also was involved in creating the costumes for the director’s 1946 hit, “Beauty and the Beast.”

After working briefly with Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior, Cardin opened his own house in the city’s tony first district.

The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday.

The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history, state health officials said.

The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.

Scientists in the U.K. believe the variant is more contagious than previously identified strains. The vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the variant, Colorado health officials said in a news release.

Public health officials are investigating other potential cases and performing contact tracing to determine the spread of the variant throughout the state.

“There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority, and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely,” Polis said.

Polis and state health officials are expected hold a news conference Wednesday.

The discovery of the new variant led the CDC to issue new rules on Christmas Day for travelers arriving to the U.S. from the U.K., requiring they show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Worry has been growing about the variant since Saturday, when Britain’s prime minister said a new strain of the coronavirus seemed to spread more easily than earlier ones and was moving rapidly through England. The nation’s first variant case was identified in southeast England.

Dozens of countries barred flights from the U.K., and southern England was placed under strict lockdown measures. Scientists say there is reason for concern but the new strains should not cause alarm.

Japan announced Monday it would bar entry of all nonresident foreign nationals as a precaution against the new strain.

New variants of the coronavirus have been seen almost since the virus was first detected in China nearly a year ago. It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. The slight modifications are how scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.

But if the virus has significant mutations, one concern is that current vaccines might no longer offer the same protections. Although that’s a possibility to watch for over time with the coronavirus, experts say they don’t believe it will be the case with the latest variant.

The variant has also been found in Canada, Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates.

Some people flying into a Southwest Florida airport were left without a ride after rental cars they reserved weren’t there.

New Year’s in Florida is a family tradition for the Anglemeyers.

“We were just coming down really to visit some family down this way and spend a few days with them,” said Todd Angelmeyer.

But their vacation didn’t get off on the right foot after they arrived at the counter in Punta Gorda Airport’s Rental Car Center.

“When we got there, the manager essentially said we have no vehicles for you, they’re all rented out, there’s absolutely nothing we can do for you.”

Anglemeyer estimates more than a hundred others were in the same position Sunday night. He said no Ubers were around and the local taxi company was slammed trying to keep up.

“Some people are going to Marco Island, some people are going to Tampa; there’s like a two-hour ride ahead of them after a long flight from the Midwest. It was just crazy,” Anglemeyer said.

He said an employee told them they’d get a refund and wrote on a business card they’d be reimbursed for the $140 cab to Fort Myers Beach.

Enterprise said in a statement they “have been working closely with them [customers] to get them into vehicles and compensate them for their inconvenience,” and that “with the current travel environment, typical holiday travel trends have changed and the ability to predict – and quickly and safely accommodate those needs – has also changed.”

Full statement from Enterprise Holdings:

“We apologize to those customers and we have been working closely with them to get them into vehicles and compensate them for their inconvenience. With the current travel environment, typical holiday travel trends have changed and the ability to predict – and quickly and safely accommodate those needs – has also changed. Safety and cleanliness, while always a primary focus, is more important now than ever. We have continued to bring in vehicles over the past 48 hours to meet demand and will continue to do so as needed.”

Surrounding counties have begun vaccinating those 65 and older, but residents in Collier County continue to wait for the opportunity to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“As soon as it gets to me, I’m going to take it,” said Gary Johnson, of Collier County.

Johnson said he is being extra careful after losing his 78-year-old uncle to the deadly virus.

“I’ve got congestive heart failure,” Johnson said. “I have diabetes.”

Last week, the NCH Healthcare System began to vaccinate healthcare workers with direct contact with patients.

For now, Johnson will have to wait because Collier County has not announced plans to distribute the vaccine to the public. On Tuesday, Collier County officials got further into making their plan for when vaccines are received, but no information was released on when that could be. Lee County’s Department of Health began providing the vaccine on Monday. Charlotte County’s Department of Health has also announced plans to provide appointments for people to get vaccinated.

John Larosa, of Naples, said Collier’s lack of vaccine is a problem.

“Hopefully, they’ll get up to speed,” Hellana Larosa said. “We have a lot of visitors and things that could cause more problems here and a lot of people have to work.”

But not everyone minds the wait.

Terri White said she would rather opt-out for now.

“I am for vaccinations but I feel like we over vaccinate and for COVID, I feel like it’s too fast,” White said. “I feel like down the road there’s going to be some problems.”

The second round of stimulus checks may soon start arriving in bank accounts after President Donald Trump signed the $900 billion stimulus bill. The last-minute signing was a welcome development for the 6 in 10 people who have suffered a financial setback due to the pandemic, but millions of people may find themselves in for disappointment if they are among the groups who don’t qualify for the payment.

It’s most likely that the checks will amount to $600 for each adult and child, or half the amount of the $1,200 checks sent out earlier this year. The $600 per-person payments are part of the stimulus bill passed by Congress earlier this month and signed by Trump Sunday evening.

Still, Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have called for lawmakers to boost the amount to $2,000 per adult — a request that Wall Street analysts say has a slim chance of moving forward, considering the additional hundreds of billions of dollars such a raise in the amount would cost.

In crafting the latest stimulus bill, lawmakers have sought to rectify a few issues that restricted payment of the first stimulus checks earlier this year. For instance, distribution of the second stimulus checks will include so-called “mixed-status” immigrant families, or families where American citizens are married to immigrants without Green Cards, a group that was blocked from receiving the checks earlier this year. Children under 17 years old will receive the same $600 payment as adults, compared with $500 in the first round.

“Children will be eligible for the same benefit amount as eligible adults, and families with members of mixed immigration status with a valid Social Security number for one spouse are also eligible for the payments, unlike with the CARES Act rebates,” noted the Tax Foundation.

However, the income limits in the most recent stimulus package are slightly different from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or the CARES Act), which will cut off more middle-class families from receiving aid. And there are a few groups who were overlooked in the first round of checks who will also miss out on a second check.

Chief among them: Child dependents who are 17 years old and adults who are claimed as dependents on another person’s tax return, such as is typical with college students.

Below are the groups of people who won’t receive a $600 check in the second round.

Child dependents who are 17 years old

The $900 billion stimulus package directs $600 to each child in a family — as long as they are considered “qualifying children” under the IRS tax code for the Child Tax Credit. Unfortunately for parents of older teens, the tax code defines “qualifying children” as those who haven’t yet hit their 17th birthday.

In other words, the $600 will be directed to children ages 16 or younger.

The IRS will use people’s 2019 tax returns to determine their stimulus payments, which means that teens who hit their 17th birthday in the second half of 2020 — after tax returns were due to the IRS — could still qualify.

Adult dependents, from college students to seniors

No adult dependents will qualify for the $600 checks, according to the Tax Foundation.

This means that most college students, who are typically claimed as dependents by their parents, won’t qualify for the checks. That rankled some college students, who expressed their frustration on social media. Many are struggling with a range of issues in the pandemic, from food insecurity to lost income from campus jobs that were curtailed because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Great, a covid bill passed. Now when do college students get their stimulus checks? Students are homeless or dropping out because of the pandemic. Give us what we need

— Allie Bausinger (@allie_bausinger) December 20, 2020

Older adults, from seniors to disabled individuals, who are claimed as dependents are also excluded, an issue that some on social media called “a slap in the face.”

Upon inspection, it’s looking more likely that I won’t qualify for this round of Stimulus checks either as I am listed as a disabled dependent on my mother’s taxes. Hey US gov’t, can we quit treating disabled people like we don’t need economic help too? #StimulusCheck #disability

— Debi ⭕️ (@realhumanpotato) December 21, 2020

Disabled adults and seniors who are claimed as dependents often face higher costs due to issues such as higher medical expenses.

Single people earning over $87,000

The second round of checks will have the same type of income phaseouts as in the CARES Act, with the stimulus check payments reduced for earnings above $75,000 per single person or $150,000 per married couple.

The amount of payment individuals receive will be reduced by $5 for every $100 of income earned above those thresholds, according to the House Appropriations Committee.

But that formula, when combined with the smaller, $600 amount of the checks, means that the income threshold for receiving any money will be lower: Single people earning over $87,000 won’t qualify — compared with the phaseout threshold of $99,000 for single filers in the CARES Act.

Married couples earning over $174,000

For a similar reason, married couples will face a lower income threshold for receiving the $600 checks. Any couples earning over $174,000 won’t get a payment, down from $198,000 in the CARES Act.

Overall, almost everyone in the bottom 80% of the income distribution in the U.S. will receive a check, according to the Tax Foundation’s estimate. The share of filers who will receive a check dwindles for people whose incomes place them in the top 20% of earners, with very few taxpayers in the top 5% qualifying, the Tax Foundation estimated.

Of course, even if they don’t receive the $600 themselves, single people and couples with incomes above those thresholds would still receive payments for their children, as long as those children are under 17.

You may still be eligible in 2021 if…

You did not register online, by mail and did not get a payment in 2020 or,
You received a payment, but it wasn’t the full amount of the Economic Impact Payment. The maximum credit is $1,200, or $2,400 if married filing jointly, plus $600 for each qualifying child.

The “Get My Payment” portal is currently down, but should eventually allow you to track the progress of your payment.

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, there have been 1,292,252 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,270,063 Florida residents and 22,189 non-Florida residents. There are 21,409 Florida resident deaths reported, 309 non-resident deaths, and 62,142 hospitalizations at some point during illness, according to the Florida Department of Health.

*Numbers are released by the DOH every afternoon.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS

Total number of recorded cases: 1,292,252 (up from 1,280,177)
Florida resident deaths: 21,409 (up from 21,308)
Non-resident deaths: 309 (up from 305)
Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 21,718 (up from 21,613)

12,075 total new cases reported Tuesday
101 new resident deaths reported Tuesday
4 new non-resident deaths reported Tuesday
Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 22.75%
- This percent is the number of people who test PCR- or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS

Total recorded cases in SWFL: 75,880 (up from 75,304)
Deaths: 1,330 (up from 1,323)

576 total new cases reported Tuesday
7 new deaths reported Tuesday

Lee County: 39,679 cases (up from 39,332) – 653 deaths (1 new)
Collier County: 22,132 (up from 22,004) – 331 deaths (3 new)
Charlotte County: 7,192 (up from 7,128) – 231 deaths
DeSoto County: 2,858 (up from 2,843) – 55 deaths (3 new)
Glades County: 764 (up from 762) – 11 deaths
Hendry County: 3,255 (up from 3,235) – 49 deaths

Click HERE* for a case-by-case breakdown – updated daily.

*If not linked, the final report has not yet been made available.

TESTING DATA

Effective Oct. 27, the Florida Department of Health ceased releasing data showing overall testing numbers. Their statement: “The Florida Department of Health is making adjustments to the COVID-19 dashboard and daily report to provide clear, accurate information for Florida families. Moving forward, the daily report will focus on the number of tests reported to the state by day and the corresponding positivity rate by day. The previously reported cumulative number did not reflect the current status of the pandemic in Florida. This change is in line with the CDC recommendation that calculation of percent positivity [is] applied consistently and with clear communication, will allow public health officials to follow magnitude and trends effectively, and the trends will be useful for local public health decision making.”

RESOURCES

VACCINE IN SWFL: COVID-19 vaccine schedules for SWFL

VACCINE IN FLORIDA: State of Florida’s COVID-19 vaccine reports

NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs

FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Dec. 28

REPORT COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS/TEST: International self-reporting system

IF YOU FEEL SICK:

The Florida Department of Health has a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates

*The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.

The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County has announced it will be opening a drive-thru clinic to administer COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday morning.

Moderna vaccines will be available to those age 65 and older and high-risk frontline health care workers.

The first Charlotte County vaccination site will open at 9 a.m. at 23400 Harold Avenue in Port Charlotte. To get vaccinated, bring your ID, or if you’re a health care worker, you can bring a copy or your badge or a current pay stub.

Vaccines are free, and you do not have to be a Charlotte County resident to receive one. But appointments are encouraged.

“We have a large snowbird population, so we recognize that folks are down here for the season,” said Joseph Pepe, the director of DOH-Charlotte. “Then, may go back up north wherever they come from, so really the challenge is for folks to finish their vaccine series to make sure they finish with the same manufacturer.”

*There are currently no more appointments left for vaccines administered by DOH-Charlotte.

WINK News reached out to DOH-Charlotte and found out appointments are booked until Jan. 8, 2021. The health department recommends checking back after Jan. 6 to see if more appointments become available.

Continue checking the Department of Health in Charlotte County’s website to see when more vaccines will become available.

A bill dealing with a voter-approved prohibition on public officials and employees using their offices to benefit themselves, their families or employers is among four new laws that will take effect this week.

The other bills involve fines for driving past stopped school buses, insurance policy statements and election equipment used for recounts.

Lawmakers during the 2020 legislative session passed a bill (HB 7009) to help carry out a 2018 constitutional amendment aimed, at least in part, at slowing the revolving door involving public officials and the private sector.

In all, lawmakers approved 206 bills during the 2020 session, which ended March 19, with 201 signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Most of the new laws, including a state budget, hit the books on July 1 or on Oct. 1.

The bill to carry out what was Amendment 12 on the 2018 ballot will take effect Thursday. It was approved without debate or opposition in the House and Senate. Amendment 12 was among a handful of proposed amendments that passed after being put before voters in 2018 by the Constitution Revision Commission.

The amendment received support from nearly 80 percent of voters.

The bill deals with penalties for public officials and employees who abuse their positions and was passed after the Florida Commission on Ethics approved a rule that defined “disproportionate benefit.” Part of the constitutional amendment said a “public officer or public employee shall not abuse his or her public position in order to obtain a disproportionate benefit for himself or herself; his or her spouse, children, or employer; or for any business with which he or she contracts; in which he or she is an officer, a partner, a director, or a proprietor; or in which he or she owns an interest.”

Two other parts of the amendment still require legislative action and aren’t set to become law until Dec. 31, 2022.

One will extend from two years to six years the time in which lawmakers must wait after leaving office before lobbying legislators and other statewide elected officials. The change also puts similar prohibitions on former state agency heads and former judges. The second change prohibits public officials, while in office, from lobbying for compensation government agencies or the Legislature on such things as policies, appropriations and contracts.

Another measure backed by voters in 2018, known as Amendment 13, set a Dec. 31, 2020, deadline to end greyhound racing at pari-mutuel facilities. The Palm Beach Kennel Club on its website is promoting racing from “noon to midnight” for Thursday, the final day.

While the Amendment 12-related bill is effective Thursday, the following bills from the 2020 session go into place on Friday:

SCHOOL BUSES: A bill (HB 37) will increase penalties for motorists who drive improperly when buses are stopped to load and unload children. In part, it will increase from $100 to $200 the minimum penalty for motorists who fail to stop for school buses and will double from $200 to $400 the minimum penalty for motorists who pass stopped school buses on the side where children enter and exit.

INSURANCE: A bill (SB 292) will require insurance carriers to provide a “loss run statement” within 15 days of a written request from policyholders. The law also prohibits insurance carriers from charging fees for preparing or annually providing single loss-run statements.

ELECTIONS: A bill (HB 1005) will allow county canvassing boards and supervisors of elections to use automated tabulating equipment that is not part of the voting systems to conduct machine and manual recounts. The bill also requires testing of voting equipment to occur at least 25 days before the start of early voting, correcting a provision that had voting systems being tested for accuracy after the canvassing of vote-by-mail ballots had begun.

In addition to the new laws, Florida’s minimum wage will inch up to $8.65 on Friday, before jumping to $10 on Sept. 30.

The minimum wage has been $8.56 this year but will increase nine cents in January because of a 2004 constitutional amendment that tied increases to cost-of-living changes. The minimum wage for tipped workers will be $5.63 an hour as of Friday.

The overall minimum wage, however, will accelerate in September because of a constitutional amendment that was approved in November by voters to eventually set the wage at $15 an hour.

The wage will go to $10 on Sept. 30 and incrementally increase each year until reaching $15 on Sept. 30, 2026.

A 22-year-old Ocala man wanted for armed robbery is in Collier County Jail after leading deputies in a pursuit in Golden Gate that ended on I-75, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Marquee Deshuan William, of Ocala, is accused of fleeing and eluding police, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, failure to register as a convicted felon, driving on a suspended/revoked license and possession of marijuana and narcotic paraphernalia, the sheriff’s office said.

At around 9 p.m., authorities attempted to pull over a white Nissan Altima with no headlights on traveling east on Dudley Drive. Deputies say the vehicle was driven by William, who drove into a nearby parking lot. William jumped out of the moving vehicle, leaving it to crash into dumpsters before jumping a fence and running toward the interstate.

He was quickly caught. Deputies found more than $6,000 on him as well as marijuana in the center console of his vehicle and 9MM bullets in the glove compartment.

William was wanted on an outstanding warrant from Marion County where authorities say he is responsible for an armed robbery. In Lee County, he has an outstanding warrant for failing to appear on a driving with a suspended/revoked license.

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