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  • Christmas cheer with bone-chilling twist in Florida

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    Most homes decorate for Christmas with lights, wreaths, maybe a few reindeer.But Ron Levine’s house in Cape Coral, Florida? It’s rocking nearly 50 skeletons, some towering up to 12 feet tall. Some say the house looks straight out of a “Nightmare Before Christmas”: Cape Coral edition.There’s a skeleton hot cocoa bar, a “dead gift exchange,” a crew of skeletal construction workers, and some lawn ornaments that even move.”It’s called Cape Skeleton,” said Levine. “It’s a resort for snowbird skeletons, basically. They start showing up in September…There’s a few of them that are here year-round.” Levine used to work with a haunted house in New York, and when he retired to Cape Coral, he brought his spooky talent with him. Levine said it started small, with two skeletons and a dog. But small didn’t last long.“First thing I saw was this lawn,” he said. “And my brain went into overdrive.”Now, the display has become something of a local landmark. Cars honk. Families stop to take pictures. Levine says even police officers slow down to get a look.“We have to take a breath,” Levine jokes. “And if we’re not breathing… we might end up here.”A Christmas hit or a Halloween that won’t die? Some neighbors absolutely adore it.“The elaborate displays, the way he changes it from Halloween to Christmas — I think it’s outstanding,” said neighbor Marcia Dunn. “So many kids stop by and see it. So many people love that he does it.”But others would rather save skeletons for October.“I don’t like it,” said neighbor Joey Guidice. “Right now it’s Christmas. I’d rather see Santa Claus, his elves, not skeletons.”The reason for the holly-jolly boneyard? Levine says, it’s simple.“You’ve got to find that spark of joy sometime in the day,” he said. “That’s what I hope to do. Whether someone’s heading to work or coming home from a bad day.”Whether you think it’s festive, freaky, or fantastically Florida, one thing is certain… You’ll never drive past this house without slowing down.Levine doesn’t have any code violations on record related to his lawn decor. In fact, the city says there’s nothing in its code of ordinances that regulates holiday decorations.”Cape Skeleton” might not be the Christmas tradition you expected, but it’s definitely the one you’ll remember.

    CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

    Most homes decorate for Christmas with lights, wreaths, maybe a few reindeer.

    But Ron Levine’s house in Cape Coral, Florida? It’s rocking nearly 50 skeletons, some towering up to 12 feet tall. Some say the house looks straight out of a “Nightmare Before Christmas”: Cape Coral edition.

    There’s a skeleton hot cocoa bar, a “dead gift exchange,” a crew of skeletal construction workers, and some lawn ornaments that even move.

    “It’s called Cape Skeleton,” said Levine. “It’s a resort for snowbird skeletons, basically. They start showing up in September…There’s a few of them that are here year-round.”

    Levine used to work with a haunted house in New York, and when he retired to Cape Coral, he brought his spooky talent with him.

    Levine said it started small, with two skeletons and a dog. But small didn’t last long.

    “First thing I saw was this lawn,” he said. “And my brain went into overdrive.”

    Now, the display has become something of a local landmark. Cars honk. Families stop to take pictures. Levine says even police officers slow down to get a look.

    “We have to take a breath,” Levine jokes. “And if we’re not breathing… we might end up here.”

    A Christmas hit or a Halloween that won’t die?

    Some neighbors absolutely adore it.

    “The elaborate displays, the way he changes it from Halloween to Christmas — I think it’s outstanding,” said neighbor Marcia Dunn. “So many kids stop by and see it. So many people love that he does it.”

    But others would rather save skeletons for October.

    “I don’t like it,” said neighbor Joey Guidice. “Right now it’s Christmas. I’d rather see Santa Claus, his elves, not skeletons.”

    The reason for the holly-jolly boneyard? Levine says, it’s simple.

    “You’ve got to find that spark of joy sometime in the day,” he said. “That’s what I hope to do. Whether someone’s heading to work or coming home from a bad day.”

    Whether you think it’s festive, freaky, or fantastically Florida, one thing is certain… You’ll never drive past this house without slowing down.

    Levine doesn’t have any code violations on record related to his lawn decor. In fact, the city says there’s nothing in its code of ordinances that regulates holiday decorations.

    “Cape Skeleton” might not be the Christmas tradition you expected, but it’s definitely the one you’ll remember.

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  • Burmese pythons expand their reach along Florida’s Gulf Coast

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    Burmese pythons are expanding their territory north along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with sightings becoming more frequent in areas beyond the Everglades. Wade Gardener recently captured one of these invasive snakes near his home, marking another instance of their presence in the region.Snake trapper Seth explained the reasons behind this expansion, saying, “They’re either running out of food or looking for new food, or the population’s just growing so big that they just start spreading out.”Video above: Ball python caught on camera chilling on a pool deck The python captured was nearly 12 feet long, comparable to the length of a car. The largest Burmese python ever captured in Florida was a female measuring nearly 18 feet and weighing 215 pounds in 2022.Andrew Durso, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, noted that Burmese pythons are beginning to slither or swim to new parts of the Gulf Coast.Video below: 5-foot python found in bathroom of apartment”I think we can expect to see pythons continuing to increase their range naturally, slowly,” Durso said.Trappers are receiving more calls about these snakes appearing in new residential areas, a development that does not surprise experts like Durso.”I also think we can expect to see more populations pop up in areas that have a lot of human traffic,” he said.As the invasive species seeks more food in new locations, Seth mentioned the possibility of their presence extending beyond Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.”I’ll be more surprised if we start to see him in, like, Sarasota or Bradenton or Tampa area,” Seth said.Seth advised against engaging with these snakes if encountered, as improper handling can lead to serious injuries requiring hospital visits and stitches. Instead, he recommended calling experts to safely remove them from neighborhoods.

    Burmese pythons are expanding their territory north along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with sightings becoming more frequent in areas beyond the Everglades. Wade Gardener recently captured one of these invasive snakes near his home, marking another instance of their presence in the region.

    Snake trapper Seth explained the reasons behind this expansion, saying, “They’re either running out of food or looking for new food, or the population’s just growing so big that they just start spreading out.”

    Video above: Ball python caught on camera chilling on a pool deck

    The python captured was nearly 12 feet long, comparable to the length of a car.

    The largest Burmese python ever captured in Florida was a female measuring nearly 18 feet and weighing 215 pounds in 2022.

    Andrew Durso, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, noted that Burmese pythons are beginning to slither or swim to new parts of the Gulf Coast.

    Video below: 5-foot python found in bathroom of apartment

    “I think we can expect to see pythons continuing to increase their range naturally, slowly,” Durso said.

    Trappers are receiving more calls about these snakes appearing in new residential areas, a development that does not surprise experts like Durso.

    “I also think we can expect to see more populations pop up in areas that have a lot of human traffic,” he said.

    As the invasive species seeks more food in new locations, Seth mentioned the possibility of their presence extending beyond Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.

    “I’ll be more surprised if we start to see him in, like, Sarasota or Bradenton or Tampa area,” Seth said.

    Seth advised against engaging with these snakes if encountered, as improper handling can lead to serious injuries requiring hospital visits and stitches. Instead, he recommended calling experts to safely remove them from neighborhoods.

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  • Comics artist inspires kids with his Marvel-ous work

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    >> NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES. SOME HAVE A PENCIL, TALENT AND A CREATIVE APPROACH TO GET KIDS EXCITED ABOUT MATH. GULF COAST NEWS BRIT SHOWS US HOW IT ALL ADDS UP IN TONIGHT’S STORY TO SHARE. >> AND THEY KNOW WHO THIS GUY IS GOING TO >> INSIDE THE DIMENSIONS OF A HERO IN THE MAKING JERRY TO CARE LIGHTS THE PAGE WITH PASSION. YOU PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO IT. YOU’RE SO GOOD AT IT. NOW THAT IT’S IN ITS COMES TO. SO NATURALLY, IT IS JUST FUND. THAT’S THE POINT YOU WANT TO GET PUT THROUGH MARVEL’S UNIVERSE AND CHANCES ARE YOU’LL MARVEL AT HIS WORK. EXCELLENT FOR WOLVERINE PUNISHER CONE IN NICK FURY, AGENT SHIELD HAWKEYE DEAD POOL. >> EVEN TIME, CAMEOS OF DR. STRANGE IRONMAN. >> WHO ELSE? >> BELIEVE IT OR NOT, HIS DRAWINGS WEREN’T ALWAYS COVER WORD THE THIS BUT BUT I DON’T MEAN TO BUT THIS IS GARBAGE. BUT AFTER 4 YEARS OF STUBBORN, PERSISTENCE AND SKETCHES, HE WAS OFFERED TO DRAW ON X MEN ANNUAL SERIES. AND I SAID THE >> SHE COULD YOU GIVE ME A FANTASTIC 4 INSTEAD AND I’M THE GUY GOES, LISTEN, I’LL GIVE IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE. YOU KNOW, AND I SAID TAKE IT. YOU WITH MORE THAN 10 SUCCESSFUL MARVEL COMICS UNDER HIS BELT, HIS FAVORITE AUDIENCE ISN’T AT COMICON ANYMORE. YOU CAN DROP YOU IN THE CYLINDER FROM PRETTY MUCH YOU KNOW, BELIEVE THAT A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE, YOU CAN IMAGINE YOU CAN DRAW ANYTHING. HIS WORKSHOPS IN SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES ACROSS AMERICAN MIX. MARVEL WITH MATT. THEY THINK SUPERHEROES A COOL LITTLE THING. MATHIS TO COOL. SO WHEN YOU COMBINE THOSE 2 THAT KIND OF ALL OF A SUDDEN MATHIS KIND OF COOL, WHICH IS WHAT THE MATH TEACHER WANTS FOR THEM. >> WHILE JERRY LOVES DRAWING MUSCLES LIKE THE NEXT COMIC. HIS WORK IS ABOUT STRENGTHENING CONFIDENCE. YOU KNOW SOMETHING TO BE AWARE TO JUST SET YOURSELF APART RIGHT FROM SUPERHEROES TO STUDENTS. HE’S TEACHING NEXT GENERATION THEIR OWN KIND OF SUPERPOWER THAT CAN DO. YOU CAN LOOK REALLY GOOD. AND SO I KN

    Sketching the outlines of a hero in the making, Jerry DeCaire lights the page with passion.”You put so much work into it that you’re so good at it now,” said DeCaire. “And it comes so naturally that it’s just fun, that’s the point you want to get to.”Flip through Marvel’s comics universe, and chances are, you’ll marvel at his work.X-Men, Thor, Wolverine, Dr. Strange, Iron Man — these are just a few comics he’s worked on.Believe it or not, his drawings weren’t always cover-worthy.”He says, ‘Hey buddy, I don’t mean to break your heart, but this is garbage,’” said DeCaire, describing what his mentor, comics legend John Buscema, told him when he was starting out.But four years of stubborn persistence and sketches later, he got an offer to draw an X-Men annual series.Now, with more than 10 successful Marvel comics under his belt, his favorite audience isn’t at Comic-Con anymore.”If you can draw a cube and a cylinder from pretty much any angle you can imagine or perspective you can imagine, you can draw anything,” said DeCaire.His workshops in schools and public libraries across America mix Marvel with math.”They think superheroes are cool. They don’t think math is too cool. So, all of a sudden, math is cool — which is what the teacher wants,” said Jerry.While DeCaire loves drawing muscles like the next comics artist, his work is about strengthening confidence.”Sometimes just being weird and setting yourself apart, right?” said DeCaire.

    Sketching the outlines of a hero in the making, Jerry DeCaire lights the page with passion.

    “You put so much work into it that you’re so good at it now,” said DeCaire. “And it comes so naturally that it’s just fun, that’s the point you want to get to.”

    Flip through Marvel’s comics universe, and chances are, you’ll marvel at his work.

    X-Men, Thor, Wolverine, Dr. Strange, Iron Man — these are just a few comics he’s worked on.

    Believe it or not, his drawings weren’t always cover-worthy.

    “He says, ‘Hey buddy, I don’t mean to break your heart, but this is garbage,’” said DeCaire, describing what his mentor, comics legend John Buscema, told him when he was starting out.

    But four years of stubborn persistence and sketches later, he got an offer to draw an X-Men annual series.

    Now, with more than 10 successful Marvel comics under his belt, his favorite audience isn’t at Comic-Con anymore.

    “If you can draw a cube and a cylinder from pretty much any angle you can imagine or perspective you can imagine, you can draw anything,” said DeCaire.

    His workshops in schools and public libraries across America mix Marvel with math.

    “They think superheroes are cool. They don’t think math is too cool. So, all of a sudden, math is cool — which is what the teacher wants,” said Jerry.

    While DeCaire loves drawing muscles like the next comics artist, his work is about strengthening confidence.

    “Sometimes just being weird and setting yourself apart, right?” said DeCaire.

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