Pg A1 final c+k DAILY 10/02 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Pg A1 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

RECREATIONALWAREHOUSE

P R E - S E A S O NP R E - S E A S O N

POOPOOL HL HEAEATITINNGG SASALLEE!!

FT. MYERS2355 COLONIAL BLVD. AT THE CORNER OF FOWLER(239) 939-5600

■ 101,000 BTU■ FOR POOLS UP TO 18ʼX36ʼ■ TITANIUM HEAT EXCHANGER

$$$$1111888888888888WE ARE

SW FLORIDA’SHEAT PUMP

HEADQUARTERS!

Available inblack & white

color

HOURS:MON-FRI

10-8SAT 10-6SUN 11-5

BONUSBONUS!! Free Solar Blanket with each pool heater sold this week!

SPORTS | C4

Tonight’s big matchupsin high school football.

Hispanic Heritage Month eventsand Alice Cooper get the beat going.

ALL ABOUTTHE MUSIC

GULFCOASTING

news-press.com View the latest felony, drug arrest photos on our Crime & Courts page.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009 | PUBLISHED SINCE 1884

JasonGunter,wholostahandandpartofa leginanaccident,soonmaywinaspot inhistory

INSIDE / A6Bio: Get to know Fort Myersresident Jason Gunter.

The event: What is an Iron-man World Championship?

The schedule: See a sampleweek of Gunter’s training.

PHOTOS BY ANDREW WEST/THE NEWS-PRESS

At top, Jason Gunter swims laps and participates in a 60-mile training ride in Lee County in preparation for an Iron-man competition Oct. 10 in Kona, Hawaii. He is preparing for a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-milerun. If Gunter finishes within 17 hours, he will become the first upper- and lower-extremity amputee to do it.

Car salefiguresdentedBY DON MANLEYdmanley@news-press.com

A double whammy hitSouthwest Florida’s carsellers in September: alack of cars to sell, and ahangover from the cash forclunkers program.

The sharp drop-off wasexpected after the Aug. 24end of cash for clunkers —which offered buyersrebates of up to $4,500when they traded in gasguzzlers for a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

The program convincedmany car shoppers to buyearlier to lock in a deal.That’s why sales here andnationwide were lowercompared to the samemonth last year.

Several local dealerssaid they could have soldmore cars if there weremore to choose from ontheir lots. Domestic manu-facturers idled or closedsome plants while slowingproduction at others earli-er this year.

“Our new car numbersdropped a good 50 per-

cent,” said Leon Mudry,general manager of GaleanaChrysler Dodge Jeep insouth Fort Myers. “Ofcourse, the economy isdown, but we’re just flat-out

Fears grow for eaglecaught in fishing lineBY MARY WOZNIAKmwozniak@news-press.com

A bald eagle seen strug-gling to fly over BonitaSprings with about 200 feetof fishing line danglingfrom its body may face along, slow death.

A U.S. Fish and WildlifeService biologist and aNaples rehabilitation spe-cialist say the eagle couldstarve if the line traps thebird in a tree where it can-not reach food or water.

The majestic bird wasspotted Tuesday by FrankGore, an employee of Nel-son Marine, as he checkeddocks and seawalls amongthe canals off ImperialShores Boulevard nearBonita Beach.

“It was a great bighealthy bird,” Gore said.

Then Gore noticed themonofilament line, “astraight line hanging fromhim about 200 feet long.”

The line glared in thesun like the strands of a spi-der web illuminated in thesun, Gore said.

“He kept fluttering up inthe air, trying to shake theline,” Gore said.

The eagle’s plight arisesas Bonita Springs is aboutto launch a

BY FRANCESCA DONLANfdonlan@news-press.com

ix months ago, Jason Gunterhad run only as many as 8miles, didn’t own a bike andhad never taken a swimminglesson.

Today, the 44-year-old FortMyers attorney is headed to Hawaii tocompete in the world’s most celebratedtriathlon, the Ford Ironman WorldChampionship.

Gunter intends to finish the 2.4-mileswim, 112-mile bike and 26.2 mile runon Oct. 10.

Gunter, who lost his right hand andleft leg below the knee in a 1992 boatingaccident, has a shot at history.

If he finishes the race in fewer than 17

hours, he will become the first upper-and lower-extremity amputee athlete tocomplete the 140-mile course, said MikeLenhart, president of Getting2Tri Foun-dation, which supports athletes withphysical disabilities.

“There have been other athletes whohave been amputees and double-legamputees, but it’s unique to have some-one with upper and lower,” saidLenhart, who will be with Gunter inHawaii.

The journey from tragedy to triathlonhasn’t been easy.

“Getting out of bed was a milestone,”Gunter said.“It’s one step at a time. If youlook too far ahead, it’s too overwhelm-ing.”

See EAGLE A2

IRONMAN

S

• Photo gallery:View images of Jason Gunter of Fort Myersin training.

• Video:Watch Gunter train in the triathlon disciplinesof swimming, biking and running.

THE NEWS-PRESSTHE NEWS-PRESSTHE NEWS-PRESSFINAL 75¢FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009 | PUBLISHED SINCE 1884

THE NEWS-PRESS

MackindyDieu,right,comfortsNettyFleuryduring avigilThursdayfor theirsister,GuerlineDieuDamas,her chil-dren andothers.JOHN DAVID

EMMETT/

THE NEWS-

PRESS

Damasesmournedduringvigil

UNDER THEBRIGHT LIGHTS

See IRONMAN A6

Business . . . . . D1-4Classifieds . . . . E1-8Helping out . . . . . B4

Lottery . . . . . . . . . B2Nation . . . . . . . . . A3Obituaries . . . . . . B6

Opinion . . . . . . B8-9Sports . . . . . . . C1-8Weather . . . . . . B10

The News-Press,A GannettNewspaperCopyright 2008

The News-Press TV gridswill look a little different,reflecting the channel line-up changes Comcast hasput in place over the pastseveral months, since thecompany’s merger with

Time-Warner cable.The Time-Warner line-

up will become Comcaststarting Wednesday andthe Time-Warner lineupwill no longer appear inthe grids.

NOTE TO READERS

news-press.com Watch Gunter in training

If you spot the eagle and itappears stationary and unableto fly, call:•CROW wildlife clinic at 239-472-3644 between 8 a.m. and5 p.m. daily.•The Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission hotline: 888-404-3922. The com-mission will in turn contactlocal rehabilitation centers.•The wildlife Rehabilitationcenter at the Conservancy ofSouthwest Florida, at 239-262-CARE (2273) 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.daily.

HOW TO HELP

BY JANINE ZEITLINjzeitlin@news-press.com

Each of six chairs sat emptyexcept for a single white rose at aThursday evening vigil in Naples.

The roses symbolized the loss ofGuerline Dieu Damas and her chil-dren Meshach, Maven, Marven,Megan and Morgan.

The children’s father and Guer-line’s husband, Mesac Damas, 33,has been charged with six counts offirst-degree premeditated murder.

A community mourning theNorth Naples family vowed to pre-vent more seats from becomingvacant and protect others fromdomestic violence.

“Domestic violence is a social illthat must be addressed in the

See VIGIL A2Also see Sam Cook column B1

news-press.com View more images from Thursday’s vigil.

See SALES A2