A taste, a toast and gracious gifts

E1 THE NEWS-PRESS » SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016 »
3A
CRIME
Sievers’ bond set at $4.4M
Husband of slain doctor
remains in jail; daughters
placed in Naples residence
pending custody hearing
THYRIE BLAND
TBLAND@NEWS-PRESS.COM
A prosecutor said Saturday his office is concerned
the husband of a slain doctor could try to post bond by
using life insurance policies that are under his wife’s
name and total at least $4.43 million.
Assistant State Attorney Hamid Hunter asked
Judge John Duryea to set a bond for Mark Sievers, 47,
in the same amount as the policies during a court hearing Saturday. The judge granted the request.
Mark Sievers, left, is
charged in the death of his
wife, Dr. Teresa Sievers,
who was found dead in
June.
“The source of funds used to post bail or procure
bond are of relevance to the court, and here the source
of funds could potentially be proceeds from the alleged crime — that being life insurance policies,”
Hunter said, citing a state law.
Mark Sievers was arrested Friday and charged with
second-degree murder in the June 28 killing of his
wife, Dr. Teresa Sievers, 46. Saturday’s hearing was
Mark Sievers’ first court appearance as a defendant.
Mark Sievers appeared in court via video. He did
not say anything during the hearing. He remained in
jail as of Saturday morning.
See Sievers, Page 13A
KINFAY MOROTI/THE NEWS-PRESS
Mark Sievers makes a court appearance Saturday via a live
feed at the Lee County Justice Complex Center in Fort Myers.
Sievers was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree
murder in the June 28 killing of his wife, Dr. Teresa Sievers, 46.
REAL ESTATE
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINE & FOOD FEST
A taste, a toast
and gracious gifts
AMY BENNETT WILLIAMS/THE NEWS-PREESS
The private nonprofit Price Foundation will keep the
sign lit until new owners can take over.
Landmark ‘God
is Love’ house
for sale, buyers
must keep sign
AMY BENNETT WILLIAMS
AWILLIAMS@NEWS-PRESS.COM
MELANIE PAYNE
TELLMEL@NEWS-PRESS.COM
When buyers with $120,000 in cash take possession of the vintage home at 1402 S. Grove Ave.
in Fort Myers, they’ll have to deal with mold, a
leaky roof and a crumbling garage.
One thing they won’t have to worry about: the
landmark God is Love sign on the 1925 house’s
McGregor Boulevard side, though they must
agree to pay the $15-or-so monthly electric bill to
keep its green neon lit.
Refurbished in 2013 by a community effort led
by the late T.Wainwright Miller Jr., who used
money from the private nonprofit Price Foundation he headed to fund the repairs, the sign has
been a beacon to boulevard travelers since 1943.
After foreclosure proceedings began on the
property, the foundation stepped in again with a
$41,000 down payment to buy it in 2014.
Miller died in January and the foundation has
since backed out of the deal because the asking
price is too high, said board Chairman Dennis
See Sign, Page 6A
No Tell Mel
MELANIE PAYNE
KINFAY MOROTI/THE NEWS-PRESS
Cancer survivor Avery McCaskill, 6, and auctioneer Scott Robertson celebrate during the Southwest Florida Wine &
Food Fest auction on Saturday at the Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club.
See more of the SWFL
Live auction raises $2.5 million
for Golisano Children’s Hospital,
other causes that help kids
Wine & Food Fest.
news-press.com
ANNE REED
AREED@NEWS-PRESS.COM
It was a “Celebration of Gracious Giving” Saturday at the 2016 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest,
as an estimated $2.5 million was raised for SWFL
Children’s Charities Inc.
Last year’s auction raised a record $3.53 million.
The money is distributed to three beneficiaries:
Golisano Children’s Hospital, Florida Gulf Coast
University College of Health Professions and Social Work and the School of Health Professions at
Florida SouthWestern State College.
Saturday’s events began with the grand tasting
staged around the pool at Miromar Lakes Beach &
Golf Club. Vintners from Northern California
poured everything from cabernets to chardonnays.
Ed Fitts & Deb Whitman, proprietors of BRAND
Napa Valley, are past participants in the festival
and were presenting their cabernet sauvignon.
“We are philanthropists first,” Whitman said.
“When Ed opened the winery, it was a great way to
dovetail philanthropy and wine.”
Chefs were busy preparing plates and explaining their culinary creations. Chef Jason Grasty, of
Roy’s in Bonita Springs, offered fresh oysters
topped with a grapefruit caviar. This was his fifth
year participating. “Over the years, we’ve tried to
focus on one to two charities we can really help,”
Grasty said. “This one is really cool because you
see the mega impact immediately.”
See Fest, Page 5A
Her column will return soon.
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E1 THE NEWS-PRESS » SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016 »
5A
Scenes from the
Southwest Florida
Wine & Food Fest
auction on
Saturday at the
Miromar Lakes
Beach and Golf
Club.
Lux Lots
Lot 1: James Beard Celebrity Chefs of Southwest Florida
A recreation of the dinner presented by local award-winning chefs at the James Beard
House last year, the dining experience created a lot of pre-auction buzz. The culinary
talents include Chef Todd Johnson of Rumrunners, Chef Norman Love of Norman Love
Confections, Chef Harold Balink of Harold’s and Chef Fabrizio Aielli of Sea Salt, where
the dinner will take place on Oct. 30. The winning bid was split among six couples who
each paid $2,500 for a total of $15,000.
Lot 34b: Surprise Lot
The crowd was surprised as the auctioneer announced a late addition, auction lot 34b.
The lot included a trip to the Bahamas, a round of golf with Justin Rose and a fishing
trip on his private yacht. Rose had a special video message for bidders, explaining his
support for the charities benefiting from the event. The winning bid was $100,000.
Lot 37: Let There Be Rock
One of five bass guitars played by Cliff Williams, bassist for AC/DC, was up for auction
and presented to the crowd by Billy Dean, a country songwriter and artist who kicked
off the auction with a song and was scheduled to perform at the after-party. In addition to the guitar, a one-of-a-kind necklace designed by Mark Loren with a reversible
pendant featuring one of Williams guitar picks was offered. The bidding came to a stop
at $140,000.
SWFL Wine & Food Fest:
By the lot
Lot 1: James Beard House Celebrity Chefs
of SWFL $150,000
Lot 2: The City That Never Sleeps $20,000
Lot 3: Sonoma Dinner, Wine, Flight, Tee
Off! $17,500
Lot 4: In the Spirit of Aloha $12,500
Lot 5: Machu Picchu and the Amazon
In-Style $55,000
Lot 6: Fabulous Fifteen- A collection of
100-point Wines $40,000
Lot 7: Prime Time Emmy Awards ShowYou be the Judge $40,000
Lot 8: Grape Escape $22,500
Lot 9: Island State of Mind $50,000
Lot 10: The Wise Owl Painting $150,000
Lot 11: Legends and Loughs $40,000
Lot 12: Big Time, Big Wine $20,000
Lot 13: Australian Adventure of the Land
Down Under $40,000
Lot 14: Winemaker for a Day $40,000
(two winners at $20,000)
Lot 15: The Greatest Spectacle in Racing
$40,000
Lot 16: Like No Place on Earth $30,000
Lot 17: Seas the Day in Alaska or the
Mediterranean $40,000
Lot 18: Great Friends, Fresh Food, an
Unforgettable Evening $30,000
Lot 19: Beauty and the Boutiques, Napa
Valley $100,000 (two winners at $50,000)
Lot 20: Sea of Your Dreams $25,000
Lot 21: A Culinary Ride with Chef Hyde
$22,500
Lot 22: Kill the Lights with Luke Bryan
$30,000
Lot 23: Made for Spain $50,000
Lot 24: A Million Reasons to Give $1
million (approximate)
Lot 25: Boating, Bleu Provence and
BRAND $7,500
Lot 26: Great Wines, Great Music, Great
Times $25,000
Lot 27: A European Celebration of Wine
$30,000
Lot 28: The Art of Wine $40,000
Lot 29: Beautifully Organic, Rightfully
Fresh $20,000
Lot 30: Get Hooked! $60,000
Lot 31: From Vines to Wines $45,000
Lot 32: Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Africa
Safari $55,000
Lot 33: 96 Bottles of Wine in Your Closet
$15,000
Lot 34: Tee Time at the 2016 Ryder Cup
Tournament $27,500
Lot 34b: Surprise Lot- Bahamas trip with
Justin Rose $100,000
Lot 35: The Best High Above the Rest
$30,000
Lot 36: The Riches of Mekong $35,000
Lot 37: Let There Be Rock with Cliff Williams and Mark Loren $140,000
Lot 38: A French Retreat $35,000
Lot 39: Up and Away- Sonoma In June
$17,500
Lot 40: Pass the Hat $60,000
PHOTOS BY KINFAY MOROTI/THE NEWS-PRESS
Retta Singer, center, celebrates her winning bid during the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest
auction on Saturday at the Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club.
Fest
Continued from Page 3A
Charity was at the forefront. Brian
Kelley and his wife, Shari Skinner, hosted a vintner dinner on Friday, their first
time hosting and their first year participating in the festival.
“We wanted to get involved with raising money for Golisano Children’s Hospital,” Kelley said. The couple also believe their home, set along the Caloosahatchee River, was the perfect setting
for a vintner dinner. Their dinner, Coconut Grove, featured wines from Saint
Helena Winery and culinary talents of
Todd Johnson from Rumrunners in Cape
Coral, with Ryan Love presenting the
dessert course. “The part that was really
nice was seeing who came to the dinner
to support this great charity,” Kelley
said.
A performance by children from the
Heights Center concluded the grand
tasting as guests moved inside for the
live auction.
Auctioneer Scott Robinson was joined
by celebrity emcee Kellie Burns. The
first lot up for auction was a dinner for
40, featuring a team of local celebrity
chefs who presented an exclusive dining
experience at the James Beard House
last year. Six couples bid $2,500, making
“We wanted to get involved with raising money
for Golisano Children’s Hospital. The part that was
really nice was seeing who came to the dinner to
support this great charity.”
BRIAN KELLEY
GETTING TO THE POINT
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Ft. Myers location only. Cannot be combined with any other fabric discount or
coupon. Expires 3/5/16. sn
Now is the perfect time to start your interior decorating projects and
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the total for the lot $15,000.
Once-in-a-lifetime vacations, wine
collections and culinary experiences
were included in the 40 auction lots. Two
of the items up for bid had connections to
Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Each year, a work of art is created by a
patient, auctioned during the festival
and donated back to the hospital. This
year’s child artist was Avery McCaskill,
who created ‘The Wise Owl’ with artist
Ellen Sheppard and new art mentor Joelene Black. McCaskill, a 6-year-old former patient who battled leukemia, stood
next to her mother as she shared an inspirational story with the crowd. The
painting raised $150,000 for Golisano
Children’s Hospital, one of three beneficiaries of the festival.
Lot 24, ‘A Million Reasons to Give,’
provides funds for purchasing the specialized pediatric equipment needed in
the new hospital. Last year, the lot raised
$455,000 for pediatric and neonatal care,
and this year the total was close to $1 million.
The final lot of the evening was ‘Pass
the Hat,’ a collection of items donated by
the crowd. A Rolex, double strand of
pearls and Tiffany bracelet rested in the
black top hat alongside scholarships to
Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida SouthWestern State College. The winning bid on the contents of the hat was
$60,000, bringing the total raised during
the live auction to about $2.5 million.
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The year’s biggest
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If you have never been to a
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