DIRECTOR PAGE

SHOW OPEN-CLIP

FIRST FORECAST-WX WALL

Sandy will be making her close approach to SW Florida Friday thru early Saturday. Forecast

ideas of the tropical cyclone morphing into more of a hybrid low implies an expansion of the

storm's wind field. And with such a large envelope of cyclonic turning, it's possible that the storm's

moisture field may expand as well. For us, it would be nothing more than a slight uptick in the

TOSS TO KARLA-TRXSOT, 2SHOT

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF 2:54 as a manager of this organization we find that devastating. :56

A HIGH-RANKING ESTERO FIREFIGHTER IS OFF THE JOB TONIGHT--

ACCUSED OF BREAKING PROTOCOL AND PUTTING LIVES IN DANGER!

SHE'S EVEN ACCUSED OF *FORGETTING* ABOUT A CREW--

INSIDE A MAJOR BRUSH FIRE THAT SHUT DOWN I-75 THIS SUMMER.

ESTERO FIRE BATTALION CHIEF FIRING-BNR-PKG

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF JULY--

AND CREWS WERE OUT IN *FORCE TRYING TO KEEP I-75 OPEN AS SMOKE DRIFTED BETWEEN CORKSCREW AND BONITA BEACH ROAD.

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF 2:41 we have to know where everybody is at any moment in the event that something happens. :46

IN CHARGE OF ALL STAFF ON SCENE--

9-YEAR ESTERO FIRE VETERAN JEANNINE HORTON.

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF 58:28 it is an incredibly big responsibility. they are the sole responsible figure for the district in the absence of any other chief officer. :35

BUT ACCORDING TO AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT OBTAINED BY NBC-2--

BATALLION CHIEF HORTON *LEFT THE SCENE BEFORE ACCOUNTING FOR ALL RESOURCES--

LEAVING A SAN CARLOS FIRE CREW STUCK IN THE WOODS WITHOUT *ANY BACKUP.

INSTEAD. HORTON ADMITTED TO TAKING A *MEDIA MEMBER TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DAMAGE.

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF 2:29 that's horrible. that's horrible for us- it's one thing accidents can always happen but accountability when it comes to a brush fire, structure fire, hasmat scene, is of utmost importance,:40

THAT'S NOT THE *ONLY MISTAKE SHE'S ACCUSED OF MAKING--

STANDUP 11:37 According to the investigation during a call to a home where a fire alarm was going off- Horton told her crew to go inside and even had them change batteries on smoke detectors- without the homeowner's permission.:48

ON ANOTHER CALL--

HORTON ALLEGEDLY INSTRUCTED HER CREWS TO RE-WIRE SMOKE DETECTORS--

ESSENTIALLY ENGAGING IN ELECTRICAL WORK.

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF:49 when our crews got there it wasn't as simple as a plug unplug and plug another one in- it actually required some cutting of AC wiring and possibly re-wiring and that's something we do not do. :01

ASSISTANT CHIEF MARK WAHLIG CALLS THE ACTS CARELESS-

AND SAYS KEEPING HORTON EMPLOYED WOULD BE A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY.

MARK WAHLIG- ASSISTANT CHIEF 3:22 at times, that responsibility includes life. at the battalion chief level, that's what that includes. :28

ESTERO FIRE BATTALION CHIEF FIRING-TAG

NBC-2 REACHED OUT TO HORTON BY PHONE-

AND THROUGH FACEBOOK.

FL STOMPING SENTENCE-VO

LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO--

A FLORIDA JUDGE SENTENCED A TEEN TO 20-YEARS IN JAIL--

FOR SEVERLY BEATING A FELLOW TEEN 2-YEARS AGO.

18-YEAR OLD WAYNE TREACY KICKED AND STOMPED 15-YEAR OLD JOSIE RATLEY.

RATLEY SUFFERED PERMENENT BRAIN DAMAGE.

TREACY'S LAWYERS UNSUCCESSFULLY USED AN INSANITY DEFENSE--

CLAIMING HE SUFFERED FROM POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

CAUSED BY THE SUICIDE OF HIS OLDER BROTHER.

FAMU HAZING SENTENCE-VO, SS

A JUDGE TODAY SENTENCED THE *FIRST* DEFENDANT IN THE HAZING DEATH OF A FLORIDA A&M DRUM MAJOR.

BRIAN JONES AVOIDED JAIL TIME--

BUT WILL SPEND MORE THAN TWO YEARS UNDER CLOSE SUPERVISION.

HE ALSO MUST SERVE SIX MONTHS OF COMMUNITY CONTROL--

WHICH PUTS STRICT LIMITS ON HIS FREEDOM.

JONES PLEADED "NO CONTEST" TO HIS ROLE IN THE HAZING DEATH OF ROBERT CHAMPION.

CHAMPION DIED LAST NOVEMBER--

LANCE ARMSTRONG STRIPPED-ON CAM

LANCE ARMSTRONG'S LEGACY IS IN FREE FALL.

TODAY.CYCLING'S GOVERNING BODY *STRIPPED* ARMSTRONG OF HIS TOUR DE FRANCE TITLES.

LANCE ARMSTRONG STRIPPED-PKG

Cycling's governing body made it official: Lance Armstrong will be stripped

of his seven Tour de France titles.and banned from the sport for life.

SOT

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. So he deserves to be forgotten."

This past weekend, Armstrong made two appearances at his foundation Live

Strong's 15th anniversary celebration.

SOT LANCE ON SUNDAY

"People ask me a lot 'how are you doing?' And I tell them I've been better

but I've also been worse."

Today's decision comes after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused him of

leading.quote.'the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful

doping program that sport has ever seen. Tour organizers are now expected

to officially remove Armstrong's name from the record books.erasing his

consecutive victories from 1999-2005.

Armstrong has consistently called the agency's effort a ''witch hunt.''

But over the past week, his endorsement deals.from Nike to Oakley.have

dropped the disgraced cyclist.and he's stepping down as Chairman of his

own foundation.

SOT DOUG ULMAN / LIVESTRONG CEO

"He's our founder. He's been the inspiration for these people. His cancer

journey led to this place. To have him here is phenomenal."

15 riders - including former teammate Floyd Landis--testified that Armstrong

and his teams used and trafficked banned substances and routinely used

blood transfusions.

Even among the cancer survivor's most loyal supporters, there is concern.

SOT Julie Armstrong / Supporter

"It's been kind of a bitter-sweet time I think but Livestrong is gonna

LANCE ARMSTRONG STRIPPED-TAG

T-J WINICK REPORTING.

THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS CYCLIST COULD STILL LOSE AN OLYMPIC MEDAL--

BBC SEX SCANDAL-VO WIPE

ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE AGAINST THE B-B-C.

FOR ALLEGEDLY TAKING PART IN A MASSIVE COVER-UP OF ONE OF ITS STARS!

B-B-C ICON JIMMY SAVILE--

WHO DIED LAST YEAR--

IS ACCUSED OF BEING A PEDOPHILE!

BBC SEX SCANDAL-SOT, ON CAM

"Ever since the decision was taken to shelve our story, I've not been happy with public statements made by the BBC. I think they're very misleading about the nature of the investigation we were doing."

THE B-B-C IS EXPECTED TO AIR TONIGHT--

WISCONSIN MALL SHOOTING-VO WIPE

POLICE IN A MILWAUKEE SUBURB--

ARE STILL PIECING TOGETHER DETAILS OF THE MASS SHOOTING AT A DAY SPA.

FOUR WOMEN ARE STILL IN A HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM GUN SHOT WOUNDS.

POLICE SAY RADCLIFFE HAUGHTON CAME TO SALON LOOKING FOR HIS ESTRANGED WIFE.

WISCONSIN MALL SHOOTING-SOT, ON CAM

"Our thoughts and prayers really go out to the victims and their families. This was a senseless tragedy and it the kind of thing that happens now in our society.

BROOKFIELD POLICE SAY HAUGHTON'S WIFE HAD A PROTECTION ORDER AGAINST HER HUSBAND.

CASTRO PHOTOS-VO

DESPITE RUMORS OF HIS ILL HEALTH--

FORMER CUBAN LEADER FIDEL CASTRO IS ALIVE.

THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT TODAY RELEASED NEW PHOTOS OF FIDEL.

ONE OF THEM SHOWS CASTRO READING FRIDAY'S COPY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY NEWSPAPER.

HE ALSO WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR THE NEWSPAPER.

ON SUNDAY--

VENEZUELA'S VICE PRESIDENT RELEASED A PHOTO OF A FIVE-HOUR MEETING--

NEW FLU STRAIN-VO

YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER GETTING A FLU SHOT THIS YEAR.

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL SAYS TWO *NEW* STRAINS ARE EXPECTED TO HIT HARD.

ONE OF THEM IS A VARIANT OF INFLUENZA "A"--

AND IT'S POWERFUL.

LAST YEAR.LESS THAN HALF OF ALL ADULTS AND CHILDREN RECEIVED A FLU SHOT.

REMEMBER THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO RECEIVE A FLU VACCINATION--

METEOR SHOWER-VO

THE NIGHT SKY IS PUTTING ON A SHOW!

THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER PEAKED THIS WEEKEND IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.

IT'S SENDING SILVER FIREBALLS STREAKING THROUGH THE SKY.

IT HAPPENS EACH OCTOBER.

IT HAPPENS WHEN THE EARTH RACES THROUGH THE DUST TRAIL FROM HALLEY'S COMET.

AT THE PEAK OF THE SHOWER--

ADELE BABY BOY-VO

IT'S A BOY FOR GRAMMY-AWARD WINNING SINGER ADELE!

SHE GAVE BIRTH OVER THE WEEKEND.

ADELE AND HER BOYFRIEND SIMON KONECKI HAVE DATED SINCE LAST JANUARY.

TEASE ONE-2SHOT

THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON DECISION 2012!

MANY VOTERS ARE ALREADY CASTING THEIR BALLOT--

NBC2 IS ON THE SCENE AS ELECTION SUPERVISORS MAKE SURE EACH BALLOT BOX IS WORKING PROPLERLY/

AND THE DEADLINE IS TOMORROW FOR CHARLOTTE COUNTY TO DECIDE WHETHER TO SPEND MILLIONS FOR NEW JOBS.

TZ1 A) LEE VOTING MACHINE-VO WIPE

TZ1 B) CHARCO IMPAC UNIVERSITY-VO TOPS

TZ1 C) WEATHER TEASE-STC

DECISION 2012-CLIP

LEE VOTING MACHINE TESTING-SAT 23 SS OC

YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE AT THE STAGE FOR TONIGHT'S LAST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN BOCA RATON.

TONIGHT'S TOPIC IS FOREIGN POLICY.

THE DEBATE BEGINS AT NINE--

RIGHT HERE ON NBC2.

THE LATEST NBC NEWS POLL THAT CAME OUT TODAY--

SHOWS THE RACE BETWEEN PRESIDENT OBAMA AND GOVERNOR ROMNEY IS AS CLOSE AS IT GETS.

BOTH CANDIDATES TIED WITH 47-PERCENT.

AND THIS POLL SHOWS JUST HOW CRUCIAL THIS ELECTION IS.

55-PERCENT OF VOTERS SURVEYED--

SAY THIS RACE WILL MAKE A *GREAT* DIFFERENCE HOW THEY "LIVE THEIR LIFE" OVER THE NEXT 4-YEARS.

THE LAST THING ANYONE WANTS IS A COMPUTER GLITCH TO DECIDE THE WINNER.

NBC2's STEVE CAMPION WAS ON HAND TODAY--

WHEN ELECTIONS WORKERS IN LEE COUNTY CHECKED VOTING MACHINES--

LEE VOTING MACHINE TESTING-PKG

3944 "one vote does matter."

A TEST OF NERVES -- AS BALLOTS SLIDE THROUGH SCANNERS --

INSIDE LEE COUNTY'S SUPERVISOR OF ELECTION'S OPERATIONS CENTER.

3602 "you always want them to come out right."

TWO WEEKS BEFORE WORKERS WHEEL THESE MACHINES TO PRECINCTS -

THEY'RE CHECKED TO MAKE SURE EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

THIS NOVEMBER -- THERE'S NEVER BEEN MORE AT STAKE -- ARGUE SOME VOTERS.

3910 "I feel like this is the most important election I've ever voted in."

TODAY -- ELECTION STAFF WATCHED THE CRITICAL CALCULATION.

3541 "we have a predetermined number of votes for every candidate, every issue."

3541 "We run the votes through the machine and make sure the machine is actually counting those ballots like they should."

IN THE END -- THE NUMBERS ADDED UP!

3738 "we came out perfect. We came out perfect on the test. That's what you want to do to make sure everything is working properly. So everyone gets to vote."

STARTING ON SATURDAY THROUGHOUT THE STATE -- REGISTERED VOTES CAN CAST THEIR BALLOTS EARLY FROM 7AM TO 7 PM AT SELECT POLLING SPOTS IN CHARLOTTE, COLLIER, AND LEE COUNTIES.

WORD OF CAUTION -- YOU'LL WANT TO READ UP BEFOREHAND.

3824 "it's a very long ballot especially with the amendments. You need to be prepared before you vote."

NO MATTER THE LIST -- SOME SAY SHOWING UP TO BE COUNTED IS YOUR CIVIC DUTY.

3944 "You never know how close the race will be."

DEBATE PROMO-SS TOPS

ONCE AGAIN--

YOU CAN SEE LIVE COVERAGE OF TONIGHT'S FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE--

RIGHT HERE ON NBC2.

TEASE TWO-ON CAM

IF YOU HAVE A CHILD IN CHEERLEADING--

YOU KNOW HOW DEMANDING IT CAN BE!

BUT SHOULD IT BE CLASSIFIED A "SPORT"?

ONE MAJOR MEDICAL GROUP SAYS YES!

WE WILL TELL YOU WHY THEY THINK IT WILL MAKE CHEERLEADING SAFER.

PLUS--

TZ2 A) CHEERLEADING SPORT-VO WIPE

TZ2 B) JOE ROETZ STANDUP-SOT TOPS

ROBERT WX OPEN-CLIP

FIRST ALERT FORECAST-WXWALL

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Strong high pressure over the Southeast US has kept our deep atmosphere dry and stable for the

second day in a row. A nice, dry evening lies ahead.followed by a clear and pleasant night.

Lows at sunrise will fall to the upper 60s with middle 60s for the deep inland cool spots.

A persistent E-NE flow around the surface high will start to move some low level Atlantic mois-

ture across the peninsula.and with time,we may have a few passing showers to track. Tomorrow looks

to be a partly sunny and dry day.but by Wednesday and Thursday, there may be sufficient

moisture for a stray afternoon shower. It will also be a bit breezy around here through midweek.

Sandy will be making her close approach to SW Florida Friday thru early Saturday. Forecast

ideas of the tropical cyclone morphing into more of a hybrid low implies an expansion of the

storm's wind field. And with such a large envelope of cyclonic turning, it's possible that the storm's

moisture field may expand as well. For us, it would be nothing more than a slight uptick in the

TOSS TO KIM-ON CAM

WHAT USED TO BE. KICKS AND POM POMS ON THE SIDELINE,

HAS EVOLVED INTO ELABORATE PYRAMIDS AND DANGEROUS TUMBLING.

AND NOW, A NEW STUDY BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS FINDS CHEERLEADERS ARE GETTING INJURED MORE OFTEN AND MORE SEVERELY.

CHEERLEADING A SPORT-PLASMA MON

THEY RECOMMEND MAKING CHEERLEADING BE A SPORT.

THIS WAY DOCTORS SAY IT'S MORE REGULATED AND ATHLETES CAN HAVE ACCESS TO BETTER MEDICAL CARE AND MORE QUALIFIED COACHES.

CHEERLEADING A SPORT-PKG

NATS

MORE THAN HALF OF ALL CHEERLEADING INJURIES ARE SPRAINS AND STRAINS.

AND DOCTORS SAY THEY'RE ON THE RISE.

They're increasing in number and so we kind of had to sit back and ask ourselves why these are happening.

THE GROUP CRUNCHED DATA FROM THE U-S CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION.

WHICH SAW 4954 HOSPITAL VISITS IN 1980.

BY 2007, IT CLIMBED 400 PERCENT TO 26,786.

NATS

DOCTORS SAY MUCH OF THIS IS BECAUSE CHEERLEADING NOW HAS MORE GYMNASTICS TYPE ROUTINES.

The more complex stunt, the more gymnastic fast paced routine, the higher the injury rate.

AT CAPE CORAL HIGH SCHOOL.

THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WHO HAS A BACKGROUND IN COACHING CHEERLEADING, SAYS MATS ARE USED ON HARD SURFACES.

AMONG THE MANY SAFETY MEASURES.

We follow FHSA guidelines. We have our coaches, they've been trained properly.

THE ACADEMY RECOMMENDS MORE TRAINING FOR COACHES.

AND THAT CHEERLEADING BE A CONSIDERED A SPORT.

When a sport is a sanctioned school sport, they have access to the athletic trainers that are there or the team physician at the practice facility.

AND WHILE THIS DIRECTOR SEES THE GOOD IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

HE SEES CHALLENGES IN MOVING THEM FORWARD.

CHEERLEADING A SPORT-PLASMA MON

ACCORDING TO THE STUDY-

ONLY 29 STATE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONS RECOGNIZE CHEERLEADING AS A SPORT.

FLORIDA ONLY CONSIDERS IT A SPORT IF IT'S COMPETITIVE.

NEW ISS CREW-VO

A NASA ASTRONAUT WILL BLAST OFF TOMORROW FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

KEVIN FORD AND TWO RUSSIAN COMPANIONS--

WILL BLAST OFF FROM KAZAKHSTAN--

AND DOCK WITH THE I-S-S THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

FORD'S BEEN IN SPACE SEVERAL TIMES--

TSA BODY SCANNERS-VO

THE T-S-A IS *REMOVING* THOSE CONTROVERSIAL X-RAY MACHINES AT "HIGH TRAFFIC" AIRPORTS.

THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION IS *MOVING* THEM TO SMALLER AIRPORTS.

THE "BODY SCANNERS" GOT A BAD RAP FROM TRAVELERS--

BECAUSE THE X-RAY IMAGES COULD BE REVEALING.

CHARCO IMPAC UNIVERSITY-ON CAM

ONE CHARLOTTE COUNTY AGENCY--

SAYS IT HAS THE FORMULA TO BRING THOUSANDS OF GOOD-PAYING JOBS TO THE AREA.

IT'S CALLED A BUSINESS INCUBATOR--

A CENTER USED TO PROMOTE BUSINESS.

THE BIGGEST HOLD-UP.

IS THE MILLION DOLLAR PRICE TAG--

NBC-2'S CHARLIE KEEGAN SPOKE WITH PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DEBATE--

CHARCO IMPAC UNIVERSITY-PKG

Nats: a very tight budget

AFTER FOURTY YEARS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, LOUIS MACRI HAS SEEN HIS FAIR SHARE OF CONTRACTS.

nats

AS HE LOOKS OVER A PROPOSAL WHICH CALLS FOR CHARLOTTE COUNTY COMISSIONERS TO SPEND 3.1 MILLION DOLLARS, HE DOESN'T LIKE IT.

"this is a boondoggle and hopefully the county should stay away from it." Louis Macri, Opposes Purchase

HE'S NOT ALONE, SEVERAL TAX-PAYING CITIZENS DON'T WANT THE COUNTY TO PURCHASE THE OLD IMPAC UNIVSERITY CAMPUS AND TURN IT INTO A BUSINESS INCUBATOR.

"I'm hoping to have over 100 people at the commission meeting." Louis Macri, Opposes Purchase

DAVE KESSELRING PLANS TO SPEAK AT TOMORROW'S MEETING.

"they're not there to gamble with our money." Dave Kesselring, Opposes Purchase

HE SAYS THE COUNTY IS DOING JUST FINE AND DOESN'T NEED AN INCUBATOR TO PROMOTE BUSINESS.

"you have to create businesses that come in here naturally that belong. Can't incubate something artificially and expect it to definitely work." Dave Kesselring, Opposes Purchase

STANDUP "in it's plan the economic development office sees this building full of people willing to invest in Charlotte County, so it's recommending the board of county commissioners spend that 3.1 million dollars."

"we need to move forward with some sort of initiative which is a job creating initiative and this building represents a huge opportunity to do that." Tom Patton, Economic Development Director

TOM PATTON, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, SAYS AN INCUBATOR WOULD BRING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE ECONOMY OVER 20 YEARS BY PROMOTING HEALTHCARE AND DIGITAL MEDIA BUSINESSES.

"this community definitely needs a kick in the pants." Tom Patton, Economic Development Director

Nats: do not purchase

FOR THE MOST PART, COMMISSIONERS SAY THE IN THE EMAILS THEY'RE GETTING, CITIZENS ARE AGAINST THE PURCHASE.

TEASE THREE-2SHOT

LEE COUNTY MANAGER KAREN HAWES IS WORKING ON HER EXIT STRATEGY.

UNDER FIRE FOR HER HANDLING OF THE MEDSTAR FIASCO--

NBC2 IS LOOKING INTO WHEN SHE WILL LEAVE--

AND HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST THE COUNTY!

AND ALL NEW AT SIX--

TZ3 A) KAREN HAWES LATEST-VO WIPE

AHEAD AT 6-BANNER

A) MEAGHAN STANDUP TEASE-SOT

TOSS TO JOE-2 SHOT

TONIGHT WE KNOW EXACTLY WHEN KAREN HAWES WILL LEAVE THE JOB OF LEE COUNTY MANAGER.

TWO SCANDALS ARE FORCING HER OUT --

THE SHUT DOWN OF THE COUNTY'S MEDICAL HELICOPTER PROGRAM -- AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO TAXPAYER MONEY GIVEN TO V-R LABS.

KAREN HAWES LATEST-TFX CTR MON

KELLIE, PETER,

OCTOBER 31ST IS THE DATE.

KAREN HAWES LATEST-PKG

WITH TWO SCANDALS ON LEE COUNTY'S PLATE -

COMMISSIONER FRANK MANN IS LOOKING FOR A QUICK FIX.

for the best interest of everybody - especially the taxpayers of Lee County if we can find a pleasant way to resolve this, this is what I'd work for.

COUNTY MANAGER KAREN HAWES IS UNDER FIRE

FIRST - FOR HER ROLE IN A GROUNDED MEDICAL HELICOPTER PROGRAM THAT MIS-BILLED PATIENTS TO THE TUNE OF 3 MILLION DOLLARS.

THEN THE USE OF 5 MILLION DOLLARS ON A STALLED PROJECT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO CREATE 200 JOBS.

INSTEAD OF BEING FIRED - HAWES IS WORKING ON A WAY OUT BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

I think by this time tomorrow there will be a resolution

TODAY SHE MET ONE ON ONE WITH MANN.

TO REVIEW HER EXIT STRATEGY-

MANN SAYS ON TUESDAY - SHE'LL SUGGEST HER LAST DAY ON THE JOB TO BE OCTOBER 31ST.

BUT FIRST - SHE WANTS COMMISSIONERS TO ASK HER TO RESIGN.

If Hawes is allowed to leave on her own terms - her contract guarantees her one year salary of 170-thousand dollars plus health benefits.

the alternative to a painless resignation is a prolonged agony and bad morale for everybody.

HAWES HAS WORKED FOR THE COUNTY FOR NEARLY 27 YEARS -

AND DESPITE CALLS FOR HER TO GO -

SHE STILL HAS SUPPORT IN THE HALLS OF LEE COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

KAREN HAWES LATEST-TFX CTR MON

COMMISSIONER MANNING HAD SAID HE EXPECTED HAWES TO STAY ON BOARD UNTIL INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE MEDSTAR HELICOPTER PROGRAM ARE COMPLETE.

SHE'LL ADDRESS COMMISSIONERS AT THEIR WEEKLY MEETING TOMORROW MORNING.

SELL THE 6PM-2SHOT

THE NBC2 INVESTIGATORS UNCOVERS VOTER INTIMINDATION TARGETING REGISTERED REPUBLICANS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

EVEN THREATENING JAIL IF THEY VOTE.

PLUS -- A CASE OF CHILD NEGLECT UNCOVERED BY FACEBOOK PICTURES --