Originally published in The Palm Beach Post on Sunday, May 25, 2008. By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer LANTANA – Before the court order that separated Bert Sayre from his family and forced him into isolation, he had no idea what was making him so sick. And at first, neither did the doctors. [...]

By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer WEST PALM BEACH – Two by two and flock by flock, animals at the Palm Beach Zoo will move to shelter today. Zookeepers plan to shepherd hundreds of animals to safety in advance of Hurricane Wilma, taking care to keep predators away from prey. Bears probably will [...]

Originally published in The Palm Beach Post on Sunday, October 3, 2004. By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN We careened from storm to storm for six weeks here in Florida, complaining about our bland hurricane food. I couldn’t seem to get rid of our three cases of energy bars bought before Hurricane Ivan. I tried to choke them [...]

By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA ISLANDS – For five days, only rescue crews and city workers were allowed onto these peaceful barrier islands. Beach cottages sat empty. Tourist shops were dark. And in newspaper boxes, headlines were frozen on the day of the hurricane. “CHARLEY THREATENS,” the papers warned. [...]

By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer FORT MYERS – When Thomas Edison scouted locations for his winter home in the late 1800s, he considered the possibility of tropical storms. So the inventor chose a high spot, 15 feet above sea level and much of the surrounding land. He built on a bend in [...]

By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer PUNTA GORDA – Charles Kidd woke up early and went to church Sunday morning, as he always does. His home was gone, along with all the possessions he accumulated during 58 years of marriage. But the retired Navy man still rose to greet worshipers at Sacred Heart [...]