Obituaries - Ray C. Hull, Jr., Juanita M. Hamil

Ray C. Hull, Jr. of Clewiston, FL, a respected cattleman, agricultural leader, and devoted family man, passed away on May 26, 2026 in Sunrise, FL. He was born May 29, 1950 in Fort Myers, FL to the late Ray C. Hull, Sr. and Rosa Lee Hull. He was preceded in death by his late wife, Virginia Candace Crooks Hull. Survivors include his daughter: Heather H. Burmeister (Jim) and grandchildren Natalie and Andrew, son: Clint Hull, sister: Laura Brightman (George), sister: Glenda H. Willis (Jack), brother: Gary B. Hull (Donna), and sister: Rosa Hutcheson (Chuck), as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews who will remember him with love and admiration.

Ray was a lifelong advocate for Florida agriculture and a proud member of both the Hendry County and Florida Cattlemen’s Associations. He provided strong leadership on the Hendry County Cattlemen’s Board of Directors and served as the President before retiring from his active role in the Association. He was mentor to many new and young members. Ray was frequently involved in the Florida Cattlemen’s Association legislative quarterly “Boots on the Hill” events in Tallahassee, helping ensure that the voices of Florida’s ranchers and agricultural producers were heard. Ray’s dedication and contributions to the cattle industry earned him recognition as the 2013 Florida Association of County Agricultural Agents Agriculturalist of the Year. He also served on the Florida Farm Bureau Board for many years. Along with managing and operating the Ray C. Hull Ranch in Devil’s Garden most of his life, Ray also co-owned Fin and Feather where he guided hunts for many to enjoy.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 11:00am at the First Baptist Church in LaBelle, FL. Ray wholeheartedly believed in the Cattlemen’s scholarship program. In lieu of flowers, please remit checks to: Hendry County Cattlemen’s Association, P.O. Box 68, LaBelle, FL 33975. Memo Line: Scholarship Donation (Ray Hull).

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Juanita M Hamil went to be with her Lord and Savior on May 30, 2026 in Labelle, Florida. She was preceded in death by her daughter Terri Lyn Hamil, husband Rev. Charles Wesley Hamil Jr., brother Harmon Williams, and sister Nema Duffey.

Born in Maynard, Arkansas on November 10, 1933 to Fred and Marie Williams. She went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree from Ouachita Baptist College where she met and married Welsey June 29, 1956. They moved to Florida and pastored Eastside Baptist Church in Labelle, Florida from 1968 to 2000. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher, church pianist, and mentor.

They had three children: Charles Welsey III Hamil (Deborah), Jonathan Scott Hamil (Teresa) and late daughter Terri Lyn Hamil.

She was the cherished grandmother of Justin (Kassie), Kaitlyn, Kristen, Patricia (James), Cole (Kiley), and Cade (Ashley). She was also Great Grandmother to Julia, Nora, and Luke Hamil; Gracie, Joshua, Welsey, Elizabeth, Luke, Zoey, Adeline, and Judah Holland; Everett Hamil; Charlie and Thaddeus Hamil.

Juanita lived a life dedicated to Jesus Christ, her family and friends. She was such a beautiful example of what a life lived for the Lord looks like. She has left a wonderful legacy to her children and grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Akin Davis Funeral Home Labelle on Friday June 5th from 6-8pm. Funeral service will be held at Eastside Baptist Church Labelle on Saturday June 6th at 10am.

SCAM ALERT - Finding Honest Air Conditioning Companies

LABELLE, FL. -- Searching for a good, honest air conditioner repair company may be difficult in the hot summer months in Florida, as many use advertisement that are either false or misleading.

Finding An Honest Company - Certifications and Online Reviews

We researched a few Fort Myers companies, after learning that the North American Technical Excellence organization (NATE) tests technicians and lists those who qualify for certification on it's website. NATE certifies for Air Conditioning, Heat Pump, and Duct Work, all with separate certifications. It is not clear from NATE's website which certifications are held by each technician or company. To verify, one must have the technician's NATE ID number.

Unlike many certifications that may only require passing a basic test or focus on narrow specialties, NATE (North American Technician Excellence) certification requires both academic proficiency and hands-on work experience (minimum two years) before attempting the exams. The required tests assess a technician’s understanding of not just theory, but practical skills in safety, diagnostics, proper installation, and system optimization across numerous HVAC specialties.

We did an online search for NATE certified technicians in Fort Myers and started looking them up on the NATE website and calling the companies. Note that technicians come and go rapidly at some companies so the certified technicians may not longer be at the companies cited.

Kobie Cooling has 15 NATE certified technicians according to NATE. We did notice that the email address listed on NATE for Kobie (EIBOKDERF@GMAIL.COM) goes unanswered. Fred Kobie, Sr. has all three NATE certifications for AC, Heat Pump, and Duct Work. Kobie says all his techs are certified, although we could not verify that.

Home-Tech does not advertise anything about it's technicians' training or certification, but on checking with NATE it was found they have 5 persons listed as certified. 

Next was Advanced Air And Refrigeration. NATE's website said they had 2 certified techs. In a story we wrote last year,  the head of the training department said they did not believe much in the NATE certifications, saying the test was old and out of date. He said at one time he personally had the certification, but let it lapse. He indicated one of his trainers may have the certification when we spoke to him.

Comfort Supply LLC in Naples has 1 certified tech. Plankey Air LLC in Naples has 1 certified tech. Enchanted Air LLC in Alva has 1 certified tech.

Advice: Check YouTube for air conditioning videos for an overview of what might be broken, and how to repair, check reviews for the company on Yelp.com and the Better Business Bureau. Look for the one and two star reviews so you know the worst that can happen. Pretty much ignore the 5-star reviews as that means they're "perfect," which is pretty unlikely to be consistently true.

Ask ahead of time what their service call charge is (typically $140-190) which is to be paid no matter what they do or don't do. You won't be able to find the total cost until they come out and look. and then either accept or decline they do the work.  Remember, although the company will claim all their employees are well trained, that may not be the case at all, and shortcuts, used parts, dishonesty, and incorrect repairs may be experienced. 

Watch them do the repair and don't allow them to replace parts without verifying the part is bad and is replaced with the exact replacement, especially capacitors which may often be replaced with the incorrect micro-farad value, or a used one, which may work, but will place wear on the air conditioner and work inefficiently if incorrect. Expect a labor and part cost of up to $300 to replace a simple capacitor. Other repairs may skyrocket the cost.

Don't be afraid to file a report or your experience or complaint on the Better Business Bureau, and on Yelp, and Google reviews sites.

NATE Certification look up: https://natex.org/homeowner/find-a-contractor-with-nate-certified-technicians/find-a-contractor-with-nate-certified-technicians

President MIA For Week? Longest Gap So Far

Where Has The President Been The Last 7 Days?

Here's what the record shows for President Trump's second term:

Longest Gaps From Public Appearances

The most notable stretch before this week was Labor Day weekend, August–September 2025:

Trump's last public appearance before the gap was a Cabinet meeting on a Tuesday. When the White House released a blank schedule with no public events for Labor Day weekend, it had been four days since that last appearance, sparking widespread social media speculation about his health.

Pool reports confirmed he visited his golf course on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of that weekend  accompanied by grandchildren  but these were not formal public events. His first official appearance after the gap was a scheduled announcement on Tuesday, September 2.

Currently (June 2026): As of this week, Trump has not held any public events for seven days in a row, again sparking health concerns as his 80th birthday approaches. And again after a medical "exam." 

A New York Times analysis found Trump's total number of official appearances this term decreased by 39% compared to his first year in office in 2017, that events were starting later on average, and that he had taken fewer domestic trips.

Trump was reportedly enraged by this coverage and personally directed his team to add more items including private meetings, "Policy Time," and "Signing Time"  to his public schedule to better reflect what aides described as jam-packed days. Today, he had 5 time slots scheduled for "meetings."

So the current 7-day stretch appears to be the longest recorded gap in public appearances of his second term, edging out the Labor Day 2025 gap.

Prescribed Burn On Eagle Bay Island And Kings Bar On Lake Okeechobee

OKEECHOBEE, FL. -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in coordination with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), plans to conduct a prescribed burn on Eagle Bay Island and Kings Bar on the north side of Lake Okeechobee this week, weather permitting. All burn activities will be reviewed and authorized by the Florida Forest Service. The burn area will be up to 3,500 acres and includes cattail, willow and other associated vegetation.

To help protect public health and safety, the FWC plans to conduct the prescribed burn under wind and weather conditions that minimize smoke impacts to nearby towns and roads. Access to navigational trails through the marsh and canals may be limited temporarily during the burn for safety reasons. If the prescribed burn needs to be rescheduled due to weather conditions, the burn will be conducted in the near future.

Application of prescribed burning is part of an integrate management approach on Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest lake. Lake Okeechobee is managed in partnership with the FWC, SFWMD, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Prescribed burning is a controlled way to apply natural processes, ensure ecosystem health and reduce the threat of wildfire. Ecologically responsible prescribed burns help improve habitat for fish, wildlife, waterfowl, wading birds, the endangered Everglade snail kite and other wildlife populations.

For more information, email AquaticHabitat@MyFWC.com. Learn about prescribed fire by going to MyFWC.com/WildlifeHabitats, clicking on “Habitat” and then “Prescribed Fire.” On that page, you can find information about how prescribed burns benefit wildlife and people.

David Telci Convicted - Battery On Prisoner - 15 Year Sentence

MOORE HAVEN, FL.  -- David Cengiz Telci, of Moore Haven, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison, the maximum sentence under the law, for one count of Aggravated Battery. It is a mandatory 15-year sentence. He was also designated as a Prison Releasee Reoffender.

He was sentenced after being convicted, following a one-day jury trial in Glades County. Assistant State Attorney Evan Chaput prosecuted the case

The defendant was incarcerated at the time of the crime at the Moore Haven Correctional Facility when he attacked another inmate. In April 2025, the defendant approached the victim in the prison bay and wanted his commissary. When the victim refused, the defendant pulled out a shiv, a self-made weapon, which was a toothbrush with a metal blade attached. He sliced the victim multiple times.

Prison guards took the victim to get emergency care in the medical area of the prison and the defendant was detained.

Under Florida law, certain crimes, such as aggravated battery, committed while a person is serving a prison sentence, qualifies them as a Prison Releasee Reoffender.