Boca Grande businesses clean up after MiltonAll you need to know if you are applying for FEMA disaster assistance
BOCA GRANDE Boca Grande businesses clean up after Milton No matter how much you prepare for a hurricane, you never know what awaits you in the aftermath.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA All you need to know if you are applying for FEMA disaster assistance One of the biggest hurdles southwest Florida had to deal with after Hurricane Ian was FEMA. Many didn’t know how to apply, which forms needed to be filled out and how to get money.
MANASOTA KEY North Manasota Key picks up the pieces while south waits to see their home Homes in North Manasota Key have been hollowed out from the storm surge after Hurricane Milton. Now, residents living on Manasota Key are trying to figure out their next steps moving forward while coping with the loss.
FORT MYERS Acting now helps avoid storm PTSD Even with storms Helene and Milton behind us, stress levels remain high. It’s leaving many people to manage post-hurricane anxiety.
PUNTA GORDA Preventing mold in Punta Gorda after Milton Right now, families with flooded homes from the hurricanes have to race to action. The water can cause black mold in damp areas of homes, but you can take steps to prevent the mold from forming or spreading.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda faces devastation with resilience An entire street in Punta Gorda was flooded, forcing the community out of their homes.
ESTERO FPL answers questions about power surges and outages, days after Milton Days after Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, people coast to coast are still experiencing power outages and power surges, and now we’re hearing from Florida Power and Light (FPL).
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Basketball player bouncing back A basketball player, Karsten Schafer, is preparing to get off the bench and back in the game after doctors told him he might never play again.
CLEWISTON Clewiston teen killed by stray bullet during dance A Clewiston teenager lost her life after multiple shots were fired into a building during a dance on Friday night.
NORTH FORT MYERS 3 arrested after 2 carjackings in Lee County leaves cars totaled A woman was carjacked at gunpoint on McGregor Blvd. early Sunday morning. The accused carjacker is in jail.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach comes together to move forward after Milton Fort Myers Beach is slowly getting back on its feet after Hurricane Milton, with some businesses just now opening.
FORT MYERS Volunteers at Harry Chapin helping out after Milton The Harry Chapin Food Bank has been extending its resources to assist in recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Milton.
SANIBEL Boil water advisory rescinded on Sanibel The precautionary boil water notice issued on Sanibel during Hurricane Milton has been rescinded.
County vote on Lee Health conversion delayed by Hurricane Milton The final vote by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Lee Health’s conversion from a public nonprofit to a private nonprofit was scheduled during an Oct. 8 special meeting, but Hurricane Milton’s approach of Florida’s Gulf Coast led to its cancellation.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County woman wins $1 million from scratch-off bought at Publix A Charlotte County woman has won $1 million from a scratch-off game she purchased at a Publix.
BOCA GRANDE Boca Grande businesses clean up after Milton No matter how much you prepare for a hurricane, you never know what awaits you in the aftermath.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA All you need to know if you are applying for FEMA disaster assistance One of the biggest hurdles southwest Florida had to deal with after Hurricane Ian was FEMA. Many didn’t know how to apply, which forms needed to be filled out and how to get money.
MANASOTA KEY North Manasota Key picks up the pieces while south waits to see their home Homes in North Manasota Key have been hollowed out from the storm surge after Hurricane Milton. Now, residents living on Manasota Key are trying to figure out their next steps moving forward while coping with the loss.
FORT MYERS Acting now helps avoid storm PTSD Even with storms Helene and Milton behind us, stress levels remain high. It’s leaving many people to manage post-hurricane anxiety.
PUNTA GORDA Preventing mold in Punta Gorda after Milton Right now, families with flooded homes from the hurricanes have to race to action. The water can cause black mold in damp areas of homes, but you can take steps to prevent the mold from forming or spreading.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda faces devastation with resilience An entire street in Punta Gorda was flooded, forcing the community out of their homes.
ESTERO FPL answers questions about power surges and outages, days after Milton Days after Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, people coast to coast are still experiencing power outages and power surges, and now we’re hearing from Florida Power and Light (FPL).
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Basketball player bouncing back A basketball player, Karsten Schafer, is preparing to get off the bench and back in the game after doctors told him he might never play again.
CLEWISTON Clewiston teen killed by stray bullet during dance A Clewiston teenager lost her life after multiple shots were fired into a building during a dance on Friday night.
NORTH FORT MYERS 3 arrested after 2 carjackings in Lee County leaves cars totaled A woman was carjacked at gunpoint on McGregor Blvd. early Sunday morning. The accused carjacker is in jail.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach comes together to move forward after Milton Fort Myers Beach is slowly getting back on its feet after Hurricane Milton, with some businesses just now opening.
FORT MYERS Volunteers at Harry Chapin helping out after Milton The Harry Chapin Food Bank has been extending its resources to assist in recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Milton.
SANIBEL Boil water advisory rescinded on Sanibel The precautionary boil water notice issued on Sanibel during Hurricane Milton has been rescinded.
County vote on Lee Health conversion delayed by Hurricane Milton The final vote by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Lee Health’s conversion from a public nonprofit to a private nonprofit was scheduled during an Oct. 8 special meeting, but Hurricane Milton’s approach of Florida’s Gulf Coast led to its cancellation.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County woman wins $1 million from scratch-off bought at Publix A Charlotte County woman has won $1 million from a scratch-off game she purchased at a Publix.
MGN Online WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s estimated that only a fraction of campus sexual assault victims go to police. Senators want to know why. A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Tuesday focused on the role of law enforcement in campus sexual assault cases. “I am concerned that law enforcement is being marginalized when it comes to the crime of campus sexual assault,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., the subcommittee chairman. “I’m concerned that the specter of flawed law enforcement overshadows the harm of marginalized law enforcement.” The hearing comes in the wake of a Rolling Stone article describing a gang rape alleged to have occurred in a fraternity house at the University of Virginia. The magazine later acknowledged mistakes in its reporting. Some sexual assault victims have said they prefer to work within their university system to seek disciplinary action against the perpetrator, such as expulsion, without the stress of pressing criminal charges. But there have been complaints that universities have encouraged victims to not seek criminal action because they want to protect the university’s reputation or that schools aren’t prepared to adequately adjudicate such cases. Whitehouse said victims are victimized again if they are steered away from law enforcement based on uninformed choices. Whitehouse, a former U.S. attorney and attorney general in his home state, said evidence shows that most men who commit these crimes are serial offenders – and a threat to public safety. He said students have a right to know that delays in opening an investigation and collecting evidence could make the case difficult to prove later. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., that would force colleges to have a memorandum of understanding with their local law enforcement over handling such cases. She said the ultimate goal is that 100 percent of victims report to police. “But, time and again, I have heard from far too many survivors of campus sexual assault that they have felt re-victimized by the process of trying to seek justice for the crime committed against them,” Gillibrand said. McCaskill said the criminal justice system has been “very bad” in its handling of victims – much worse than the military or campuses – and that has left many victims’ advocates with the belief that campus sexual assault cases are better handled within a college’s system. Complicating and confusing the situation, she said, is that both the criminal justice system and the federal Title IX education law dictate how the cases should be handled. The legislation is supported by a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. He said a rape committed on a college campus should be treated the same way it would be off campus. “It’s high time to make sure that a crime is a crime wherever it’s committed,” Grassley said. Reports of sexual assault on campus rose 50 percent from 2009 to 2012, Sheldon said, citing federal data. He said the vast majority of offenses go unreported. Statistics show that one in five women is assaulted during their college years. The Obama administration has taken steps in the last year to highlight the problem and to pressure universities to better assist victims. Both McCaskill and Gillibrand said they are concerned that the Rolling Stone story may be held up as a reason not to believe survivors when they come forward. McCaskill called it “bad journalism” and said rape is not a crime with rampant false reporting by victims. “It has never been about this one school and it is painfully clear that colleges across the country have a real problem with how they are handling, or not handling, cases of sexual assault on their campuses,” Gillibrand said.