ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
MGN Online NEW YORK (AP) – So you think you are finally getting one over on the gas stations as you pay well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years? Guess again. Gas stations love low prices too – and not just because customers are nicer when they are paying less. “We’re in the same shoes as the consumer, the cost of fuel is less for us,” says Kevin Beyer, who owns Performance Fuels, a filling station and convenience store in Smithtown, NY. That means profits for Beyer and the nation’s 127,000 filling stations are rising. Before they sell gas to you, station owners buy gas on the wholesale market. When the wholesale price of gasoline falls quickly the difference between the cost of wholesale gasoline (including taxes) and the price at the pump gets wider, boosting profits for stations. The steeper the drop, the better. “It’s completely antithetical to what people believe,” says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. That difference has stretched to 21.7 cents per gallon this year, the highest ever, according to an OPIS analysis of 16,000 U.S. stations. That compares to an average of 17.1 cents over the last five years. On a percentage basis, station profitability is at its highest since 2005. And profits on diesel sales are even higher. “They are off the charts,” Kloza says. Yes, that means you could be paying even less for gasoline than you are. But before you cry foul, you should know that after all the ups and downs in a year, gas stations do not make much money from selling gasoline. After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon, according the National Association of Convenience Stores. When gas prices soar, and drivers think they’re being gouged, stations are barely scraping by or even losing money. When the wholesale price is soaring, like it did in 2008, 2011 and 2012, station owners can’t increase the price at the pump as fast as their costs are going up or they risk losing customers to competitors. When the wholesale price is going down, like now, there isn’t the same pressure to lower the price. Drivers are so happy to see lower prices they don’t search all over town for the lowest one. And then when they put gas in the tank, they fill ‘er up instead of just putting in a few dollars’ worth. And drivers have some money left over to spend on what’s really profitable for station owners: The drinks and snacks inside. “As the pricing goes down, I don’t see people shopping (for the cheapest price) as much as they do when it’s going up,” says Beyer. “They are still feeling a relief at the pump.” As a result, he adds, “People are more friendly.” The national average price of gasoline has fallen 78 days in a row to $2.60 a gallon. That’s 65 cents less than last year at this time and $1.10 below its peak for this year of $3.70, reached in April. Gas has fallen because the global price of crude oil has dropped 45 percent since this summer. The U.S., Canada and other countries are producing more oil at time when world demand is weak because of sluggish economic growth. This has drained profits and knocked down the share prices of oil producers – the exploration and production divisions of the big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and companies such as ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil. Refiners, including refining division of the big oil companies and refining-only companies such as Phillips 66 and Valero, have held up better. They benefit from lower crude costs, but are also grappling with high fuel inventories. Gas station owners, though, are thrilled. The vast majority of stations are owned by small independent operators, even if the sign out front says Exxon, BP or Shell. But shares of CST Brands, which owns Valero and Corner Store filling stations are up 25 percent since mid-October. “The big inning (for gas stations), which started after Labor Day, is going to extend through Christmas,” Kloza says.