House fire in Naples causes balcony collapseEarly voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election
NAPLES House fire in Naples causes balcony collapse The Naples Fire Rescue Department responded to a house fire that occurred Monday evening.
Early voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election Florida is an early voting state, allowing residents to exercise their voting rights before Election Day.
Fort Myers job fair begins; over 100 openings available To revitalize the Southwest Florida community after recent hurricanes, several hiring organizations are stepping in and coming together for the JobLink 2024 Job Fair.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs man accused of breaking into and trashing business A Bonita Springs man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a cell phone store and stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
26th Florida panther death of 2024, struck by vehicle in Collier County A 1.5-year-old female Florida panther was struck by a vehicle in Collier County, marking the 26th time the endangered species was killed in 2024.
Lee County schedules water outage, boil notice in several areas Lee County Utilities is turning off the water for around 400 families as part of a scheduled outage and boil notice.
the weather authority More sunshine and warmer temperatures for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures as the clouds clear out for more sun this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
PUNTA GORDA Navigating trick-or-treating on debris lined streets in Charlotte County Some little witches and warlocks will have to brave debris-lined streets this Halloween. Many areas of Charlotte County are still in clean-up mode after facing Hurricane Milton’s wrath.
matlacha Tensions flare in Matlacha as locals, officials clash over rebuilding efforts Things got chaotic as the Matlacha Civic Association held a meeting in the RE/MAX parking lot about how to go about rebuilding on the island.
MIAMI Miami Heat honor Dwyane Wade with statue The Miami Heat recognized it’s Hall of Fame superstar Dwyane Wade with a eight-foot tall statue outside the Kaseya Center.
FORT MYERS FMPD found the SUV possibly involved in fatal shooting near Colonial Blvd. and Ortiz Ave. The Fort Myers Police Department is searching for an SUV that was possibly involved in the fatal shooting near Colonial Boulevard.
manasota key Dead fish line Charlotte County beaches: is red tide to blame? A sight no one wants to see: dead fish have begun to accumulate along the coast in Charlotte County, could it be red tide?
Special meeting to discuss mission agreement at Lee Health There’s a big shift on the horizon for healthcare in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers city leaders discuss long and short-term solutions to Caloosahatchee River flooding It’s no secret… after any major storm areas near the Caloosahatchee River take on water.
NAPLES House fire in Naples causes balcony collapse The Naples Fire Rescue Department responded to a house fire that occurred Monday evening.
Early voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election Florida is an early voting state, allowing residents to exercise their voting rights before Election Day.
Fort Myers job fair begins; over 100 openings available To revitalize the Southwest Florida community after recent hurricanes, several hiring organizations are stepping in and coming together for the JobLink 2024 Job Fair.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs man accused of breaking into and trashing business A Bonita Springs man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a cell phone store and stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
26th Florida panther death of 2024, struck by vehicle in Collier County A 1.5-year-old female Florida panther was struck by a vehicle in Collier County, marking the 26th time the endangered species was killed in 2024.
Lee County schedules water outage, boil notice in several areas Lee County Utilities is turning off the water for around 400 families as part of a scheduled outage and boil notice.
the weather authority More sunshine and warmer temperatures for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures as the clouds clear out for more sun this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
PUNTA GORDA Navigating trick-or-treating on debris lined streets in Charlotte County Some little witches and warlocks will have to brave debris-lined streets this Halloween. Many areas of Charlotte County are still in clean-up mode after facing Hurricane Milton’s wrath.
matlacha Tensions flare in Matlacha as locals, officials clash over rebuilding efforts Things got chaotic as the Matlacha Civic Association held a meeting in the RE/MAX parking lot about how to go about rebuilding on the island.
MIAMI Miami Heat honor Dwyane Wade with statue The Miami Heat recognized it’s Hall of Fame superstar Dwyane Wade with a eight-foot tall statue outside the Kaseya Center.
FORT MYERS FMPD found the SUV possibly involved in fatal shooting near Colonial Blvd. and Ortiz Ave. The Fort Myers Police Department is searching for an SUV that was possibly involved in the fatal shooting near Colonial Boulevard.
manasota key Dead fish line Charlotte County beaches: is red tide to blame? A sight no one wants to see: dead fish have begun to accumulate along the coast in Charlotte County, could it be red tide?
Special meeting to discuss mission agreement at Lee Health There’s a big shift on the horizon for healthcare in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers city leaders discuss long and short-term solutions to Caloosahatchee River flooding It’s no secret… after any major storm areas near the Caloosahatchee River take on water.
DETROIT (AP) — Bankruptcy behind it, Detroit’s atmosphere swirls with the promise of better days. Charles Floyd Jones can only hope that the city’s good fortune trickles down to him and the 10 other residents of a tent city that’s sprouted in the shadow of a resurgent downtown where rental occupancy is close to full and restaurants and shops are doing brisk business. Jones and others in this makeshift community of seven tents — believed to be the only tent city in Detroit — say they have nowhere else to go. “By us being out of bankruptcy, they can see that you got people out here that’s struggling,” said Jones, 51. The city’s homeless numbers swelled over the past decade as manufacturing and other jobs disappeared and homes were lost during the national foreclosure crisis. All told, about 16,200 of Detroit’s 680,000 residents — almost 2.4 percent — are believed to be living on the streets or in temporary shelters — and that doesn’t account for other types of homelessness, such as teens going from friend to friend and families living in motels. By comparison, only about 1 percent of San Francisco’s more than 800,000 residents are homeless. But San Francisco is on much firmer financial ground than Detroit, which shed $7 billion in debt during bankruptcy. Its restructuring plan aims to raise revenue and improve city services with $1.7 billion in funding, but it also calls for austerity in budgeting. “I love Detroit. I’d hope things would get better,” said 29-year-old Josh Reslow, who shares a tent in the encampment with girlfriend Brittney Hines, 25. “I’m a carpenter and with no work going on, I guess, that’s part of the reason I’m on the street.” The city has “tried to provide” for homeless programs throughout Detroit’s financial crisis and bankruptcy, according to the Rev. Faith Fowler, executive director of the nonprofit Cass Community Social Services. Her nonprofit is one of three that will operate warming centers through the end of March on behalf of the city. “They want to make sure that people are safe and that their needs are met throughout the winter,” she said. Like others sheltered only by layers of warm clothing beneath canvas tents, Jones “hustles” because he can’t find a steady job. He accepts handouts and makes a few bucks directing fans into downtown parking lots before sporting events. He said he helped start the tent city about two months ago, with others joining later. “It’s quiet and you really don’t get bothered by too many people,” said Jones, who also lives with his girlfriend and has been homeless for four years. He isn’t a fan of the rescue mission: “The last time I was there, I got bedbugs. Hopefully, I can find a shelter somewhere that’s presentable and me and my girl can go and make a stay for the winter.” Lewis Hickson, operations manager of the Neighborhood Service Organization’s Tumaini Center, said his group has dropped off coats at the tent city that can be used as sleeping bags. “You try to encourage them to come in out of the cold,” Hickson said. “They really don’t like shelter life because of the rules.” One strategy to get the chronically homeless off the street is to make them eligible for state and federal rental assistance programs, according to Dr. Robert Okin, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School. Similar programs are found in Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan. “That can then be used to help the city pay for low-cost housing. It will cover a lot of the rent,” said Okin, who wrote about homeless Americans in his book “Silent Voices.” Nationally, about 85 percent of the chronically homeless stay in permanent housing once they have access, but Okin warned that it should be supportive housing, with “staff that can help people when they get into trouble.” Detroit officials have received no complaints about the tent city and have no plans to move them from the park, said Sgt. Michael Woody, a police department spokesman. “They’re not breaking any laws that are violent in nature or effecting quality of life issues,” Woody said. “If they did want to leave, we would help them with what resources we could muster, but discussions may need to be had soon in finding them something a little more permanent.”