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 BOSTON (AP) – A few hours before she was buried in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, 19-year-old Britney Gengel texted her parents her last wish: “I want to move here and start an orphanage.” Nearly five years later, her parents have fulfilled Britney’s wish, building a complex in the shape of a “B” that houses 33 boys and 33 girls – one of each for the exact number of days her body lay missing beneath the ruins of the hotel where she was staying. Britney’s last text message dramatically altered her parents’ lives. After her death, the Gengels started a nonprofit, Be Like Brit, and opened an orphanage in Grand Goave, a town about 30 miles southwest of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. They now split their time between Holden, Massachusetts, and Haiti; Britney’s father, Len, has made the journey to the Caribbean island 66 times. “We look at Brit’s text as a gift to us, that three hours before the earthquake, she would send that text message and it resonated with us,” Len Gengel said in an interview from Haiti. “There’s no relief from the poverty here, and we’re doing everything we can to help the community in which we live.” Britney was a sophomore at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, when she went to Haiti to hand out meals to children for Food for the Poor, a Florida-based religious charity. The service trip soon turned into a nightmare for Britney and her parents. After the earthquake struck Jan. 12, school officials initially told Len and Cherylann Gengel that Britney was missing. Later, her parents were told she had been rescued and was on a Florida-bound helicopter. Feeling relieved, the Gengels immediately traveled to Fort Lauderdale to reunite with their daughter. But once they arrived, the Gengels learned there was a terrible miscommunication. Britney was dead. It took 33 days to recover her body from the collapsed Hotel Montana. “The biggest challenge is that we have broken hearts,” Len Gengel said. “Everyone here has been affected by the earthquake. You don’t meet anyone who hasn’t lost a loved one. It’s helpful to be around people who understand our pain.” The Haitian government estimates 300,000 were killed and 1.5 million left homeless after the magnitude-7.0 quake. Unstable construction throughout the island country was a major factor in the death toll. For Len Gengel, a home builder for 30 years, constructing an orphanage that could withstand another earthquake was his first priority. He worked with an engineering firm to draw up plans for a flexible but sturdy building. He recently installed 96 solar panels and wants to make the complex self-sustaining. The orphanage campus includes an acre of fruit trees and vegetation. Gengel’s next step is building a cistern and catch basins for water. It costs about $75,000 a month to run the orphanage, which is paid for by donations and volunteer mission trips. There are 78 Haitians and two Americans on the orphanage staff. People pay the orphanage a set fee of $1,750 a week and receive airfare, housing and meals. There also is a “sponsor a child” program, where people donate $33 a month to assist the orphanage with operation costs. There are currently more than 300 sponsors. The Gengels, now retired, donate all their time and efforts to the orphanage and foundation. Cherylann runs the U.S. operations of Be Like Brit. “As an American, I came to Haiti thinking I was going to help Haiti,” Len Gengel said. “But in actuality, Haiti has helped me.”