Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape CoralMajor 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Major 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte After a major traffic accident near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County, all Northbound lanes of U.S. 41 were closed.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Major 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte After a major traffic accident near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County, all Northbound lanes of U.S. 41 were closed.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
MGN ROME (AP) – Smugglers who bring migrants to Europe by sea appear to have adopted a new and more dangerous tactic: cramming hundreds of them onto a large cargo ship, setting it on an automated course to crash into the coast, and then abandoning the helm. It happened twice this week in the span of three days, and both episodes could have ended in tragedy if the vessels had not been intercepted at sea. In the latest such incident, the cargo ship Ezadeen was stopped with about 450 migrants aboard after smugglers sent it speeding toward the coast in rough seas with no one in command. Italian authorities lowered engineers and electricians onto the wave-tossed ship by helicopter to secure it, and the Icelandic Coast Guard began towing it toward port in Italy. It was expected to arrive Friday night. Children and pregnant women were among the migrants, most of whom were believed to be from war-ravaged Syria, Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said. The Sierra Leone-flagged ship apparently set sail from Turkey, he said. An Italian Coast Guard patrol plane had spotted the 66-meter (220-foot) Ezadeen on Thursday about 90 miles east of Italy’s Calabria region and contacted it to see if it needed assistance. “There was no crew, and one migrant, a woman, took the call,” Marini said. “She said: ‘We are alone. Please help us. We are in danger.'” Two days earlier, the Blue Sky M, a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship carrying about 800 migrants, was similarly abandoned by smugglers who locked the ship on automatic pilot and set it on a collision course for a stretch of Italy’s southern coast, authorities said. Despite strong winds and high waves, Coast Guard officers were lowered onto the ship’s bridge and managed to regain control of the steering about a half-hour before it was due to strike the coast, Marini said. While smugglers have overturned much smaller fishing boats or dinghies crammed with far fewer migrants, or sped away on motorized craft, leaving their passengers stranded, Marini said it appears an even more dangerous tactic is being employed by those profiting from their human cargo. “Certainly it’s very dangerous because a ship with no one on the command bridge is like a bomb that will strike up against the reefs,” Marini said. It was not clear in either case if the smugglers jumped ship or simply hid among the passengers. Italian authorities said they were questioning passengers on the Blue Sky to see if any of the smugglers tried to pass themselves off as migrants. More than 170,000 migrants were intercepted or needed rescue by Italian navy, coast guard and air force patrols last year. In November, Greek authorities rescued nearly 600 migrants from a 70-meter (230-foot) cargo ship that lost engine power off the Greek island of Crete. Greek authorities arrested 19 of those on board as suspected smugglers. Most of the passengers were Syrians fleeing war in their homeland and were believed to have been charged $2,000 to $6,000 for passage to Italy. There was no indication the vessel had been set on a collision course. But it illustrated what authorities said appears to be another recent development. “The use of larger cargo ships is a new trend,” said Vincent Cochetel, the U.N. refugee agency’s Europe bureau director. William Spindler, a spokesman for the U.N. agency, said on BBC radio that the organization is aware of four incidents in the past two months in which cargo ships full of hundreds of migrants were abandoned by their crews off the coast of Italy. “The money involved is huge. People are desperate and they are willing to pay huge amounts of money for the privilege of traveling in these awful conditions and reaching Europe, where they hope to find safety and a better life,” Spindler said. The International Organization for Migration’s spokesman, Joel Millman, said: “We’ve never seen over 1,000 in two days before.” He noted that this time the migrants all seemed to be from Syria, rather than the usual mix of nationalities from countries stricken by war or poverty.