Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against MarcenoHistoric Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
FORT MYERS Lee Health holds groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Myers Lee Health is expanding its reach and held an event for a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Fort Myers campus.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to review 2 historic development projects The Fort Myers City Council is set to meet and discuss the development of two historic sites.
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
FORT MYERS Lee Health holds groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Myers Lee Health is expanding its reach and held an event for a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Fort Myers campus.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to review 2 historic development projects The Fort Myers City Council is set to meet and discuss the development of two historic sites.
Mike Mozart/ Flickr/ MGN NEW YORK (AP) – There are few places where evolving technology has been more disruptive than in the work place, which played out again Wednesday as Staples announced it would spend about $6 billion to buy Office Depot. Once one-time rivals will no longer compete in close proximity for the same customers, instead putting up a front of 4,000 stores to hold off encroachments from the likes of Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon.com. Annual sales of the new office-supply giant are expected to approach $39 billion. The two companies tried to combine forces before but were successfully blocked by anti-trust regulators. That was almost 20 years ago, however, and with the boards of both companies signing on unanimously to try it again, they appear confident that their landscape has changed substantially. “This is a transformational acquisition which enables Staples to provide more value to customers, and more effectively compete in a rapidly evolving competitive environment,” said Staples CEO and Chairman Ron Sargent. Big wholesalers and office supply manufacturers that will have one less company to sell products to may see it differently, said Citi Investment Research’s Kate McShane. It was slightly more than a year ago that Office Depot merged with OfficeMax for much the same reason. And it is the nod from regulators on that $1.2 billion deal in late 2013 that may be giving the companies more confidence that they now see things from their perspective. Sargent said Wednesday that while they do not know how the Federal Trade Commission will react, a lot has changed. When the FTC closed its investigation into the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax it seemed to agree, saying that the market for the sale of consumable office supplies had changed significantly. Staples did touch on some of those monopoly issues Wednesday, saying that it’s not required to close the deal with Office Depot if antitrust authorities require divestitures that deliver more than $1.25 billion of Office Depot’s 2014 revenues in the U.S. or if a requirement of the antitrust authorities has a material adverse effect on Office Depot’s operations outside of the U.S. While Sargent said it’s too early to talk about specific integration plans for the company, Staples and Office Depot each plan to close stores this year. Staples previously announced that it would close up to 225 stores by the end of 2015. Sargent said Wednesday that those plans haven’t changed. Office Depot CEO Roland Smith said the chain is looking to close 135 stores this year. In the proposed deal, Office Depot Inc. shareholders will receive $7.25 in cash and 0.2188 of a share in Staples Inc. at closing. The transaction values Office Depot at $11 per share, which is based on Staples’ Monday closing stock price – the last trading day before initial reports of a buyout began to leak. The companies put the deal’s equity value at $6.3 billion. Office Depot shareholders will own about 16 percent of the combined company. Framingham, Massachusetts, where Staples is based, will serve as headquarters for the combined company. Sargent said that Staples will maintain a presence in Boca Raton, Florida, where Office Depot is based. Staples expects to realize at least $1 billion in annual cost savings by the third full fiscal year after the transaction is complete. “These savings will dramatically accelerate our strategic reinvention which is focused on driving growth in our delivery businesses and in categories beyond office supplies,” said Sargent, who will be chairman and CEO. The companies said Wednesday that they began negotiating in September, perhaps attempting to diminish what was seen as pressure on Staples from activist investors to do just that. Hedge fund Starboard Value LP disclosed a 5.1 percent stake in Staples in December and last month began publicly urging it to make a move on Office Depot. The deal is expected to close by year’s end, but still needs approval from Office Depot shareholders. Once the closing occurs, Staples board will increase from 11 to 13 members and include two Office Depot directors approved by Staples. Staples said that it is temporarily suspending its stock buybacks so that it can concentrate on paying down debt related to the deal. It has agreed to pay a $250 million termination fee if the deal is called off due to antitrust roadblocks. There will be $1 billion in one-time costs related to the transaction. Shares of Staples shed fell $1.39, or 7.3 percent, to $17.62 in morning trading. Office Depot’s stock added 26 cents to $9.54.