ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva 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 Alva 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 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida Legislature is considering several new measures to restrict abortions, including one with a strong chance of passage that calls for a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can undergo the procedure. That measure, House Bill 0633, would require that a woman make one trip to the clinic for legally required counseling before coming back 24 hours later for the procedure. Another measure, House Bill 147, with less chance of passage, would require that abortion clinic doctors have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Waiting periods and admitting privileges have been part of unsuccessful Florida legislation in past years, but not as separate bills. Abortion opponents say the measures are intended to safeguard women’s health, but some acknowledge that restricting access and cutting the number of abortions is one goal. “My purpose is to empower women to have 24 hours to be able to reflect on the possible complications of having an abortion or of not having one,” said Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, who is the sponsor of the waiting-period bill. John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer and religious conservative leader, said waiting periods are “very reasonable,” but added, “We want to choke this procedure with regulations that will pass constitutional muster.” Pro-abortion rights supporters argue the bills are vulnerable to court challenges under the Florida Constitution, which says every person “has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life.” “These are all concocted regulations that are designed to shut down abortions for women, deceitfully marketed as concerning health,” said Florida American Civil Liberties Union director Howard Simon. “They’re written by politicians, not doctors. They’re about politics, not women’s health.” Along with waiting period and admitting privileges bills, there is the “Florida for Life Act,” a ban on most abortions that would challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, has introduced the bill, House Bill 247, every year since 2010, but even anti-abortion forces don’t consider it feasible. “It would immediately be struck down,” Stemberger said. “It would be wasting political capital.” Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, a religious conservative champion, said declining numbers of abortions indicate anti-abortion forces are winning gradually with lesser measures. “Sometimes our job is just to stand until the culture reflects what is right,” he said. “The hearts of people are turning.” Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and advocacy group, said Florida abortions went from 94,360 in 2008 to 84,990 in 2011, the most recent reliable figures. She said that’s because the recession and increased use of long-term birth control measures such as the IUD reduced pregnancies. Nash said waiting periods are meaningless because studies show more than 90 percent of patients make up their minds about an abortion before making an initial appointment. Requiring two trips would create problems for low-income women taking time off work and arranging travel and child care, she said. Rep. Lori Berman, a Democrat from Lantana who is pro-abortion rights, called the waiting period bill “just another attempt to chip away around the edges of Roe v. Wade.” Baxley said the admitting privileges bill is needed because, “Physicians should be able to follow through with a patient and not dump them on the emergency room” in case of a complication. But Nash said less than 0.3 percent of abortions result in such complications, and that admitting privileges don’t affect whether a patient gets quick hospital treatment. “It’s an economic relationship” between a hospital and doctor, often with requirements abortion providers can’t meet, such as admitting a minimum number of patients, she said. In Florida, 72 clinics provide abortions, she said. In Texas, the admitting privilege requirement forced half the state’s 40 clinics to close. Forcing closures could mean the bill is less likely to be upheld in Florida, and therefore less likely to pass, said Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, an abortion rights opponent. Such bills face a high hurdle in Florida because of its privacy right, Simon said.