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 Online CHICAGO (AP) – Your private medical information is under threat. That’s according to a study that found almost 30 million health records nationwide were involved in criminal theft, malicious hacking or other data breaches over four years. The incidents seem to be increasing. Compromised information included patients’ names, home addresses, ages, illnesses, test results or Social Security numbers. Most involved electronic data and theft, including stolen laptops and computer thumb drives. The study didn’t examine motives behind criminal breaches, or how stolen data might have been used, but cyber-security experts say thieves may try to use patients’ personal information to fraudulently obtain medical services. Cases that didn’t involve malicious intent included private health information being inadvertently mailed to the wrong patient. Hackings doubled during the study, from almost 5 percent of incidents in 2010 to almost 9 percent in 2013. Hackings are particularly dangerous because they can involve a high number of records, said Dr. Vincent Liu, the lead author and a scientist at Kaiser Permanente’s research division in Oakland, California. “Our study demonstrates that data breaches have been and will continue to be a persistent threat to patients, clinicians, and health care systems,” Liu said. The study appears in Tuesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. A JAMA editorial says there’s evidence that the incidents are leading some patients to avoid giving doctors sensitive information about their health, including substance abuse, mental health problems, and HIV status. “Loss of trust in an electronic health information system could seriously undermine efforts to improve health and health care in the United States,” the editorial said. Patients should be alert to cyber threats, including “phishing” emails from hackers posing as doctors, hospitals or health insurance companies, said Lisa Gallagher, a cybersecurity expert at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Those messages require clicking on a link to get information, and patients should instead should call the purported sender to verify whether the email is legitimate, she said Patients should also double check doctor bills and other insurance company information. “Don’t throw away your explanation of benefits. Take a look at them,” Gallagher said. “If you see care that wasn’t provided to you, or dates and names of providers that don’t make sense, go to the provider and report that.” For the study, Liu and colleagues analyzed an online database regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and containing mandated reports of breaches in health information protected by federal privacy law. Over the four years, 949 data breaches were reported across the country. The numbers climbed annually, from 214 in 2010 to 265 in 2013. Nearly 60 percent involved theft. Prominent cyberattacks affecting two health insurance giants happened after the study. Last May, a data breach hit Premera Blue Cross, affecting about 11 million customers and others. And between last December and late January, hackers accessed an Anthem Inc. database with information on nearly 80 million people. Authorities believe hackers in China may be behind both attacks, Gallagher said. She said cybersecurity is among key topics at her nonprofit group’s annual meeting this week in Chicago. Members include doctors, hospitals, health plans and sellers of electronic health record products.