Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhoodWarm afternoon with stray showers possible inland
CAPE CORAL Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department is responding to a scene located at Southwest 45th Street and Pelican Boulevard.
The Weather Authority Warm afternoon with stray showers possible inland The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer Wednesday afternoon with a chance for stray showers, primarily inland.
SANIBEL Lee County parents push for clarity on school reopenings post-Milton Parents are demanding answers from the Lee County School District. It’s still not clear when students will return to Sanibel School or Fort Myers Beach Elementary after facing Hurricane Milton.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after hours long standoff in Cape Coral A man is in custody following an hours-long stand-off with Cape Coral police.
SANIBEL Sanibel school parents seek timeline on school reopening A school board meeting to discuss damage at the barrier islands’ schools took place on Tuesday in Lee County.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island police chief gets no confidence vote from union Marco Island Police Chief Tracy Frazzano has received a vote of no confidence from the police union.
Nonprofit organization tests water quality in Charlotte County One local non-profit is working to keep track of Charlotte County’s water quality.
SANIBEL Building Resilience: How Sanibel businesses recover from hurricanes Operating in Sanibel is difficult enough; however, when mother nature interferes, recovering can become a monumental feat.
FORT MYERS BEACH Getting the help you need from FEMA Jeff Keenan has been out of his condo on Fort Myers Beach since Hurricane Ian.
FORT MYERS Cold Case Solved: Man sentenced for 2004 murder of Lee County man A family is now able to have closure after a cold case was solved 20 years after it happened.
MATLACHA The Blue Dog Bar and Grill reopens on Matlacha The Blue Dog Bar and Grill on Matlacha has reopened after being damaged by two back-to-back Hurricanes.
SWFL homeowners investing in water filtration systems After hurricanes Helene and Milton, many homeowners are turning to the trend of adding water filtration systems to protect their plumbing and improve their water quality.
GROVE CITY Boat stuck in Grove City backyard after Hurricane Milton One Charlotte County community is still picking up from Hurricane Milton. The Grove City community is just south of McCall Road.
FGCU FGCU basketball player helps treat others during Peru mission trip FGCU power forward Michael Duax went to Peru on a mission trip in the offseason to help give medical care to those in the country.
WINK NEWS Collier County Public Schools mourns death of student According to the letter, a number of resources will be offered to students in the affected school.
CAPE CORAL Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department is responding to a scene located at Southwest 45th Street and Pelican Boulevard.
The Weather Authority Warm afternoon with stray showers possible inland The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer Wednesday afternoon with a chance for stray showers, primarily inland.
SANIBEL Lee County parents push for clarity on school reopenings post-Milton Parents are demanding answers from the Lee County School District. It’s still not clear when students will return to Sanibel School or Fort Myers Beach Elementary after facing Hurricane Milton.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after hours long standoff in Cape Coral A man is in custody following an hours-long stand-off with Cape Coral police.
SANIBEL Sanibel school parents seek timeline on school reopening A school board meeting to discuss damage at the barrier islands’ schools took place on Tuesday in Lee County.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island police chief gets no confidence vote from union Marco Island Police Chief Tracy Frazzano has received a vote of no confidence from the police union.
Nonprofit organization tests water quality in Charlotte County One local non-profit is working to keep track of Charlotte County’s water quality.
SANIBEL Building Resilience: How Sanibel businesses recover from hurricanes Operating in Sanibel is difficult enough; however, when mother nature interferes, recovering can become a monumental feat.
FORT MYERS BEACH Getting the help you need from FEMA Jeff Keenan has been out of his condo on Fort Myers Beach since Hurricane Ian.
FORT MYERS Cold Case Solved: Man sentenced for 2004 murder of Lee County man A family is now able to have closure after a cold case was solved 20 years after it happened.
MATLACHA The Blue Dog Bar and Grill reopens on Matlacha The Blue Dog Bar and Grill on Matlacha has reopened after being damaged by two back-to-back Hurricanes.
SWFL homeowners investing in water filtration systems After hurricanes Helene and Milton, many homeowners are turning to the trend of adding water filtration systems to protect their plumbing and improve their water quality.
GROVE CITY Boat stuck in Grove City backyard after Hurricane Milton One Charlotte County community is still picking up from Hurricane Milton. The Grove City community is just south of McCall Road.
FGCU FGCU basketball player helps treat others during Peru mission trip FGCU power forward Michael Duax went to Peru on a mission trip in the offseason to help give medical care to those in the country.
WINK NEWS Collier County Public Schools mourns death of student According to the letter, a number of resources will be offered to students in the affected school.
MGN WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama’s trade agenda cleared a key Senate hurdle and advanced toward likely passage on Thursday despite opposition from most Democrats. The 62-38 vote capped a long, tense roll call on a measure that would allow Obama to negotiate trade deals that Congress can accept or reject, but not change. If opponents had garnered three more votes, they would have been able to block the legislation with a procedural move. With Republicans generally in favor of the measure, the pivotal votes came from Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and a handful of others who support the trade measure. They used the showdown as leverage for a commitment that the Senate would act next month on legislation to keep the Export-Import Bank in existence. The government-backed bank guarantees loans for overseas sales by U.S. companies. The bank’s legal authority expires June 30, and conservatives in the House are seeking to put it out of business. Obama and major business groups worked in the final hours to help secure the needed Senate votes on trade. Obama made phone calls late Wednesday night to Democratic senators including Cantwell and Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat handling the trade legislation. In an interview with The Associated Press, Cantwell said she spoke several times in the past 24 hours to Obama, and “the president now is very committed to making this part of the entire trade package,” referring to the Export-Import Bank. “… I think now they understand the timeliness of the June 30 expiration, that there are deals that are pending, and that no one wants to put these important opportunities that hard-working American businesses have secured … at jeopardy,” Cantwell said. Obama said Thursday’s vote was “a big step forward.” Meeting with his Cabinet, the president said new trade deals will “open up access to markets that too often are closed,” even as those other countries are selling goods in the United States. Leaders of the Business Council met early Thursday with Democratic Senate leaders. They included Boeing chief executive James McNerney, a strong supporter of reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank, said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, said the Ex-Im Bank was among the topics discussed. Durbin said the agreement to allow a Senate vote on the Ex-Im Bank in June was crucial to Thursday’s outcome. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., told reporters that Cantwell “feels very strongly, as we do, about the Export-Import Bank getting a clear path, that there would be a vote soon on Export-Import. She was given that assurance by Sen. McConnell, and she immediately turned and voted aye.” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the Senate majority leader. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Cantwell asked him for a guarantee that the House also will vote on whether to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, but “I told her I would not make that commitment.” The White House seeks the trade legislation to improve prospects for a treaty under negotiation with 11 other Pacific Rim nations. Supporters say a deal would boost U.S. exports and create jobs for an economy still not showing full strength. But labor unions and other groups vital to Democrats strongly oppose Obama’s trade agenda. They say free-trade deals cost U.S. jobs. There were 49 Republicans and 13 Democrats who voted to advance the measure Thursday. Another 31 Democrats, two independents and five Republicans opposed. The trade agenda is among Obama’s highest second-term priorities. Support was thought to be greater in the Senate than in the House, which is awaiting trade action, so a Senate defeat would have been especially embarrassing. Wyden told reporters, “We had two big issues that we basically worked through the night on” Wednesday. They were the Ex-Im Bank and the number of types of amendments senators can offer to the trade bill. The politics of trade have been strange from the start. Republican lawmakers generally support expanded trade deals, but many are loath to give Obama any new victories. Most congressional Democrats and key liberal groups oppose new trade deals. But an uncertain number of House and Senate Democrats support Obama on trade, and the White House has lobbied heavily to expand that group. Senate critics are attacking the fast-track bill from many sides. Some demand crackdowns on countries that make their exports more affordable by keeping the currency artificially low. Others insist that Congress first deal with pending expirations of a domestic surveillance program and the Export-Import Bank.