Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a causeNo. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES FDOT to hold discussion for upcoming Collier diverging diamond Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge design vote aims to improve traffic flow Residents and drivers in Cape Coral have long shared a common frustration: traffic congestion, particularly on Cape Coral Parkway.
Symptoms and treatment for pleurisy, the inflammation of lungs’ lining This winter season in Southwest Florida has been rampant with illness, from flu to viral infections.
Lee county approves major road projects to improve traffic flow, safety The Lee Board of County Commissioners continued its commitment to improving the county’s transportation network.
NAPLES Young bobcat injured by car; rehabilitated, released into Naples A young bobcat has been released back into the wild after recovering from its injuries through the collaborative efforts of several Florida environmental agencies.
Florida house speaker appoints Charlotte County sheriff to state immigration enforcement council Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has appointed two sheriffs, one of whom is Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, to the state immigration enforcement council.
Man sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking in SWFL A drug dealer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Southwest Florida.
Craft supplier Joann to shutter 3 SWFL stores, 500 nationwide The big box craft chain based in Hudson, Ohio, is closing its North Naples store at 6424 Naples Blvd., the Estero store at Coconut Point and the Fort Myers store in South Plaza on Cleveland Avenue.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES FDOT to hold discussion for upcoming Collier diverging diamond Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge design vote aims to improve traffic flow Residents and drivers in Cape Coral have long shared a common frustration: traffic congestion, particularly on Cape Coral Parkway.
Symptoms and treatment for pleurisy, the inflammation of lungs’ lining This winter season in Southwest Florida has been rampant with illness, from flu to viral infections.
Lee county approves major road projects to improve traffic flow, safety The Lee Board of County Commissioners continued its commitment to improving the county’s transportation network.
NAPLES Young bobcat injured by car; rehabilitated, released into Naples A young bobcat has been released back into the wild after recovering from its injuries through the collaborative efforts of several Florida environmental agencies.
Florida house speaker appoints Charlotte County sheriff to state immigration enforcement council Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has appointed two sheriffs, one of whom is Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, to the state immigration enforcement council.
Man sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking in SWFL A drug dealer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Southwest Florida.
Craft supplier Joann to shutter 3 SWFL stores, 500 nationwide The big box craft chain based in Hudson, Ohio, is closing its North Naples store at 6424 Naples Blvd., the Estero store at Coconut Point and the Fort Myers store in South Plaza on Cleveland Avenue.
MGN BRUSSELS (AP) – International creditors sent Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras home from a summit Thursday with a clear message: swiftly tone down your demands in the bailout talks over the next week or face financial ruin. The International Monetary Fund took the toughest stance, saying it was bringing its negotiators back to Washington as there had been no sign of compromise. “There has been no progress in narrowing these differences,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said Thursday. “There are major differences between us in most key areas.” The creditors – the IMF and Greece’s fellow eurozone states – want the country to commit to new economic reforms before they pay out another 7.2 billion euros ($8.2 billion). Athens needs the money to repay debts worth 1.6 billion euros at the end of the month and later this summer. European Union President Donald Tusk earlier warned “there is no more time for gambling” and that next week’s meeting of the 19 eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg should be the make-or-break session in sealing Athens’ fate. Cutting through days of dense diplomatic talk about the state of negotiations, Tusk said it was time for Tsipras to stop biding for time with unworkable demands. “The Greek government has to be, I think, a little bit more realistic,” Tusk said. The comments dented optimism created earlier in the day. Stock markets across Europe that had earlier rallied lost much of their gains. The Greek market closed up by a hefty 8.1 percent before the IMF’s tough statement. Despite the bluster, the financial and economic stakes are such that no one is thinking about cutting Greece loose from the eurozone or the global financial network. Failing a deal, there are fears that Greece could drop out of the euro, a move that would create huge uncertainty for Europe and global markets. “We remain engaged,” Rice said. “The IMF doesn’t leave the table.” For months, Greece has wrangled with its creditors over the release of the bailout loans. The eurozone’s finance ministers, commonly known as the eurogroup, meet in Luxembourg June 18-19, in a meeting that Tusk says “should be decisive.” EU Commission President Juncker said a two-hour meeting with Tsipras on Thursday had been “important, interesting and friendly” but he reported no breakthrough. The creditors have made clear that Greece must improve its offer of reforms. Sticking points appear to center on pensions and changes to labor market rules. The IMF’s Rice noted that pensions and wages account for 80 percent of Greece’s primary spending. “It’s not possible for Greece to achieve targets without reforms” especially in pensions, he said. Greece spends an amount equal to 10 percent of its economic output on pensions, compared to an average 2.5 percent across the eurozone. Greece also needs to overhaul its tax system. “The policy of increasing already-high rates on a low tax base again is not sustainable. It is critical to significantly broaden the tax base,” Rice said. He noted Greece has Europe’s biggest gap in value-added taxes owed and VAT collected, largely because the system is so complex. Simplifying the VAT tax could increase tax collections by 1 percent of gross domestic product. Over the past few weeks there has been increasing gloom surrounding the talks. The head of Germany’s central bank, Jens Weidmann, said time is running out for a deal and the risk of insolvency is increasing by the day. “The contagion effects of such a scenario are certainly better contained than they were in the past, though they should not be underestimated,” he said in a speech in London. “But the main losers in that scenario would be Greece and the Greek people.” Amid the uncertainty, Greece’s economy has slipped back into recession, while figures released Thursday showed that unemployment increased in the first quarter, reaching 26.6 percent – compared to 26.1 percent at the end of last year. And deputy health minister, Andreas Xanthos, warned that Greece’s under-staffed, under-funded public health system faces “very serious problems” at the end of the year unless a bailout deal can be struck soon.