Police report released for Fort Myers child abduction, search for suspect ongoingSpring training kicks off as Boston Red Sox truck arrives in Fort Myers
Police report released for Fort Myers child abduction, search for suspect ongoing A mother chased down the man who kidnapped her toddler in Fort Myers. This dramatic event is part of the ongoing investigation into the Amber Alert issued earlier this week.
FORT MYERS Spring training kicks off as Boston Red Sox truck arrives in Fort Myers Baseball fans in Fort Myers are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Boston Red Sox equipment truck.
the weather authority Warm and dry for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a continuing warm stretch, as we can expect dry conditions along with plenty of sun this Thursday.
LABELLE 17-year-old arrested after deputies respond to gunshots at LaBelle Dollar General According to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, there is a large presence of law enforcement in the area of Cowboy Way and Collinswood Parkway in LaBelle.
GOLDEN GATE Golden Gate love triangle turns violent with screwdriver attack A screwdriver became the weapon of choice in a dramatic altercation between an ex-lover and a current partner in Golden Gate, leaving one man injured.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Charlotte County’s Sunseeker Resort sale sparks community discussion Big changes could be on the horizon for the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor; the company that owns the resort recently announced plans to sell it.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents alarmed by red tide’s impact on local beaches The Florida Department of Health has issued several red tide warnings in Southwest Florida recently. In Sanibel, red tide has taken over popular beaches, causing concern among residents and visitors.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers school hosts community leaders for World Read Aloud Day event Knowledge is power, and the community at James Stephens Elementary School in Fort Myers is sharing that power.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda limits lawn watering to once a week to conserve water The Punta Gorda City Council tackled a significant issue during their monthly public meeting on Wednesday morning: water usage.
NAPLES Collier County teen leads fight for dignity at Rosemary Cemetery A teenager in Collier County is pushing for change at the Rosemary Cemetery.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for February 5, 2025 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for February 5, 2025.
Lost ashes in Fort Myers: USPS employee speaks out A widow’s search for closure continues as her husband’s ashes remain lost in the mail. Stacie Claytor is still frustrated and desperate after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) failed to deliver the package containing her husband Ron’s cremated remains a week ago. “I don’t know how, how you can lose somebody’s loved one and just […]
Cape Coral man faces Florida Supreme Court in 1990 murder appeal hearing Joseph Zieler, convicted of a brutal double murder in Cape Coral in 1990, faced his first mandatory appeals hearing on Wednesday before the Florida Supreme Court.
Gene therapy shows promise for bladder cancer patients A breakthrough in bladder cancer treatment is offering new hope to patients.
Gen Z face job challenges, managers hesitant to hire grads More than 17 million Gen Z’ers are transitioning from school to creating a career. However, stepping into a job right after college is proving difficult for some.
Police report released for Fort Myers child abduction, search for suspect ongoing A mother chased down the man who kidnapped her toddler in Fort Myers. This dramatic event is part of the ongoing investigation into the Amber Alert issued earlier this week.
FORT MYERS Spring training kicks off as Boston Red Sox truck arrives in Fort Myers Baseball fans in Fort Myers are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Boston Red Sox equipment truck.
the weather authority Warm and dry for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a continuing warm stretch, as we can expect dry conditions along with plenty of sun this Thursday.
LABELLE 17-year-old arrested after deputies respond to gunshots at LaBelle Dollar General According to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, there is a large presence of law enforcement in the area of Cowboy Way and Collinswood Parkway in LaBelle.
GOLDEN GATE Golden Gate love triangle turns violent with screwdriver attack A screwdriver became the weapon of choice in a dramatic altercation between an ex-lover and a current partner in Golden Gate, leaving one man injured.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Charlotte County’s Sunseeker Resort sale sparks community discussion Big changes could be on the horizon for the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor; the company that owns the resort recently announced plans to sell it.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents alarmed by red tide’s impact on local beaches The Florida Department of Health has issued several red tide warnings in Southwest Florida recently. In Sanibel, red tide has taken over popular beaches, causing concern among residents and visitors.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers school hosts community leaders for World Read Aloud Day event Knowledge is power, and the community at James Stephens Elementary School in Fort Myers is sharing that power.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda limits lawn watering to once a week to conserve water The Punta Gorda City Council tackled a significant issue during their monthly public meeting on Wednesday morning: water usage.
NAPLES Collier County teen leads fight for dignity at Rosemary Cemetery A teenager in Collier County is pushing for change at the Rosemary Cemetery.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for February 5, 2025 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for February 5, 2025.
Lost ashes in Fort Myers: USPS employee speaks out A widow’s search for closure continues as her husband’s ashes remain lost in the mail. Stacie Claytor is still frustrated and desperate after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) failed to deliver the package containing her husband Ron’s cremated remains a week ago. “I don’t know how, how you can lose somebody’s loved one and just […]
Cape Coral man faces Florida Supreme Court in 1990 murder appeal hearing Joseph Zieler, convicted of a brutal double murder in Cape Coral in 1990, faced his first mandatory appeals hearing on Wednesday before the Florida Supreme Court.
Gene therapy shows promise for bladder cancer patients A breakthrough in bladder cancer treatment is offering new hope to patients.
Gen Z face job challenges, managers hesitant to hire grads More than 17 million Gen Z’ers are transitioning from school to creating a career. However, stepping into a job right after college is proving difficult for some.
Chris Potter/ MGN NEW YORK (AP) – The burger chain that put “supersize” into the American vernacular is slimming down: For the first time in more than 40 years, and perhaps ever, McDonald’s says the number of U.S. restaurants it has is shrinking. McDonald’s plans to close more restaurants in the U.S. than it opens this year, according to the world’s biggest hamburger chain. That hasn’t happened since at least 1970, according to an Associated Press review of McDonald’s regulatory filings. Becca Hary, a McDonald’s spokeswoman, declined to provide a specific figure but said the reduction would be “minimal” compared with its total of about 14,300 U.S. locations. Still, the contraction is symbolic of troubles under the Golden Arches and how it’s trying to regroup. The company enjoyed rapid expansion for much of its history by offering consistent food at affordable prices. It even thrived during the recession, when its Dollar Menu drew in people trying to save money and new products like McCafe coffee drove up sales. But since then, chains like Chipotle that market themselves as serving better food and ingredients have chipped away at McDonald’s dominance. A new breed of “better burger” chains such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries is taking away customers, too. McDonald’s past success led to “a natural overconfidence,” said John Gordon, a restaurant industry analyst with Pacific Management Consulting Group. “McDonald’s is such an internally focused organization, it’s a situation where you don’t have a fresh perspective coming in,” Gordon said. McDonald’s executives have also conceded that an overly complicated menu led to inaccurate orders and longer wait times, and that they failed to keep pace with changing tastes. CUTTING THE FAT In April, McDonald’s said it would close about 700 underperforming locations around the world this year, including in the U.S. CEO Steve Easterbrook, who stepped into the role on March 1, also later laid out plans to restructure the company to remove layers of bureaucracy and move more nimbly. In any given year, some underperforming McDonald’s restaurants will close. But previously, the number of closings has been outweighed by new restaurants that open. The U.S. store closings will be a mix of franchised and company-owned locations, Hary said. She noted that the closings are part of a strategic review intended to set the stage for the future growth. The company did not provide a list of locations expected to close. McDonald’s Corp. has not reported an annual reduction in U.S. locations since at least 1970, according to archived filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For 1969, McDonald’s did not include a U.S. store count in its annual report. The company declined to comment on the last time it reduced its U.S. store base. But given the rapid expansion that characterized its early years, it’s likely McDonald’s hadn’t pulled back since Ray Kroc founded the company in 1955. SATURATION POINT OR ROOM TO RUN? Closing weak stores isn’t unusual for companies trying to turn around their fortunes. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz shuttered hundreds of U.S. cafes after returning to head the company in 2008. Since then, the coffee chain has enjoyed healthy sales growth and expanded its footprint. Mike Donahue, who served as McDonald’s chief communications officer before leaving in 2006, said McDonald’s hasn’t necessarily reached its limit in the U.S. “The only thing that stops growth is relevancy to the customer,” said Donahue, who has since co-founded Lyfe Kitchen, a chain that positions itself as serving more wholesome food. Even though it’s closing locations, McDonald’s easily remains the country’s biggest hamburger chain. It still has more than twice as many restaurants as No. 2 Burger King, according to the industry tracker Technomic. Among all fast-food chains, Subway has the most locations in the country with about 27,000 stores, though they do far less business than the typical McDonald’s. And McDonald’s is still growing globally. It plans to add about 300 restaurants to its worldwide total of more than 36,000. Donahue said that people were saying decades ago that McDonald’s had reached its saturation point in the U.S. But within the company, he said there was always confidence that there was room to expand. Even when McDonald’s closed underperforming stores in the past, he said it would open new restaurants in better locations. The closings this year appear to be a way to strengthen its base of stores, he said. “What they’re doing is pruning the tree,” he said.