Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workoutShingle roofs could phase out in the future
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
CLEWISTON Clewiston father shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against daughter There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
BONITA SPRINGS San Carlos Estates fights city merger proposal with Bonita Springs Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
Miracle Moment: Ronald McDonald House offers hope to boy battling cancer It’s time for Miracle Moment.
PORT CHARLOTTE Tampa Bay Rays uplift Charlotte County fans post hurricanes Tampa Bay’s full squad reported on Monday and fans were out in full force, with more appreciation than the players might know.
Breakthrough for patients diagnosed with ALS Fewer than 500 people in the United States have a genetic mutation linked to their case of ALS.
EAST NAPLES 1 injured after house fire in East Naples An investigation is underway after a fire in East Naples.
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
CLEWISTON Clewiston father shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against daughter There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
BONITA SPRINGS San Carlos Estates fights city merger proposal with Bonita Springs Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
Miracle Moment: Ronald McDonald House offers hope to boy battling cancer It’s time for Miracle Moment.
PORT CHARLOTTE Tampa Bay Rays uplift Charlotte County fans post hurricanes Tampa Bay’s full squad reported on Monday and fans were out in full force, with more appreciation than the players might know.
Breakthrough for patients diagnosed with ALS Fewer than 500 people in the United States have a genetic mutation linked to their case of ALS.
EAST NAPLES 1 injured after house fire in East Naples An investigation is underway after a fire in East Naples.
Darren Thomas/ABT via AP NEW YORK (AP) – Misty Copeland, the Missouri-born ballerina who’s become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet and achieved a celebrity that far transcends that rarified world, was named principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre on Tuesday – the first African-American woman to reach that status in the company’s 75-year history. Copeland, 32, fought tears as she spoke about her promotion, which she said was a lifetime dream – but such a difficult one to attain that she never really thought it would happen. “This is it,” she said. “This has been my dream since I was 13, to be a principal dancer and reach these heights.” “But it hasn’t been overnight,” she added at a hastily arranged news conference – a rarity for a ballet promotion. “It’s been 14 years of extremely hard work … I’m just so extremely honored to be an African-American and to be in this position.” And, Copeland said, she hoped her ascension to the very top ranks of ballet would inspire other young dancers of color – “all the little girls” – to stick with their own dreams. “So many young dancers of color stop dancing at an early age because they just don’t think there will be a career path for them,” she said. “I hope that will change.” She spoke of her own doubts when she joined the ABT corps at age 19 and saw no one “who looked like me.” “I had moments of doubting myself and wanting to quit, because I didn’t know if there would be a future for an African-American woman” at that level,” she said. “At the same time, it made me so hungry to push through.” The company announced the promotion six days after Copeland made her New York debut as Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” one of the most important roles in a ballerina’s repertoire. The emotional performance ended with Copeland being feted onstage by trailblazing black ballerinas of earlier generations, and with a sea of fans cheering and taking cellphone videos. Copeland has become increasingly famous over the past several years, achieving a pop culture status exceedingly rare for a ballet dancer. “We haven’t had a ballet dancer who has broken through to popular culture like this since Mikhail Baryshnikov,” said Wendy Perron, an author and the former editor of Dance Magazine. “And she’s going to bring more attention from that world to ballet.” In the past year, Copeland has appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of the most influential figures of 2015, and written both a children’s book, “Firebird,” and a best-selling memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” which has been optioned for a movie. She also was the subject of a documentary at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. In recent years she’s also performed in a music video with Prince, and been featured in a hugely popular online ad for Under Armour sportswear that shows her leaping and spinning in a studio, while a narrator recounts some of the negative feedback she received as a youngster, when she was told she had the wrong body for ballet and had started too late – at 13. The dancer also has appeared as a guest host on the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance” and was a presenter at this year’s Tony awards. Many who attended Copeland’s historic “Swan Lake” performance last week noted what a diverse audience Copeland had drawn to the Metropolitan Opera House, where ABT performs its spring season. The crowd was filled with young girls – black and white – in their party dresses. “She singlehandedly made that a diverse audience,” Perron said. Damian Woetzel, former principal dancer for New York City Ballet and now the director of the Vail International Dance Festival, called Copeland’s rise “groundbreaking.” “In the racially underrepresented world of ballet, Misty has already had an historic impact,” Woetzel said in an email message. “Now, as a groundbreaking principal dancer, she will continue to inspire and make possible much-needed changes for our field and for the arts in America.” Born in Kansas City, Copeland moved at age two to California, where, she noted at Tuesday’s news conference, she first took ballet classes at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America – not, she said, a common path to becoming a ballerina for an elite company. She writes in her memoir that her childhood was defined by “packing, scrambling, leaving – and often barely surviving.” But she became known as a local dance prodigy, despite her late start, and joined ABT’s junior company at age 18, then the full company at 19. She became a soloist at age 24. Copeland is the first black ballerina and second black dancer overall to be a principal at ABT, after Desmond Richardson, who danced with the company in 1977-1978 and returned later as guest artist. At New York City Ballet, there has never been a black female principal, and only two black male principals. (One of them, Albert Evans, died last week at the age of 46.) In 1990, Lauren Anderson became a principal dancer at Houston Ballet – the first black female principal in the country. Anderson, now retired, was onstage at last week’s “Swan Lake” curtain calls to give Copeland a huge hug and lift her off her feet. Copeland paid tribute on Tuesday. “It’s not me up here,” she said. “It’s everyone who came before me and got me to this position.” Also named an ABT principal dancer on Tuesday was longtime soloist Stella Abrera. In addition, Maria Kochetkova, a principal with the San Francisco Ballet, and Alban Lendorf, a principal with Royal Danish Ballet, are joining as principals, it was announced.