ALVA Woodpeckers build home in 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 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.
Andrew Toskin / Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 More moms around the country may soon be echoing the famous line, “You’ll shoot your eye out,” from the movie, “A Christmas Story.” That is because eye injuries as a result of so-called “toy” guns are on the rise, and health experts are taking note. There was a time when 12-year-old Joshua Schermerhorn was worried he would lose sight in his left eye. He severely injured it with an airsoft rifle. “I was scared to death, it was so painful. I thought I was either gonna be blind or die,” he recalled. Joshua was at a friend’s house when it happened. He saw the airsoft gun on a dresser. Thinking it was a foam pellet gun, he picked it up, and knicked the trigger by mistake. The bullet ricocheted off his nose and hit his eye, just missing his cornea. A recent study by the Stanford University School of Medicine found injuries in children from non-powder firearms which include paintball guns, airsoft guns, BB guns and pellet guns, are up more than 500 percent from just a few years ago. Doctor Rick Whitehead is with the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology. He has seen this increase in injuries firsthand. “These guns are surprisingly popular. There has been a significant increase in marketing to kids,” he said. Doctor Whitehead says injuries can range from relatively minor to very serious. “Probably the worst injury I’ve seen are injuries that damage the retina because that retina is so thin and fragile, any time you have an injury to it, it can permanently damage it,” he explained. Although airsoft guns are not classified as firearms under federal law, some states do have stricter regulations. Doctor Whitehead thinks increased regulation could help, but it really comes down to the parents. “The more likely solution is that parents and the people who buy the guns themselves, if they were educated properly on their use, and kids wore proper eye protection,” he said. Jeremy Greene with the National Rifle Association echoes this sentiment. He says parents should treat air rifles and BB guns like any firearm. “Making sure to sit down and go over the owners’ manual, making sure to use the proper ammunition for the air rifle that is suggested, and making sure the parent talks about gun safety rules with their child before they ever fire an air rifle,” he said. Doctors and the NRA agree, once a family owns one of these guns, eye protection, safe storage, and proper training are a must. “Frequently, the ski goggles can be used, or a similar paintball-type mask. These will give you full facial protection,” explained Doctor Whitehead. Joshua’s mom says she now knows how important it is to make sure kids are aware of gun safety, no matter what. “I think it’s just important everybody be educated on the risks involved,” she said. Joshua recovered his full eyesight, but he does now have a form of glaucoma, and will need to go back for eye pressure checkups every year for the rest of his life. Doctor Whitehead says this is not unusual for someone who has suffered a severe eye injury.