Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after MiltonRestaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton
Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after Milton A woman is lucky to be alive after being found two miles off the coast in the Peace River and brought to shore by vigilant good samaritans.
PUNTA GORDA Restaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton Bartenders at the Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda have struggled since Hurricane Milton severely damaged the pub.
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after Milton A woman is lucky to be alive after being found two miles off the coast in the Peace River and brought to shore by vigilant good samaritans.
PUNTA GORDA Restaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton Bartenders at the Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda have struggled since Hurricane Milton severely damaged the pub.
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The disturbed homeless man who attacked a movie theater with a pellet gun, an ax and pepper spray also had a propane tank and lighter fluid and may have been planning to set off an explosion, authorities said Thursday. Vincente David Montano, 29, was shot to death by a SWAT unit Wednesday during the matinee showing of “Mad Max: Fury Road” at a Nashville-area multiplex. Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators had not established a motive for the attack, but he said Montano had been committed for psychiatric treatment at least four times, twice in 2004 and twice in 2007. According to police reports, his mother said he had a long history of mental problems, including hearing voices. “This individual has had significant psychiatric or psychological issues,” Aaron said. In addition to his weapons, a backpack and a duffel bag, Montano had a canister of propane, lighter fluid and a lighter and may have intended to set off a blast, Aaron said. But he said Montano had made a gash on the canister, rendering it useless. Police said Montano bought a ticket to the movie and went inside with his weapons. Some of the theatergoers ran out and alerted police. Montano pointed his pellet gun at an officer and pulled the trigger, prompting the officer to fire one round from his patrol rifle, officials said. Montano also began blasting pepper spray and fired his pellet gun again, and SWAT members shot back, police said. Aaron said Montano also hurled multiple objects, including chemical spray cartridges, at the SWAT team officers. Montano tried to escape out the back door of the theater, and as he emerged and started toward officers with ax in one hand and his other hand concealed by the duffel bag, five of them opened fire, police said. Montano was struck and killed. “It’s important to note that during Montano’s interaction with the SWAT team members, he had multiple and continued opportunities to end the situation. He chose not to,” Aaron said. One man was cut on the shoulder, evidently by the ax Montano carried, but was not seriously hurt. That man, his wife and their daughter were treated for exposure to pepper spray, Aaron said. He said Montano arrived at the theater on foot, and police have found no vehicle linked to Montano, who had no driver’s license. Murfreesboro, Tennessee, police reports from 2004 show Montano’s long history of mental problems, with his mother telling officers in one case that he heard voices telling him to do things. His mother, Denise Pruett, called police for help at least twice in 2004, telling officers in February he was destructive and broke a coffee table and jewelry box. Police took Montano to a mental hospital for an evaluation, though the results are unclear. In September of that year, police returned after mother and son had an argument over his not mowing the lawn, the reports show. Just two days before the theater attack, Pruett contacted Murfreesboro police and said Montano was missing. She told police that her son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2006, according to the missing person report. Pruett told police she hadn’t seen her son since March 2013. Attempts to reach Pruett through telephone numbers listed for her and other messages were unsuccessful. Police said she had come to Murfreesboro to stay with a relative. Nashville police also said Montano had been arrested in Murfreesboro in 2004 for assault and resisting arrest. The violence at the Carmike Hickory 8 complex came about two weeks after a 59-year-old drifter opened fire inside a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, killing two people before taking his own life. It also happened while jurors in Colorado are deciding whether the man who killed 12 moviegoers and wounded 70 others at a theater in 2012 should get the death penalty. “This is maybe what we call the new normal,” Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said. “We can’t just shut down America, we can’t say we’re not going to theaters, we can’t say we’re not going to church. We carry on. But we need to be mindful of our surroundings as we do that.”