Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zonesAggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
MGN PITTSBURGH (AP) — The man who symbolized the Pittsburgh Pirates’ resurgence offered one final bit of advice before hopping onto his custom-made, Batman-inspired ride and zooming off into retirement. “Win the division,” A.J. Burnett said in the quiet clubhouse Wednesday night after another postseason ended nine innings after it began. “No more wild-card junk.” Fabulous idea. It’s the execution part that is going to be tricky. The Pirates have the second-best record in the majors over the last three years, bedrock proof their turnaround is not only legit but sustainable. All those wins — 280 and counting — haven’t translated into a deep October run. The latest setback, a meek 4-0 home loss to Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card game, proved all the more alarming because of who it came against. The Cubs and their steady stream of talented 20-somethings aren’t going anywhere. Neither are the Cardinals, who held the Pirates off for a third straight NL Central title. The cost of doing business is sure to go up, leaving Pittsburgh’s creative but ever budget-conscious front office with plenty of decisions to make over an offseason that started earlier than a 98-win team probably deserved. “You’d think 98 wins would be enough, but we had a team that won 100,” center fielder Andrew McCutchen said. A better start in 2016 might help. McCutchen called himself out for being “under mediocre” in early May with the Pirates languishing around .500. The five-time All-Star responded by kickstarting a torrid summer in which Pittsburgh relentlessly chased the Cardinals into the final days of the regular season. He tied a career high with 96 RBIs, a number that would have been higher if teams had bothered to pitch to him in September. While McCutchen remains the catalyst, Pittsburgh’s best season in nearly a quarter-century proved the Pirates relied just as heavily on the development of the parts they assembled around their franchise cornerstone. Left fielder Starling Marte showcased the game’s best arm — leading the NL in outfield assists — and thrived wherever manager Clint Hurdle placed him in the lineup. Rightfielder Gregory Polanco overcame some growing pains to hit .276 in the second half. Shortstop Jung Ho Kang rapidly evolved from a curiosity into a starter, becoming a fixture on the left side of the infield before his season ended with a broken left leg Sept. 17. Catcher Francisco Cervelli, acquired last November to offset the expected loss of Russell Martin, turned out to be productive at the plate and durable behind it. Cervelli played in 130 games, hit a team-high .295 and served as the energetic conscience of a pitching staff that finished second to St. Louis in team ERA. The success stories go on and on. Closer Mark Melancon set a club record with 51 saves. Burnett made the All-Star team for the first time in the last summer of a career that stretches back to the previous millennium. It’s telling of how far the Pirates have come that making the playoffs is no longer good enough. If 2013 was a breakthrough after two decades of misery and 2014 was validation that their rebirth wasn’t a fluke, 2015 was the litmus test of the new standards Pittsburgh set for itself. By nearly all measures, the Pirates surpassed them. Their record would have been good enough to win every other division in baseball. In the NL Central, all it did was provide them one extra game. And with some of the bills coming due, general manager Neal Huntington will get another chance to retool a system he built by emphasizing “no one is irreplaceable.” Burnett is done — officially this time. So is third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Second baseman Neil Walker and first baseman Pedro Alvarez head to arbitration this winter with the understanding they may be getting too expensive to keep around. Walker, a Pittsburgh native who along with McCutchen and Alvarez endured the dark days of 2010 when Pittsburgh lost 105 games, knows there’s a very real chance he’ll suit up for someone else next spring. After pushing most of those thoughts aside for months, they raced to the forefront late Wednesday as he surveyed the only major league clubhouse he’s ever called home. “There’s no telling,” Walker said. McCutchen, however, isn’t going anywhere. And neither are the expectations. Hey, it beats the alternative. “I look forward to being a strong team, even stronger,” he said. “We’ve got some depth, some young arms in the minor leagues. … We did a really good job this regular season and hopefully we can continue to just keep getting better.”