Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
MGN SANFORD, Fla. (AP) – A Florida judge ignored the pleas and tears of a domestic abuse victim and sent the woman to jail for three days for ignoring a subpoena and failing to show up at her abuser’s trial. Prosecutors wanted the Lake Mary, Florida, woman to testify against the father of her child at a July hearing. He was charged with domestic battery and aggravated assault, and police say he choked her and threatened her with a knife. But the woman didn’t show up, so she was ordered to stand before Seminole County Circuit Judge Jerri Collins in a contempt hearing and answer why she had ignored the subpoena. “I’m very sorry … I’ve been dealing with depression and just a lot, a lot personally since this happened,” the woman said haltingly between sniffs in video made public this week of the July 30 contempt hearing. “We were trying to separate.” “Why didn’t you show up to court?” the judge then asked her directly. “I’m just, my anxiety, and I’m just …” the woman said. The judge interrupted: “You think you’re going to have anxiety now? You haven’t even seen anxiety.” Collins chastised the woman, telling her that a jury of six people had been picked and that the defendant had a history of domestic violence. “You were required to be here by a court order,” the judge said. “You disobeyed a court order, knowing that this was not going to turn out well for the state.” She asked whether the allegations, from the April 2 incident, were true. The woman said they were. She told the judge she was relying on the defendant’s child support to get an apartment and find a job. After he was arrested in April, she said, he lost his job and she lost child support. She said she lives with her parents and had to sell all her possessions. Collins sentenced the woman to three days in jail for contempt as she cried and begged: “Judge, I’ll do anything – please, please. I have a 1-year-old son, and I’m trying to take care of him myself.” But Collins told her, “You should have showed up.” The judge had other sentencing options, such as community service at a domestic abuse shelter, said Jeanne Gold, an Orlando-area advocate for victims of domestic abuse. “The judge needs to be re-educated on the dynamics of domestic abuse and how to speak to victims,” said Gold, a former prosecutor who runs SafeHouse, a shelter and center for domestic abuse victims. The man charged in the abuse case – the father of the woman’s son – negotiated a lesser charge and was sentenced to 16 days in jail. A motion filed by State Attorney Phil Archer shows the woman notified his office that she didn’t want to go forward with the charges about a week before trial. A prosecutor and a victim’s advocate warned the woman over the next several days that she was required to show up for court. According to the motion, the woman responded the day before the trial, “I am not going in tomorrow. I don’t care if I get arrested!” Court spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy said the judge would not comment on the case. She cited Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits judges from commenting about pending cases, but the woman’s deadline to appeal has passed.