ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva 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 Alva 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.
MGN GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Florida coach Jim McElwain didn’t really want to look back. Not to that point in time. Not to that situation. Not to that “dark place.” He went there anyway this week, recalling how he felt last spring when the 11th-ranked Gators were so short-handed along the offensive line that walk-ons were working as starters and freshmen not even on campus yet were penciled in as backups. “You really want to make me miserable?” McElwain said. “I know this: That dark place you were talking about, it was really dark.” Seven months later, Florida’s offensive line is the brightest spot for the Southeastern Conference’s most surprising team. The Gators (5-0, 3-0 SEC), who play at Missouri (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday night, have allowed just 10 sacks and been nearly as good opening up holes for the ground game. It’s not the kind of line that’s going to take home any postseason awards, but the unit has been considerably better than anyone, even McElwain, could have imagined when he started installing plays in March. “We’re still nowhere where we’re going to be,” McElwain said. “I would say the biggest thing I see there is they’re starting to understand the value of communication.” Florida’s line was the team’s biggest area of concern coming into the season. The Gators graduated three starters – center Max Garcia, guard Trenton Brown and offensive tackle Chaz Green – and had two more leave school early. Left tackle D.J. Humphries and backup guard Tyler Moore decided not to stick around for McElwain’s first season. Causing even more depth issues, fifth-year senior Trip Thurman missed all of spring practice with a chronic shoulder injury and experienced guard Rod Johnson was forced to end his career in April because of a spine problem. Johnson was diagnosed with congenital cervical stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that prevents enough fluid to gather around the spinal cord. The fluid protects the spinal cord from injury. McElwain spent much of the summer trying to piece together the line. He put three sophomores, including a former defensive lineman, into the starting lineup. He convinced Fordham graduate Mason Halter to transfer to Florida. Thurman got healthy enough to give it another go. Freshmen Martez Ivey and Fred Johnson showed up in July ready to contribute. And they had veteran offensive line coach Mike Summers, the lone holdover from Will Muschamp’s staff, getting them ready. Nonetheless, most pundits predicted the worst. They picked the Gators to finish well back in the Eastern Division race, partly because of the line’s problems. Players, meanwhile, never doubted the progress they were seeing in practice against a stout defense. “I’m honestly not surprised at all,” Halter said. “Coming in here, I knew the quality of guys we had and just the personalities we had. We meshed really well together and we’re still growing as an offensive line, obviously. But I’m really proud of how we’ve been playing and it’s going to get better each week.” One of the toughest tests is on tap. Mizzou leads the conference in total defense and ranks second nationally with 48 tackles for loss. Freshman defensive end Walter Brady leads the way with 7 ½ tackles for loss, including five sacks. On the opposite side, sophomore Charles Harris had 9 ½ tackles for loss, including three sacks. The Gators, though, appear up for the challenge. They dominated matchups in the trenches against Kentucky, Tennessee and then-No. 3 Mississippi. Handling the Rebels was the most impressive considering they mostly shut down All-American defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. “The comfort level is there,” tight end Jake McGee said. “They’re young, but there are some good offensive linemen in this program. It’s something that as they see more and more blitzes, stunts and that kind of stuff, they’ll only continue to improve. Coach Summers has done a great job just getting all the pieces, and they’re still moving some things around, but that’s a hard-working group that wants to be great.” If the line keeps this up, McElwain might even forget about that “dark place.” “We’re growing up,” McElwain said. “We’re getting a little bit better and we’re learning to compete.”