Fort Myers roads close early for Edison Festival of Light paradeNear-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday
FORT MYERS Fort Myers roads close early for Edison Festival of Light parade Downtown Fort Myers is preparing for a big evening with the Edison Festival of Light Parade and 5K set to draw thousands of spectators.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers roads close early for Edison Festival of Light parade Downtown Fort Myers is preparing for a big evening with the Edison Festival of Light Parade and 5K set to draw thousands of spectators.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
Mike Mozart / CC BY 2.0 Walgreens will use its $9.41 billion takeover of rival Rite Aid to spread its philosophy on making drugstores destinations for customers looking to stay healthy or buy beauty products. The nation’s largest drugstore chain also is expected to flex its beefed-up negotiating muscle to wring better deals from drugmakers and other suppliers. But experts say those discounts won’t automatically trickle down to consumers. In fact, customers may not see a huge impact on their wallets if this deal goes through. But they will likely see some store closures or name changes and fewer brand choices after Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. adds the nation’s third-largest drugstore chain to its portfolio. They also may see more clinics in Rite Aid Corp. stores and more products like vitamins and supplements aimed at keeping them healthy, as the sector continues to stretch well beyond simply filling prescriptions. All the major drugstore chains – Walgreens, CVS Health Corp., and Rite Aid – have been revamping their stores for the past few years to make them bigger providers of health care products and other services. They’re trying to appeal to customers who want to do more one-stop shopping and take advantage of the vast network of stores that the chains have built. Drugstores also are shifting to serve the aging baby boom population and its health needs, as well as the growing number of people who are shopping around more for health care instead of simply visiting their family doctors. And they’re fending off competition from grocery chains and big retailers like Wal-Mart that have added thousands of pharmacies to their stores and offer steep discounts on some drugs. CVS, in fact, is partnering with the retailer Target Corp. to run its in-store clinics and pharmacies. All this competition, plus the growing mail-order business for prescriptions, is expected to keep the pharmacy market fragmented even after this deal closes. Walgreens said Tuesday after markets closed that it will spend $9 per share in cash for each share of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid, which runs about 4,600 drugstores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. That deal, on the surface, would create a drugstore behemoth that runs more than 12,700 stores in the United States. That amounts to about 64 percent more than the next largest competitor, CVS, not counting that company’s still-evolving partnership with Target. But Walgreens will likely have to shutter some nearby locations to keep the stores from cannibalizing sales off each other. The company also may have to close hundreds of outlets to ease federal regulatory concerns about competition. That will depend on how the deal changes the competitive balance in individual markets. Once a Walgreens-Rite Aid deal closes, the company will likely hold “a bit of a beauty contest” with suppliers to see who can give them the best deals on products sold in the front of their stores, or the area outside the pharmacy, said Paul Keckley, who studies health care issues as managing director of the Navigant Center for Healthcare Research and Policy Analysis. “They have more leverage over suppliers the fewer suppliers they deal with,” he said. For the consumer, that means that the chain’s surviving stores may wind up carrying fewer brands going forward, maybe three different kinds of soda instead of five. But it likely won’t translate to lower prices. Those products don’t offer a lot of profit for drugstores in the first place so there isn’t much room to cut prices. The chain also will try to negotiate better prices on drugs, starting with generics, and consumers may start to see some breaks here. But prescription prices also can depend on insurance coverage and whether a drugmaker is motivated to lower its prices to fend off competition from competing treatments. Walgreens announced the Rite Aid deal less than a year after polishing off its acquisition of European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots, which runs the biggest drugstore chain in the United Kingdom. That combination created Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., which operates more than 13,100 stores in 11 countries. Walgreens and Rite Aid expect their combination to close in the second half of next year.