Man accused of fatal hit-and-run in Port CharlotteScattered storms move inland this Wednesday afternoon
PORT CHARLOTTE Man accused of fatal hit-and-run in Port Charlotte The Florida Highway Patrol and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in Port Charlotte.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Scattered storms move inland this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking scattered storms moving from the coastal lines and into the inland communities this Wednesday afternoon.
WINK NEWS Collier County Teachers Union to meet and negotiate salaries Collier County teachers brace for their third day of salary negotiations as those living within the area struggle financially.
Police report: witnesses say fatal Firestone tire explosion caused by overinflation The Cape Coral Police Department has released its report regarding a tire explosion that killed a man at a Firestone garage on Sunday.
NAPLES Voters meet with Collier County candidates It was a packed house at Seed to Table on Tuesday night as Collier County voters met with the candidates running to represent them.
FORT MYERS Texas Roadhouse honors memory of five teenagers lost in tragic crash It has been one year since the tragic crash that took the lives of five teenagers on Top Golf Way in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Locals react to Wade Wilson jury recommendation Wade Wilson, the man found guilty of killing two innocent women, has his life in the hands of a jury and judge. In less than two hours on Tuesday – the jury came to their decision.
FORT MYERS Austan Cristiaan talks joining Bishop Verot and first D-1 offers Quarterback Austan Cristiaan talks about joining Bishop Verot for his freshman season and securing his first two D-1 offers.
FL researchers testing Zika virus to fight childhood brain cancer Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Now, a team of researchers out of Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando are taking a novel approach to wipe out disease. Their studies involve the use of the Zika virus.
FORT MYERS Community Redevelopment Agency seeks public input for Cleveland Avenue project Mayor Kevin Anderson said Tuesday was an opportunity for the Community Redevelopment Agency and leaders to hear what the public thinks this redevelopment should look like.
FGCU professor agrees with US Surgeon General: gun violence is a public health crisis Gun violence: We’ve seen it here firsthand in southwest Florida. Many agree gun violence is a growing problem in the United States. Now, the U.S. Surgeon General is calling it a crisis.
Charlotte County Charlotte County now requiring condo and co-op inspections for building 25-years or older On the 3-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, FL, many look to remember those lost and continue to learn from the tragedy.
FORT MYERS A third diamond interchange on its way to Southwest Florida The third iteration of a construction project that strikes fear into some drivers could be a tell-tell sign about the trends of Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples practice comes under fire from a former employee A Naples dermatology practice acknowledges it had issues when it first opened two years ago but says those issues are now behind them.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts more FEMA hearings Red tags are rearing their ugly head. Cape Coral homeowners who were slapped with these tags and found non-compliant with city code permits are back to defend themselves.
PORT CHARLOTTE Man accused of fatal hit-and-run in Port Charlotte The Florida Highway Patrol and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in Port Charlotte.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Scattered storms move inland this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking scattered storms moving from the coastal lines and into the inland communities this Wednesday afternoon.
WINK NEWS Collier County Teachers Union to meet and negotiate salaries Collier County teachers brace for their third day of salary negotiations as those living within the area struggle financially.
Police report: witnesses say fatal Firestone tire explosion caused by overinflation The Cape Coral Police Department has released its report regarding a tire explosion that killed a man at a Firestone garage on Sunday.
NAPLES Voters meet with Collier County candidates It was a packed house at Seed to Table on Tuesday night as Collier County voters met with the candidates running to represent them.
FORT MYERS Texas Roadhouse honors memory of five teenagers lost in tragic crash It has been one year since the tragic crash that took the lives of five teenagers on Top Golf Way in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Locals react to Wade Wilson jury recommendation Wade Wilson, the man found guilty of killing two innocent women, has his life in the hands of a jury and judge. In less than two hours on Tuesday – the jury came to their decision.
FORT MYERS Austan Cristiaan talks joining Bishop Verot and first D-1 offers Quarterback Austan Cristiaan talks about joining Bishop Verot for his freshman season and securing his first two D-1 offers.
FL researchers testing Zika virus to fight childhood brain cancer Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Now, a team of researchers out of Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando are taking a novel approach to wipe out disease. Their studies involve the use of the Zika virus.
FORT MYERS Community Redevelopment Agency seeks public input for Cleveland Avenue project Mayor Kevin Anderson said Tuesday was an opportunity for the Community Redevelopment Agency and leaders to hear what the public thinks this redevelopment should look like.
FGCU professor agrees with US Surgeon General: gun violence is a public health crisis Gun violence: We’ve seen it here firsthand in southwest Florida. Many agree gun violence is a growing problem in the United States. Now, the U.S. Surgeon General is calling it a crisis.
Charlotte County Charlotte County now requiring condo and co-op inspections for building 25-years or older On the 3-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, FL, many look to remember those lost and continue to learn from the tragedy.
FORT MYERS A third diamond interchange on its way to Southwest Florida The third iteration of a construction project that strikes fear into some drivers could be a tell-tell sign about the trends of Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples practice comes under fire from a former employee A Naples dermatology practice acknowledges it had issues when it first opened two years ago but says those issues are now behind them.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts more FEMA hearings Red tags are rearing their ugly head. Cape Coral homeowners who were slapped with these tags and found non-compliant with city code permits are back to defend themselves.
File photo. Credit: MGN WASHINGTON (AP) – Medicare said Friday it will pay doctors to help patients plan what kind of care they want at the end of life, an idea more broadly accepted than six years ago when it touched off a political uproar about “death panels.” The policy change was urged by numerous physician and health groups. Some doctors provide this “advance care planning” to their patients without getting paid for the counseling time, and some private insurers already reimburse for it. But the Obama administration’s policy change could make the talks more common among about 55 million Medicare beneficiaries. The rule, proposed last summer and finalized Friday as part of broader doctor-payment regulations, takes effect Jan. 1. The counseling is entirely voluntary, and could take place during seniors’ annual wellness visit or during regular office visits. “As a physician and a son, I personally know how important these discussions are for patients and families,” Dr. Patrick Conway, Medicare’s chief medical officer, said in an interview. “We believe patients and families deserve the opportunity to discuss these issues with their physician and care team.” Most Americans say they’d prefer to die at home, with treatment to free them from pain. But the landmark “Dying in America” report from the prestigious Institute of Medicine found the reality too often is unwanted invasive care and not enough comfort, in part because too few people make their wishes known to their doctors and loved ones. The movement toward what’s called advance care planning also reflects that this isn’t just an issue for people who already are seriously ill, but a process that may prompt different decisions at different stages of life. Involving a doctor in those decisions can help people fully understand their options. A relatively healthy person might want all-out efforts to resuscitate them after an accident, for example, but if diagnosed with advanced cancer, might make different decisions as their health gradually worsened. Medicare decided not to limit how often such counseling could take place, Conway said, in part because of feedback from doctors and the public that people may need repeat counseling as their health needs change. “If you made a choice and you become more ill, you might want to have the discussion again,” Conway explained. “For some patients, it may need to occur multiple times in a year if they’re quite ill and their circumstances may change. For other patients, they may not need this service at all in a year.” Medicare’s new policy “is a turning point in end-of-life care,” said Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a longtime congressional proponent of coverage for such counseling. He said next steps include helping ensure that advance directives for all patients are easily accessible and updated frequently, and that doctors are trained to have these difficult conversations. “Ultimately, the care provided must align with the patient’s stated goals values, and informed preferences,” Blumenauer said. About three-quarters of the people who die each year in the U.S. are 65 and older, making Medicare the largest insurer at the end of life, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. For years there had been bipartisan consensus about helping people to better understand their end-of-life choices. A 1992 law passed under Republican President George H.W. Bush requires hospitals and nursing homes to help patients who want to prepare living wills and advance directives. Momentum stalled with political outcry over including end-of-life conversations in President Barack Obama’s health care law, which some opponents termed “death panels.”