Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concernsNaples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
MGN. NCAA Basketball The NCAA football oversight committee will provide guidelines for matching bowls with sub.-500 teams if there are not enough bowl-eligible squads to fill the record 80 postseason spots available this year. Bowl officials are hoping the committee, which is led by Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, can provide some order to a potentially disorganized situation. “I think we’ll still get to 80. If we don’t, I have confidence the NCAA will work out all of those details,” said Wright Waters, executive director of the Football Bowl Association. The oversight committee was meeting Monday, but there was no guarantee it would make any final decisions this week. The vast majority of the bowl bids cannot go out until the College Football Playoff matchups are set on Dec. 6. The committee could wait to see how this week’s games play out and how close to 80 bowl-eligible teams there are come Sunday. There are 71 teams that have met the minimum bowl-eligibility requirement of six wins and at least a .500 record in 12 games going into the final two weeks of the regular season. Nineteen more teams can still reach bowl eligibility, 15 need one more victory. Texas, Kansas State, Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette need to win their final two games. Among those teams that are a victory away are Virginia Tech (which plays Virginia), Illinois (No. 17 Northwestern), Missouri (Arkansas) and Washington (No. 20 Washington State). The ever-growing bowl lineup reached 40 this offseason, not including the College Football Playoff championship game. That means 63 percent of FBS teams will play in the postseason, more than ever before. In 2012, the NCAA was asked to come up with a safety net plan to fill all the bowls if there were not enough teams that met the minimum requirements. The protocol allows 5-7 teams to play in the postseason if they are among the top five schools in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Report for the most recent season recorded. Those teams (Wisconsin, Northwestern, Duke, Michigan and Stanford) are already bowl eligible. Waters said the expanding bowl lineup comes from demands on conference commissioners from their members to have a postseason spot for every eligible team. Last season 61 percent of FBS finished bowl eligible and not all of those teams played in bowl games. “The pressure on commissioners to get as close as they can to have all their teams taken care of brings us to the brink of Armageddon,” Waters said. Temple, for example, went 6-6 last season and was left out of the postseason because the American Athletic Conference did not have a spot in its bowl lineup to accommodate all its eligible teams. American Commissioner Mike Aresco responded by creating new games to add to the league’s bowl inventory. The oversight committee will not only have to determine which teams with losing records will be allowed into the postseason, but bowl officials are also hoping for some guidance with a selection process. It is likely that the bowls will need to take teams from conferences with which they are not affiliated. Bowlsby declined comment until the committee had worked out some solutions. Any recommendations made by the committee will need to be approved by the Division I council who represent the 10 FBS conferences. Waters said it is important to find a way for teams to be matched with bowls in their region. “I think’s that’s the challenge Bob’s committee is facing,” Water said. “I don’t think anybody wants to send a team from one side of the country to the other side of the country. Especially if you’re talking about a team that’s less than .500. We’ve been studying it in the FBA for a couple years now and we know that regional teams, compelling games and hungry teams are what work best in bowl games. “There’s a lot of challenges to Bob’s group”