Driver with 7 suspensions arrested following SR 82 pursuitWINK Neighborhood Watch: Drug dealer sentenced, saw-like weapons and sexual assault on Naples Pier
Driver with 7 suspensions arrested following SR 82 pursuit According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a driver with seven suspensions was arrested by state troopers after a pursuit Sunday morning.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Drug dealer sentenced, saw-like weapons and sexual assault on Naples Pier This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features an alleged long-time drug dealer being arrested, a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon, and a man sexually assaulting a minor on the Naples Pier.
Paying tribute to Deshia Arthur: Community unites in grief and hope Family and friends affectionately called her ‘DD,’ describing the 18-year-old Deshia Arthur as caring and sincere ahead of her funeral service on Sunday.
SANIBEL Final day for Sanibel storm debris collection Sunday is the last chance for Sanibel residents to sort and place any remaining storm debris for collection by the city’s contractor.
Seasonal Sunday in store with temps reaching the upper 70s The Weather Authority is forecasting blue skies, sunshine, and seasonal temperatures in the upper 70s on Sunday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Precautionary boil water notice lifted for Fort Myers Beach A precautionary boil water notice was in effect for all residents of Fort Myers Beach due to a water main break on Estero Boulevard that has been resolved.
Man injured after stabbing in Immokalee According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, one man is injured after being stabbed in the lower back on Saturday night.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach hosts 36th annual Christmas Boat Parade Christmas is right around the corner, and celebrations are underway. The Fort Myers Beach Boat Christmas Boat parade took place on Saturday.
ESTERO Elevate Kava Bar and Lounge hosts grand opening Elevate Kava Bar and Lounge held its grand opening in Estero on Friday Night. The kava bar held its soft opening on Black Friday.
FORT MYERS Man charged with homicide for fatal shooting in Fort Myers According to the Fort Myers Police Department, a man was charged with homicide on Friday for a fatal shooting in October.
FORT MYERS Golisano Children’s Hospital hosts Porsche & Friends Parade Sports cars lined up like Santa’s reindeer, delivering presents to Golisano Children’s Hospital on Saturday.
Man sought for attempted robbery at CVS in Lee County Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man for attempting to rob a CVS Store in Lee County.
immokalee Pedestrian dies after being hit by 2 vehicles in Immokalee A fatal hit-and-run on Friday night in Collier County left a pedestrian dead, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Beautiful Saturday in store with temps in the low to mid 70s The Weather Authority says it will be another beautiful weekend across Southwest Florida.
ORLANDO Naples falls to Jones in state semifinals One win stood in between the Golden Eagles and a trip to the state title as Naples competed in its 12th state semifinal.
Driver with 7 suspensions arrested following SR 82 pursuit According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a driver with seven suspensions was arrested by state troopers after a pursuit Sunday morning.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Drug dealer sentenced, saw-like weapons and sexual assault on Naples Pier This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features an alleged long-time drug dealer being arrested, a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon, and a man sexually assaulting a minor on the Naples Pier.
Paying tribute to Deshia Arthur: Community unites in grief and hope Family and friends affectionately called her ‘DD,’ describing the 18-year-old Deshia Arthur as caring and sincere ahead of her funeral service on Sunday.
SANIBEL Final day for Sanibel storm debris collection Sunday is the last chance for Sanibel residents to sort and place any remaining storm debris for collection by the city’s contractor.
Seasonal Sunday in store with temps reaching the upper 70s The Weather Authority is forecasting blue skies, sunshine, and seasonal temperatures in the upper 70s on Sunday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Precautionary boil water notice lifted for Fort Myers Beach A precautionary boil water notice was in effect for all residents of Fort Myers Beach due to a water main break on Estero Boulevard that has been resolved.
Man injured after stabbing in Immokalee According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, one man is injured after being stabbed in the lower back on Saturday night.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach hosts 36th annual Christmas Boat Parade Christmas is right around the corner, and celebrations are underway. The Fort Myers Beach Boat Christmas Boat parade took place on Saturday.
ESTERO Elevate Kava Bar and Lounge hosts grand opening Elevate Kava Bar and Lounge held its grand opening in Estero on Friday Night. The kava bar held its soft opening on Black Friday.
FORT MYERS Man charged with homicide for fatal shooting in Fort Myers According to the Fort Myers Police Department, a man was charged with homicide on Friday for a fatal shooting in October.
FORT MYERS Golisano Children’s Hospital hosts Porsche & Friends Parade Sports cars lined up like Santa’s reindeer, delivering presents to Golisano Children’s Hospital on Saturday.
Man sought for attempted robbery at CVS in Lee County Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man for attempting to rob a CVS Store in Lee County.
immokalee Pedestrian dies after being hit by 2 vehicles in Immokalee A fatal hit-and-run on Friday night in Collier County left a pedestrian dead, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Beautiful Saturday in store with temps in the low to mid 70s The Weather Authority says it will be another beautiful weekend across Southwest Florida.
ORLANDO Naples falls to Jones in state semifinals One win stood in between the Golden Eagles and a trip to the state title as Naples competed in its 12th state semifinal.
MGN NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The Justice Department launched a sweeping and costly criminal investigation after BP’s rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and caused the nation’s worst offshore oil disaster. For roughly two years, a task force of FBI agents and prosecutors occupied an entire floor of a high-rise building across from the federal courthouse in New Orleans. The government did secure a landmark criminal settlement and record civil penalties against the energy giant, which BP said would cost the corporation billions of dollars. But in terms of individual criminal responsibility, only four mostly lower-ranking employees faced charges, and even those cases unraveled before skeptical jurors and judges. The Justice Department’s latest setback was self-inflicted: At the request of prosecutors, a judge agreed Wednesday to dismiss manslaughter charges against two supervisors who were working on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig when it exploded in April 2010. The decision makes it increasingly likely that nobody will serve a day in prison for the disaster. “This is a devastating loss for the government and is a reflection that, despite all good intentions the government may have, sometimes tragedies are just tragedies,” said Michael Magner, a former federal prosecutor in New Orleans who represented the only BP executive who was charged, winning his acquittal this year on a count of making false statements to investigators. Relatives of the victims were less charitable. “As a result of this court proceeding today, no man will ever spend a moment behind bars for killing 11 men for reasons based entirely on greed,” said Keith Jones, whose son Gordon Jones died in the rig explosion. He attended Wednesday’s hearing with his other children, and expressed disappointment that prosecutors dropped the most serious charges. Donald Vidrine, one of the two rig supervisors indicted on manslaughter charges, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Clean Water Act. A lawyer for the other rig supervisor, Robert Kaluza, said his client will fight the same remaining charge at a trial scheduled to start in February. “From Bob’s standpoint, he’s charged with a crime he didn’t commit, and he’s going to go to trial to clear his name,” said Kaluza’s attorney, Shaun Clarke. The cases against two other BP employees already have been resolved. Former BP executive David Rainey was acquitted in June of manipulating calculations to match a far-too-low estimate of the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf. A judge dismissed a related charge, that Rainey obstructed a congressional investigation of the spill. Former BP engineer Kurt Mix was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2013 for deleting a string of text messages, but allegations of juror misconduct led a judge to order a new trial, and Mix ultimately cut a deal with prosecutors, who agreed to drop the obstruction charge punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Mix pleaded guilty last month to a lesser charge and was sentenced to six months of probation. Anthony Badalamenti, a former manager for Halliburton Energy Services Inc., BP’s cement contractor on the rig, was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor – destroying evidence in the aftermath of the spill. The Deepwater Horizon rig, which London-based BP PLC leased from Swiss-based Transocean Ltd., was about 48 miles from the Louisiana coast at the time of the deadly blast. Residents up and down the coast watched in horror as the spill continued for nearly three months, coating birds, fouling beaches and spoiling delicate fishing areas. This summer, the global energy giant agreed to a record settlement of nearly $20 billion to states affected by the spill, hoping to resolve the legal drama that has cost the company billions. At the time, the company said the settlement would bring its full obligations to an estimated $53.8 billion. The company also agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and pay $4 billion in criminal penalties. Three years ago, then-Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to New Orleans to announce that deal as well as the charges against Rainey, Vidrine and Kaluza, whose lawyers swiftly portrayed them as scapegoats. “There clearly was no evidence to support any of the charges brought against any of the individuals,” said Joan McPhee, one of Mix’s attorneys. Prosecutors have said Vidrine and Kaluza botched a key safety test and disregarded abnormally high pressure readings indicating signs of trouble ahead of the blowout. Vidrine is scheduled to be sentenced April 6, and U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. did not indicate whether he will accept the sentence recommended by prosecutors, which includes 10 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and $50,000 in restitution for a project to fix damage from the oil spill. Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement that prosecutors dismissed the manslaughter charges “because circumstances surrounding the case have changed since it was originally charged, and after a careful review the department determined it can no longer meet the legal standard for instituting the involuntary manslaughter charges.” The 2012 indictment charged Kaluza and Vidrine with 11 counts each of seaman’s manslaughter and 11 counts each of involuntary manslaughter. But a judge dismissed the seaman’s manslaughter charges, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in March. To convict on involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors would have had to prove that Kaluza and Vidrine acted with a “wanton or reckless disregard for life.” David Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department’s environmental crimes section, said it would have been “extremely difficult” for prosecutors to meet that burden of proof. Seaman’s manslaughter required mere negligence. “The problem in the Gulf oil spill is not that the government tried to hold individuals responsible,” Uhlmann said. “The problem is that the responsibility lies with the senior corporate management that created a corporate culture that promoted risk taking and did not place sufficient emphasis on safety and environmental protection.”