Rosie, dog lost during I-75 crash, back home with family New information has been released about Rosie, the dog that went missing in a car crash last weekend and was found Wednesday.
Gatorama owner loses fingers at feeding show The owner of Gatorama in Palmdale was bitten by one of his gators during a feeding show over the weekend, losing two fingers.
WWII Veteran hits 100th birthday milestone Hundreds of people came to celebrate WWII veteran Vernon Nelson’s 100th birthday.
FORT MYERS Volunteers boost Harry Chapin Food Bank’s reach The Harry Chapin Food Bank relies heavily on its volunteers to make a significant impact in the community.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Twins’ superfan attends Spring Training for more than two decades Twins’ superfan Neil Pierce lives more than one thousand miles away from Hammond Stadium and never misses a game in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival of Light with safety in focus The parade will begin at Fort Myers High School, travel up U.S. Highway 41, and conclude in downtown Fort Myers.
Byron Donalds accused of voter fraud U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds is being accused of voter fraud. A fellow lawmaker on Capitol Hill is making the allegations.
NAPLES FWC seeks Naples community’s help for derelict boat removal The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is searching for derelict boats in Southwest Florida and is asking for community assistance.
FORT MYERS Red dye ban and Valentine’s Day Red is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, seen in everything from roses to candy. However, some red sweets may not be as appealing this year due to a recent ban on a common dye linked to cancer risks.
FORT MYERS Savannah Bananas at JetBlue Park this weekend Are you heading out to watch the Savannah Bananas this weekend? This is what you need to know.
Punta Gorda Historic District home set for demolition, rebuild When builder T.J. Thornberry was hired by clients to demolish and build two new homes on their Chasteen Street properties within the Punta Gorda Historic District, little did he realize he would be embarking on an odyssey laden with roadblocks lasting nearly three months.
PORT CHARLOTTE Rays begin Spring Training ahead of season away from home The Charlotte Sports Park is home to the Tampa Bay Rays for the next six weeks for, but after that they don’t actually get to go home.
Eligible taxpayers in Florida file for free with IRS Direct File The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers in Florida they can file their taxes for free with the agency using IRS Direct File.
TALLAHASSEE (AP) DeSantis signs sweeping immigration bills after a feud with Florida Republicans Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a package of sweeping immigration bills.
Registration for Lee County Parks and Recreation Summer Camp to open Lee County Parks and Recreation Summer Camp has announced that registration will open to the public in two weeks.
Rosie, dog lost during I-75 crash, back home with family New information has been released about Rosie, the dog that went missing in a car crash last weekend and was found Wednesday.
Gatorama owner loses fingers at feeding show The owner of Gatorama in Palmdale was bitten by one of his gators during a feeding show over the weekend, losing two fingers.
WWII Veteran hits 100th birthday milestone Hundreds of people came to celebrate WWII veteran Vernon Nelson’s 100th birthday.
FORT MYERS Volunteers boost Harry Chapin Food Bank’s reach The Harry Chapin Food Bank relies heavily on its volunteers to make a significant impact in the community.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Twins’ superfan attends Spring Training for more than two decades Twins’ superfan Neil Pierce lives more than one thousand miles away from Hammond Stadium and never misses a game in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival of Light with safety in focus The parade will begin at Fort Myers High School, travel up U.S. Highway 41, and conclude in downtown Fort Myers.
Byron Donalds accused of voter fraud U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds is being accused of voter fraud. A fellow lawmaker on Capitol Hill is making the allegations.
NAPLES FWC seeks Naples community’s help for derelict boat removal The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is searching for derelict boats in Southwest Florida and is asking for community assistance.
FORT MYERS Red dye ban and Valentine’s Day Red is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, seen in everything from roses to candy. However, some red sweets may not be as appealing this year due to a recent ban on a common dye linked to cancer risks.
FORT MYERS Savannah Bananas at JetBlue Park this weekend Are you heading out to watch the Savannah Bananas this weekend? This is what you need to know.
Punta Gorda Historic District home set for demolition, rebuild When builder T.J. Thornberry was hired by clients to demolish and build two new homes on their Chasteen Street properties within the Punta Gorda Historic District, little did he realize he would be embarking on an odyssey laden with roadblocks lasting nearly three months.
PORT CHARLOTTE Rays begin Spring Training ahead of season away from home The Charlotte Sports Park is home to the Tampa Bay Rays for the next six weeks for, but after that they don’t actually get to go home.
Eligible taxpayers in Florida file for free with IRS Direct File The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers in Florida they can file their taxes for free with the agency using IRS Direct File.
TALLAHASSEE (AP) DeSantis signs sweeping immigration bills after a feud with Florida Republicans Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a package of sweeping immigration bills.
Registration for Lee County Parks and Recreation Summer Camp to open Lee County Parks and Recreation Summer Camp has announced that registration will open to the public in two weeks.
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) – Police vowed “maximum attention” Sunday to find the killer of an American found dead in her Florence apartment as Italy’s expat community expressed hope that the case won’t turn into another Amanda Knox-style, drawn-out, headline-grabbing legal saga. Police opened a murder investigation Saturday after 35-year-old Ashley Olsen of Summer Haven, Florida, was found dead, her neck bruised and scratched. Authorities questioned Olsen’s boyfriend, a local artist, Saturday but said they have no suspects so far. “What happened in Florence is getting the maximum attention to find out what it’s all about,” Italy’s police chief, Alessandro Pansa, said during an unrelated visit Sunday to Florence, the ANSA news agency reported. Meanwhile, friends and fellow expats expressed horror at the slaying of a woman known around Florence for her beloved beagle, Scout, and said they hoped her killer would be found quickly. Flowers were left at her doorstep. “I can’t imagine a person who would hurt her. She is a gentle, a kind, a beautiful, friendly, lovely girl and it’s an awful shock,” Amy, a friend who only gave her first name, told The Associated Press in Florence. “We’ve got a great community here of people and everyone loved her.” Friends and other expats expressed hope that the case wouldn’t end up repeating the flawed, flip-flopping investigation into the last high-profile murder case of a foreigner living in Italy, that of Meredith Kercher. The British student was studying in the Umbrian city of Perugia when she was found dead in 2007. Knox, Kercher’s American roommate, and her then-boyfriend were at first convicted of the murder, then acquitted, convicted again on appeal and finally acquitted for good when Italy’s supreme court last year definitively exonerated them. Another man was convicted and is serving a 16-year sentence. “I would hope for her sake that this investigation is more clear,” said Georgette Jupe, who writes the “Girl in Florence” blog and knew Olsen casually, primarily because they both had beagles and lived near one another in Florence’s Santo Spirito neighborhood. Social media groups for expats in Florence expressed the same sentiment, with several people posting comments about the parallel to the Kercher investigation, which was harshly criticized in both the American and British media. “It reignites the concern of justice, different policing and judicial systems, and the different journalism styles between Italy and the U.S.,” Beth Prusiecki, an American living in Milan, told the AP in a message after posting on one of the closed Facebook groups. U.S. media tended to portray Knox as a victim of a legal system she didn’t understand, where prosecutors can appeal acquittals. The Italian media tended to take prosecutors’ view that Knox was responsible. Jupe said Olsen was involved in fashion and had moved a few years ago to Florence, where her father was also a professor. Olsen’s Facebook page is full of photos of her and Scout, including on the steps of the Santo Spirito church on the lovely piazza of the same name that is the heart of the “Oltrarno” neighborhood of the Tuscan city. “She always with her dog, always sitting on steps of Santo Spirito with friends,” Jupe said in a phone interview. Alexandra Lawrence, a 17-year resident of Florence, said the art-filled city has long drawn creative people like Olsen, who find a ready-made expat community that is far more active and close-knit than ones in Rome or Milan. “I think maybe because it’s such a small city, but because there are so many expats, we all eventually come across each other and run in similar circles,” said Lawrence, who teaches art history to American students on study abroad programs and gives tours. She said she didn’t know Olsen personally, but said the first thing she thought of when she heard the news was the Knox saga. “We’ve been through this terribly unresolved mystery with Amanda Knox,” she said in an interview. “You never want it to get to that point.”