FORT MYERS BEACH Little League is back on Fort Myers Beach The crack of the bat is something these little league players never thought they’d get to see again here on Fort Myers Beach.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Aunt and father of Christopher Horne Jr. released from jail The aunt and father of Christopher Horne Jr. have been released Saturday afternoon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Salad Knife, Fish, and Shooting Update This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a knife-wielding customer, a fish named ‘Bean,’ and an update on a double shooting.
The Weather Authority National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Take action today For Hurricane Preparedness Week, we are recapping the importance of taking action to be better prepared for when a storm develops.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Warm weekend but lower humidity briefly in the forecast The Weather Authority Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler said to expect a warm weekend, but there is a present for Mom on Sunday – lower humidity.
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
FORT MYERS BEACH Little League is back on Fort Myers Beach The crack of the bat is something these little league players never thought they’d get to see again here on Fort Myers Beach.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Aunt and father of Christopher Horne Jr. released from jail The aunt and father of Christopher Horne Jr. have been released Saturday afternoon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Salad Knife, Fish, and Shooting Update This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a knife-wielding customer, a fish named ‘Bean,’ and an update on a double shooting.
The Weather Authority National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Take action today For Hurricane Preparedness Week, we are recapping the importance of taking action to be better prepared for when a storm develops.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Warm weekend but lower humidity briefly in the forecast The Weather Authority Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler said to expect a warm weekend, but there is a present for Mom on Sunday – lower humidity.
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
MGN WASHINGTON (AP) – Spending on air traffic control operations has doubled over two decades, while productivity has declined substantially and efforts to improve performance have been ineffective, according to a report released Wednesday by a government watchdog. The report by the Transportation Department’s inspector general blames the decline in productivity at air traffic facilities on a culture resistant to change within the Federal Aviation Administration and the agency’s failure to adopt business-like practices. Lawmakers who want to remove air traffic operations from the FAA’s control and turn them over to a nonprofit corporation pounced on the report as evidence the agency is incapable of modernizing its air traffic operations. The FAA has been engaged for more than decade in transitioning from a radar-based air traffic control system to one based on satellite navigation. Decades of personnel, organizational and acquisition reforms have failed to slow the agency’s cost growth, improve its productivity or improve its performance in modernizing air traffic operations, said Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This report shows that the FAA simply isn’t suited to successfully modernize our nation’s antiquated air traffic control system,” Shuster said. “The FAA remains a vast government bureaucracy, not a high-tech service provider.” Shuster is expected to introduce legislation within the next two months that would spin off the agency’s air traffic operations to a nonprofit controlled by a board of aviation “stakeholders,” including airlines, airports and others. With the exception of Delta Air Lines, the airline industry has been lobbying aggressively for the change. Business aircraft operators are opposed to privatizing air traffic operations, fearing they’ll have to pick up a larger share of the cost of operations and be forced out of some airports to make room for more airline flights. There is also opposition to privatization from key House and Senate Democrats. “Tearing apart the FAA will not advance safety,” said Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, the senior Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “Congress should instead take this opportunity to improve the FAA, not privatize it.” Clayton Foushee, FAA’s director of audit and evaluation, said in a memo responding to the report that the agency has been more effective at controlling the cost of its operations than many other government agencies. Part of the reason costs have risen is expensive security measures taken since 2001 to protect against terrorist attacks and the dramatic increase in global hacking attacks, he said. The FAA has also completed several new “complex and demanding” air traffic computer systems that are part of the larger, modernization effort, he said. However, the inspector general’s report says that while the FAA reports improvement in its management of such acquisitions, major programs continue to experience problems that delay the introduction of the new technologies and defer retirement of costly legacy systems. FAA’s overall budget grew from $8 billion in 1996 to nearly $16 billion in 2012. Air traffic operations – take-offs, landings and other aircraft handling by controllers – declined 23 percent from 2000 to 2012 due to a drop off in air travel as the result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Great Recession and other events. But air traffic handling per controller dropped 25 percent at approach control facilities and 16 percent at facilities that handle high-altitude air traffic over four years ending in 2012, while the number of air traffic controllers employed by the FAA has remained level. The FAA also continues to operate about the same number of air traffic facilities – 317 – instead of consolidating operations to save money, the report said. The agency also hasn’t increased the number of airport towers operated by private contractors over the past 15 years even though the agency has acknowledged doing so could save money. It costs on average about $1.5 million less for a contractor to operate an airport tower than for the FAA to operate it, primarily due to lower staffing and salary levels, the report said.