New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashesNew leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – Two Virginia Tech students charged in the death of a 13-year-old girl who apparently climbed out her bedroom window obtained lawyers and appeared in court on Monday, but the events that led to her killing remained a mystery. David Eisenhauer, 18, has been charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lovell, who endured a liver transplant and bullying at school and online. Her body was found Saturday in North Carolina, four days after she left home, police said. Natalie Keepers, 19, faces charges of improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Eisenhauer appeared briefly in court, out of sight of reporters, ahead of the scheduled 10 a.m. hearing. Eisenhauer retained a court-appointed attorney, the clerk’s office said. Keepers also appeared, handcuffed and shackled in an orange jumpsuit. She told Judge Robert Viar Jr. that she understands the charges and that she had also retained counsel. Her next court date is March 28. Police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared, but have not said anything more about a possible motive. Her family said she apparently blocked her bedroom door with furniture and climbed out a window Wednesday night. “Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicole’s body,” a Blacksburg police statement said. Authorities said they located her remains on Saturday in Surry County, North Carolina, just over the Virginia border. Blacksburg police Chief Anthony Wilson told The Roanoke Times that Eisenhauer has not confessed and did not provide information that led to the body. A state police search and recovery team has been searching a pond on the Virginia Tech campus, but state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller would not say what they were looking for. Nicole’s life was not easy, her mother, Tammy Weeks, told The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/201JsDS). She survived a liver transplant, MRSA (a drug-resistant staph infection) and lymphoma when she was 5, Weeks said. “God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life,” Weeks said. Nicole didn’t like going to school because girls called her fat and talked about the scars from her transplant, and she often cried to stay home, Weeks said. “It got so bad I wouldn’t send her,” Weeks said, but the bullying continued on social media. She loved pandas and pop music, and wanted to be on “American Idol” when she got older, her mother said. Davy Draper, a close family friend who knew the teen most of her life, called her an energetic and outspoken girl who got along with everyone. “She was an awesome little girl. She was an angel here on Earth, and she’s an angel now,” Draper said Sunday. Both Eisenhauer and Keepers, who came to Virginia Tech from nearby cities in Maryland, were being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail. Eisenhauer was a standout track and field athlete in high school, who was named Boys Indoor Track Performer of the Year by The Baltimore Sun in March. The Sun said Eisenhauer had moved to Columbia from Yakima, Washington, for his junior year and quickly became a star on the East Coast. His coach told the newspaper that Eisenhauer was “the best-kept secret in Maryland.” Both Eisenhauer and Keepers enrolled as freshman engineering majors at Virginia Tech, where hundreds of students and researchers had joined the search for Nicole’s body. Eisenhauer has been suspended from the university, a Virginia Tech statement said. A number listed for Eisenhauer’s parents rang busy. A message left at Keepers’ home in Laurel, Maryland, was not immediately returned. Nicole’s family members did not immediately return messages seeking comment.