NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
MGN TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature on Tuesday finally took up legislation that would allow the Seminole Tribe of Florida to add craps and roulette at its casinos. A divided House panel voted in favor of a bill that would ratify a deal between the state and the tribe that would guarantee $3 billion to Florida over a seven-year period. The same committee also approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would require voter approval for any future gambling expansion. But it remains uncertain whether the entire Florida Legislature will approve the compact negotiated last year by Gov. Rick Scott with the tribe. Florida’s existing gambling industry remains competitive and many are lobbying fiercely to either kill, or make sweeping changes, to the proposed deal. “Doing a gaming bill is like putting a queen-sized sheet on a king-sized bed,” said Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, a Miami Republican who is shepherding the gambling bills in the House. “It’s impossible to accommodate the interests of every single person in the room.” Here’s a look at what’s going on: WHAT’S HAPPENING Tuesday marked the first time during Florida’s 60-day session that legislators took a vote on the proposed deal with the Seminoles. A House committee approved three separate bills dealing with gambling. The vote is noteworthy because, in the past, bills dealing with gambling have encountered stiff resistance in the House. But a Senate panel postponed a vote on the proposal. Sen. Rob Bradley, the chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee, insisted that this didn’t mean the bill was in trouble. Bradley said he and other legislators needed time to “digest” changes that several senators have proposed for the measure. ___ WHAT THE PROPOSED COMPACT INCLUDES The $3 billion compact with the tribe would allow them to add craps and roulette to their casinos, including the ones in Hollywood and Tampa. The new compact would also allow the tribe to maintain blackjack tables. The Seminoles got permission to add blackjack tables back in 2010, but that provision expired last year. The state has asked the tribe to remove the tables, but the tribe has instead taken the issue to federal court. The compact also includes provisions that would create a path to a new casino in Miami-Dade and the use of slot machines in Palm Beach County. Currently, state law limits slot machines to tracks in Broward and Miami-Dade County. ___ WHY IS THE DEAL OPPOSED BY SOME? There are a lot of different factions opposed to the deal as it now stands. Some want to extend slot machines to counties that have already approved them, which includes Brevard, Lee and several others. Diaz acknowledged that although the tribe could support slot machines in North Florida, it’s against allowing them at tracks near their existing casino in southwest Florida. If lawmakers insist on major changes to the compact, then the tribe would argue it doesn’t have to pay as much to the state. Additionally, some are opposed to the measures because one of the gambling bills under consideration would allow greyhound tracks and some horse tracks to drop racing. Track owners like this provision because they could still keep poker rooms and slot machines without racing. Anti-gambling opponents, citing the potential damage to Florida’s tourism industry, are also opposed to what they call a massive expansion of gambling. ___ WHAT HAPPENS IF LEGISLATORS CAN’T AGREE If lawmakers fail to reach a deal with the tribe, then it will be up to the courts to decide what happens next. The Seminoles and the state of Florida have both filed lawsuits in federal court. The Florida Supreme Court also has agreed to consider a lawsuit that argues slot machines should be allowed at a track 25 miles west of Tallahassee.