LCSO: Lehigh Acres shooting investigation underwayRock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine
lehigh acres LCSO: Lehigh Acres shooting investigation underway The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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.
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.
lehigh acres LCSO: Lehigh Acres shooting investigation underway The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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.
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.
MGN Online GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Federal regulators are looking into whether Florida failed to properly investigate if farmworkers sickened in a crop-dusting accident were told not to report it to authorities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspectors are reviewing case files from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services related to the October 2014 accident in Belle Glade, EPA spokesman Nick Conger said Wednesday. The action comes after an investigation by The Associated Press last month showed that officials here and in other states rarely penalize farms for violating chemical-exposure limits. Based on a review of federal and state enforcement data, the investigation found that pesticide safety investigations in the U.S. can take years to complete and rarely result in fines. Most cases end with warning letters. In Florida, the nation’s second-largest agricultural state with 47,000 farms, and most other states, enforcement of the safety laws is conducted by the same agencies that promote the farm industry. The agriculture industry says the number of fines issued is low because farms are doing a good job of protecting workers. In the Florida case, dozens of farmworkers, mostly women, were exposed to Bathyroid XL when a crop duster mistakenly sprayed the agent near them while they were working. Bathyroid XL is a “restricted use” pesticide considered by the EPA to be one of the most toxic. At least 13 were sickened, including a pregnant woman, according to a state health report. The workers told a state health investigator that an official from the farm came to the hospital after their exposure and told them they would have a hard time finding work if they reported the case. Such intimidation is prohibited under the federal rules. But the investigator assigned to the case never followed up on the intimidation allegations, according to case files. Florida’s investigation of the accident took a year, and the agriculture department issued no fine to the farm and only a small fine to the crop dusting contractor. The Florida agriculture department did not return multiple calls or emails seeking comment on the EPA investigation. No one from owner Duda Farms discouraged or threatened workers after the accident, according to Donna Duda. The farm labor contractor Martinez & Sons Trucking also denied talking to the injured workers, according to the firm’s Jose Ojeda. People who work with farmworkers on pesticide exposure safety say the protection system is riddled with problems. “There needs to be trust that (Florida) is doing everything possible to ensure that the workers are working in safe working conditions,” said Jeannie Economos of the Farmworker Association of Florida. “Anti-retaliation is one of the things we advocated for in the new (pesticide safety law), and it is key if workers are going to be able to report pesticide violations and/or pesticide exposures.” President Barack Obama’s administration last year adopted tougher farmworker protections despite resistance from the agriculture and chemical industries. When they take effect in 2017, however, they will still rely on the existing enforcement system. Conger said the law states that, if Florida’s response was inadequate, EPA can require officials to take corrective action, strip the state of its authority to run the program or take over the case.