ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
MGN WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans are preparing legislation to create a new oversight board that would help Puerto Rico control its finances, a move designed to deal with the territory’s $70 billion in debt. The legislation is in response to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s promise at the end of last year that the House would work with Puerto Rico to come up with “a responsible solution” by the end of March for the territory’s massive debt problems. The House Natural Resources Committee is expected to release the bill publicly on Tuesday. A draft bill would create a five-person board designed to audit the territory’s government and create new fiscal plans and budget measures. According to a summary of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press, the board would not give Puerto Rico the broad bankruptcy authority it has asked for, but would allow the oversight board to decide whether debt restructuring is necessary. If the board decides debt restructuring is needed in some areas and certain conditions are met, it could facilitate court-supervised restructuring. Puerto Rico, along with the Obama administration and many Democrats in Congress, has pushed for bankruptcy protection, saying it would not cost U.S. taxpayers and is the right thing to do. Some Democrats have been wary of an oversight or control board asserting too much authority over the territory’s government. The summary makes it clear that Republicans oppose giving the island full ability to declare bankruptcy. Like all U.S. states and territories, Puerto Rico cannot declare bankruptcy under federal law – though mainland municipalities and their utilities can, and municipalities and utilities in Puerto Rico cannot. The island’s public utilities are heavily indebted. The document says that allowing the island to declare bankruptcy could harm U.S. taxpayers who have invested in Puerto Rican bonds, undercut efforts to reform the territory’s “irresponsible fiscal policies” and make it harder for Puerto Rico to access capital markets in the future. In a statement, Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in Congress, said the draft bill “represents a very serious effort to address a very serious problem.” Pierluisi endorsed the idea of a control board and its ability to facilitate some debt restructuring. Still, he said he believes the proposal may give the oversight board too much control. “For the board to be effective in achieving its goals, it must have teeth but not fangs,” Pierluisi said. He did not detail his concerns and said he would not discuss them until the legislation is public. Puerto Rico has been mired in economic stagnation for nearly a decade. The territory’s financial problems grew worse as a result of setbacks in the wider U.S. economy, and government spending in Puerto Rico continued unchecked as borrowing covered increasing deficits. Almost 10 percent of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents have left, and hundreds of businesses have closed. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said the island is headed for a humanitarian crisis. If the government isn’t able to restructure its debt, Puerto Rico will have to start laying off police officers, firefighters, medical professionals and other public employees, officials say. Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the Republican chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, has worked with the territory and the Obama administration in drafting the legislation. But Bishop has expressed concerns that the territory hasn’t turned over audited financial statements, saying the only way to obtain them is through a strong control board. “There is broad agreement that the Puerto Rican government lacks the capacity to affect change over its finances,” Bishop said after a February hearing on the issue. A spokesman for Bishop said the legislation will be released next week. A committee vote is expected in April. Three Senate committees introduced legislation in December that also would create an authority to oversee the territory’s finances, but none of the panels have yet considered it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not said if the Senate will move a bill. Meanwhile, this week the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the island’s financially struggling public utilities should be allowed to restructure their debt. Puerto Rico lawmakers passed their own law in 2014 to help cash-strapped utilities meet obligations to bondholders and creditors. But a federal district court agreed with creditors in ruling that the local measure is not allowed under federal bankruptcy law. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.