Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first timeDeadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Recent tests to the water of Southwest Florida produced no results for toxicity, but the test results also raise concerns about algal blooms and changes to the water ecosystems of Southwest Florida. The tests were taken on June 22 — before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers slowed releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico through the Caloosahatchee River and before algal blooms imploded on the East Coast — at the Sanders Lab of North Fort Myers. Samples were taken from water at the Fishing Pier Fort Myers Beach, the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp and the Franklin Locks. The tests checked for a number of chemical elements that included nitrogen, phosphorus and ammonia and bacteria such as E. coli. The tests also monitored PH levels, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen. After seven days, the results were returned. Low E. coli at all locations was a great sign, according to Darren Rumbold, a professor of Marine Science at Florida Gulf Coast University. But other test results were concerning, Rumbold said. The levels of salinity taken in Punta Gorda could cause stress to organisms, Rumbold said. “The salinity should be higher,” he said. “The habitat is changing and the species you might encounter are changing. We were actually out there last week and caught a Florida Gar, which is a fresh water fish out on the Pine Island Sound. I would have never dreamed in a million years.” Salinity was not the only concern at the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp. The test results also showed a concerning level of ammonia in the water there. The tests returned levels .004 over the numbers considered normal. “The biggest surprise is the ammonia level,” Rumbold said. “I wouldn’t use the word alarming. Concerning? Yes.” The ammonia levels on Fort Myers Beach could create conditions for algal blooms, Rumbold said. The same problem exists in Punta Gorda, he said. “There’s no question there’s a risk of plants blooming,” Rumbold said. The risk would not produce the thick, green algae seen on the East Coast, he said, and the blooms would not create a problem with toxicity. But if weeks pass without a change in ammonia levels: “Phytoplankton could bloom. Microalgae could bloom,” Rumbold said. Out of all the test results, only the Franklin Lock produced typical numbers. “They are unfortunately high for our needs in terms of nutrients but they’re not unprecedented,” Rumbold said. One of the biggest and most apparent problems is caused by color-dissolved organic matter, which is causing the dark, murky color seen at Southwest Florida beaches, Rumbold said. The color-dissolved organic matter can cause bacteria to fester, he said. For all the water woes in Southwest Florida, Rumbold said Lake Okeechobee is not the only water source that is responsible. About a quarter of the water is also coming from the Caloosahatchee River Water Storage project, he said. “All that combined creates the high concentrations,” he said.