lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
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.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
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.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The family of 18-year-old Stef’an Strawder is considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Club Blu and Carrell Corners, the plaza the club is located in, attorney Joe North said Tuesday. The family plans to attempt settling out of court with Club Blu first, North said, otherwise they will file the lawsuit on behalf of Strawder’s estate. North is also representing Sharrell Strawder, Stef’an Strawder’s sister, who was shot in the leg Monday night. The 18-year-old and 14-year-old Sean Archilles were both killed in a shooting outside the club early Monday morning where 18 others were also injured. Late Tuesday afternoon, Terry Pannell and Brandy McLaughlin, two of the security guards at Club Blu at the time of the incident, also released a statement saying they planned to file a lawsuit against Club Blu. “Our position is that the security team put in place for Club Blu was woefully understaffed for the nature of the event and that the procedures put in place by Club Blu put both patrons and event staff in danger,” said Steven E. Martin, attorney for Pannell and McLaughlin. Pannell was shot in the thigh while “pushing the teenagers attending the event back into the nightclub,” the attorney said. A promoter for the club emphasized the shooting did not happen inside, but took place after the party that began on Sunday night wrapped up and teenagers were getting picked up by parents. Since 2014, Fort Myers police say there have been 88 calls for service to Club Blu, most of them for extra patrol. A majority of the calls also came in after midnight. Law enforcement sources say the tragic shooting was the act of an individual who had an argument with another person on social media. The same source adds words were exchanged online which lead to other innocent lives getting caught in the crossfire. “Of course it’s going to be ‘gang related’ but we don’t really call it gangs,” said Dillon Riley who heard the gunshots. “It’s just like any person can get a gun and do it.” Southwest Florida Police Academy cadets scoured the club’s parking lot for clues on Tuesday. Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers said not a single tip had been received in the shooting as of Tuesday afternoon. “People don’t stop to think, think before you do. Stop to think: ‘is this worth my life?'” said Julia Lang who added she’s sick of explaining events, like the Club Blu shooting to her grandchildren. “Is it worth somebody else’s life that you’re going to lose and make a parent mourn for their children because of your stupidity because you decided ‘I got mad at somebody so I’m gonna go kill somebody.'” Derrick Church, 19, Demetrius O’Neal, 19, and Tajze Battle, 22, identified as persons of interest in the shooting, were booked into the Lee County jail Tuesday morning on unrelated charges. Battle walked out of jail Tuesday afternoon after posting his $3,500 bond for resisting an officer without violence. O’Neal did the same on his $5,000 bond early Wednesday morning. Church is being held in jail on $100,000 for charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and fleeing and eluding.