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.
MGN Online FORT MYERS, Fla. – Forty. That’s how many murder cases there have been in Southwest Florida in the last nine months. Only 19 of those cases have been solved between seven law enforcement agencies — some of which perform well while others produce dismal results. The majority of homicides since Oct. 1, 2015 occurred within the jurisdictions of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Myers Police Department. Many of them never resulted in arrest. LCSO has closed less than 50 percent of the 11 murder cases being investigated by deputies. Five of the 11 cases have been closed, meaning a murder investigation ended in arrest or the death of a lead suspect. FMPD’s rate is more alarming at 27 percent: out of 15 murders, the department has only been able to close four cases. LEE COUNTY — 11 HOMICIDES, 5 CLOSED CASES. 45% SOLVE RATE. FORT MYERS POLICE DEPARTMENT — 15 HOMICIDES, 4 CLOSED CASES, 27% SOLVE RATE. CHARLOTTE — 2 HOMICIDES, 2 CLOSED CASES, 100% SOLVE RATE. COLLIER — 4 HOMICIDES, 3 CLOSED CASES, 75% SOLVE RATE. PUNTA GORDA — 2 HOMICIDES, 2 CLOSED CASES, 100% SOLVE RATE. NAPLES — 2 HOMICIDES, 0 CLOSED CASES, 0% SOLVE RATE. CAPE CORAL — 4 HOMICIDES, 3 CLOSED CASES, 75% SOLVE RATE. SANIBEL — 0 MARCO — 0 DESOTO — 0 Two law enforcement agencies with lower murder rates successfully closed each of the two homicide cases: the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Punta Gorda Police Department. There were two homicides in Naples as well, but the Naples Police Department has not solved either of them. David Grossi, a former FBI officer, said there are at least two reasons why murders go unsolved. The first is the lack of physical evidence — evidence that cannot be altered — like forensics, gunpowder residue and DNA. The other reason law enforcement agencies fail to solve murders is a lack of cooperation from witnesses and victims who often fear retaliation. Fear of being targeted by known or suspected killers may have influenced the behavior of Deonte Redding’s friends. Redding was murdered outside a home off Summerlin Road in June 2014. His mother, Angela McClary, said the silence about her son’s murder has been agonizing. “They were supposed to be my son’s so-called friends,” she said. “The longer you stay out there in silence, is a punishment you are doing to the people that are still living.” Redding’s half-brother, Zachary Blue, died next to him — both of them found shot to death inside a car. Neither of those murders are included in statistics dating back to October, but McClary has founded an organization, Parents of Murdered Children, to offer support to the families of murder victims. She is hosting a public membership drive at 7 p.m. Thursday at Followers of Christ Fellowship Ministries, located at 2809 Grand Ave. in Fort Myers.