SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Naples jet crash, one year later: new details on emergency response Sunday marks one year since a jet crashed after its pilots attempted an emergency landing on I-75 just outside of Naples. “Your mind goes back to everything that happened that day,” said Heather Mazurkiewicz, public information officer with the North Collier Fire Rescue. “I think about the fact that there weren’t more lives lost.” At […]
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
(MGN) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Olympic boxing is bloody again. Men are fighting without headgear for the first time in 36 years, making the sport debatably safer and undoubtedly more attractive to fans. But the most tangible consequence is gore: More than a dozen boxers at the Rio Games have already incurred significant facial cuts in the first six days of the tournament. Algerian middleweight Ilyas Abbadi was unsure how he got the 1 1/2-inch gash outside his left eye during his victory over Congo’s Mpi Ngamissengue on Tuesday, but blood trickled down his face during the bout. The cleaned-up wound still gaped to reveal bloody tissue afterward, and he could only hope his training staff could close it satisfactorily before his next fight Friday. “Now I know the value of the headgear,” Abbadi said through a translator. “I think for the amateurs, that would be better. I would prefer to fight with headgear, but this is how it is.” The Olympics are the amateur game’s biggest showcase by far, and the sport desperately hoped a major cut won’t ruin a fighter’s hopes through medical disqualification. It happened for the first time Thursday, when a 2-inch cut near Armenian welterweight Vladimir Margaryan’s right eye forced the stoppage of his bout with Cuban gold medalist Roniel Iglesias after just 87 seconds. Margaryan’s coach, Karen Aghamalyan, said his fighter already had a cut from his first Olympic bout four days earlier. Ringside physicians couldn’t close the gash when it re-opened in the first minute against Iglesias, who was a heavy favorite. In pro boxing, the sight of blood on a fighter’s face and chest is common – and an undeniable part of the sport’s primal lure. But that visceral reminder of the sport’s inherent violence had been rare in the modern amateur game until the International Boxing Association (AIBA) removed headgear from its fighters in 2013, citing scientific studies claiming protective padding actually increases brain injury. Although AIBA has worked to improve its boxers’ fighting styles to minimize head clashes, cuts have become a steady occurrence at major tournaments ever since, often when two skulls collide in an up-close exchange of punches. The absence of headgear has led to several grisly, compelling scenes in preliminary bouts. Russia’s Adlan Abdurashidov and Algeria’s Reda Benbaziz both were cut Tuesday during their lightweight bout, which was stopped twice in the second round for Abdurashidov to receive medical attention. Blood dripped steadily from Benbaziz’s face in the third. “The guy was using his head a lot, and he received a warning from the judge,” Benbaziz said after winning the decision despite a 2-inch cut through his right eyebrow, which was already swelling moments after the bout. “Yeah, it will affect my next fight, but we will have to fight with an injury. I wish I could be using the headguard.” Abdurashidov could only grimace in frustration, blood caked to his upper chest above his tank top. “The first minute after the cut, it was very uncomfortable for me,” Abdurashidov said. “I took some punches because of my eye. It was from a head-butt. Usually, it’s very good to fight without headgear, but today it was a minus. In general, it’s better for me without.” Abdurashidov echoed the feelings of many fighters, who appear to be roughly split on the change. Despite the risk, many boxers prefer the increased peripheral vision and freedom of movement allowed by an uncovered head. “I don’t like getting cut, but I prefer to fight without headgear,” said Ireland’s David Oliver Joyce, who was left bloodied by a clash of heads in his loss to Azerbaijan’s Albert Selimov. “I’m more of a pro-style boxer, and for the past couple of years, the amateur system suited me.” Amateur boxers began wearing headgear between the 1980 Moscow Games and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Organizers believed the cushions around the skull and cheeks would cut down on concussions and other serious head injuries, but they also protected fighters from bloody damage, allowing them to compete in a multi-fight tournament with almost no cuts. With fighters’ faces hidden behind bulky padding, the amateur sport gradually lost its long-held status as a must-see Olympic event. The headgear era roughly coincided with the move to a computer-based, punch-counting scoring system. Both factors contributed to Olympic boxing’s evolution into a sometimes plodding sport derided as “fencing with gloves,” with fighters rewarded for light punches and elusiveness over power, toughness and combinations. AIBA has returned to a pro-style scoring system since the London Games. The resulting sport is more attractive in almost every manner, and the bouts in Rio have generally been more compelling – but the blood on the fighters’ faces portends a potential problem. Professional boxers get several months of recovery time between bouts. Olympic boxers must fight up to five times in a nine-day span, with no time for significant cuts to heal in any meaningful way. So fighters will punch and pray. Russian bantamweight Vladimir Nikitin bled all over himself while beating Vanuatu’s Boe Warawara on Wednesday. A deep cut in the scalp on the left side of Nikitin’s head sent blood pouring down his face and neck, but he smiled through the reddened mess when his hand was raised in victory. Nikitin believes he’ll have no problem fighting again Sunday.