FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man found guilty of manslaughter A 47-year-old man from Fort Myers has been found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing his neighbor multiple times in 2022.
SNIP Collier volunteer traps her 1000th feral cat A Spay and Neuter Initiative Program has reached a milestone as a Collier County volunteer has captured 1,000 feral cats.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City man sentenced to 5 years for possessing child sexual abuse material A St. James City man has been sentenced to five years for possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
CAPE CORAL Sword-wielding Cape Coral man accused of threatening person with Molotov Cocktail The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man who allegedly threatened another person with a sword and Molotov Cocktail.
PORT CHARLOTTE Tampa Bay Rays announces spring training season in Port Charlotte The Tampa Bay Rays have announced spring training ticket information for the 2025 spring season in Port Charlotte.
Fort Myers Job Fair set to begin; on-site interviews and offers possible The Fort Myes Job Fair is set to begin, with over 100 openings available from various employers.
the weather authority Tracking rain and storms for your Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a strong cold front along with rain and storms throughout your Wednesday afternoon.
Man arrested following intense vehicle pursuit; accused of shooting into pregnant girlfriend’s home The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man accused of shooting into his pregnant girlfriend’s home and leading law enforcement through a multi-county pursuit.
ESTERO Everblades head coach Brad Ralph captures 500th career win Florida Everblades head coach Brad Ralph becomes just the fourth coach in ECHL history to record 500 career regular season wins.
Vehicle pursuit in Charlotte County ends in crash A pursuit between the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and a vehicle on Interstate 75 ended in a crash.
Red tide looms off Southwest Florida coastline Beware of the beach! Red tide is making its way towards Southwest Florida once again.
FORT MYERS BEACH $1.2 million approved for repairs for FMB and Sanibel schools This hurricane season left an expensive mess at Fort Myers Beach Elementary and the Sanibel school, but who’s paying the $1.2 million price tag?
FORT MYERS Teen carjacks woman after escaping mental health facility A teenager accused of carjacking a woman in a church parking lot on Friday had just escaped from a facility where he was being held under the Baker Act, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Teachers union raises issues with Lee County School District after arbitration Being a teacher is just like any other profession. Teachers need to take days off, get sick, and sometimes cover for co-workers.
FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man found guilty of manslaughter A 47-year-old man from Fort Myers has been found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing his neighbor multiple times in 2022.
SNIP Collier volunteer traps her 1000th feral cat A Spay and Neuter Initiative Program has reached a milestone as a Collier County volunteer has captured 1,000 feral cats.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City man sentenced to 5 years for possessing child sexual abuse material A St. James City man has been sentenced to five years for possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
CAPE CORAL Sword-wielding Cape Coral man accused of threatening person with Molotov Cocktail The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man who allegedly threatened another person with a sword and Molotov Cocktail.
PORT CHARLOTTE Tampa Bay Rays announces spring training season in Port Charlotte The Tampa Bay Rays have announced spring training ticket information for the 2025 spring season in Port Charlotte.
Fort Myers Job Fair set to begin; on-site interviews and offers possible The Fort Myes Job Fair is set to begin, with over 100 openings available from various employers.
the weather authority Tracking rain and storms for your Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a strong cold front along with rain and storms throughout your Wednesday afternoon.
Man arrested following intense vehicle pursuit; accused of shooting into pregnant girlfriend’s home The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man accused of shooting into his pregnant girlfriend’s home and leading law enforcement through a multi-county pursuit.
ESTERO Everblades head coach Brad Ralph captures 500th career win Florida Everblades head coach Brad Ralph becomes just the fourth coach in ECHL history to record 500 career regular season wins.
Vehicle pursuit in Charlotte County ends in crash A pursuit between the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and a vehicle on Interstate 75 ended in a crash.
Red tide looms off Southwest Florida coastline Beware of the beach! Red tide is making its way towards Southwest Florida once again.
FORT MYERS BEACH $1.2 million approved for repairs for FMB and Sanibel schools This hurricane season left an expensive mess at Fort Myers Beach Elementary and the Sanibel school, but who’s paying the $1.2 million price tag?
FORT MYERS Teen carjacks woman after escaping mental health facility A teenager accused of carjacking a woman in a church parking lot on Friday had just escaped from a facility where he was being held under the Baker Act, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Teachers union raises issues with Lee County School District after arbitration Being a teacher is just like any other profession. Teachers need to take days off, get sick, and sometimes cover for co-workers.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (CBS) – A narrow ribbon of road linking the Florida Keys with the mainland is the front line in a renewed fight against maggots that can eat livestock and pets alive. Near a Key Largo visitors’ center painted with larger-than-life tropical fish and sea turtles, northbound drivers with animals must stop for agriculture officials checking for signs of New World screwworm. The parasite once cost the U.S. livestock industry millions every year. There hadn’t been a U.S. infestation in over 30 years, until the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed Sept. 30 that screwworm was killing rare, dog-sized deer found only in the island chain. The source of the infestation isn’t known, but the Keys’ isolation may help stop screwworm from spreading again, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said. “We are obviously in a more remote part of the state with one way in and one way out,” Putnam said Monday in Key Largo. Fifty years ago, Florida’s fight against screwworm pioneered a kind of birth control for insect pests – a technique that’s potentially useful against Zika and other mosquito-borne viruses. What are screwworms? New World screwworm, or Cochliomyia hominivorax, are about the same size as common houseflies as adults, but have orange eyes. They only lay eggs near open wounds in warm-blooded animals. Unlike most maggots, these larvae feed on living flesh. They don’t fly very far, but infected animals can spread infestations if they move to new areas. Livestock and pets are most at risk, but human infections can occur in rare instances. Screwworm flies are found throughout South America and a handful of Caribbean countries. Miniature deer Key deer are a unique subspecies of white-tailed deer about 3 feet tall at the shoulder – the size of a large dog. Found only in the Florida Keys, their population rebounded from just a few dozen in the 1950s to a herd of roughly 1,000 now. Key deer remain endangered by increasing traffic and development, along with hurricanes and rising sea levels. About 30 Key deer have been found dead or have been euthanized in the last two weeks because of screwworm, said National Key Deer Refuge Manager Dan Clark. Refuge records indicate at least another 30 deer deaths over the summer were linked to screwworm. The summer mating season possibly left Key deer more susceptible to infestations. “The males are fighting now. Their hormone levels are high and they’re running around jousting with each other,” Clark said. “Most of the deer that we’ve had to work with have been males with head wounds and infestations there.” Sterilizing screwworms Agriculture officials announced the release beginning Tuesday of millions of male screwworm flies, sterilized with radiation, to mate with wild female flies in the refuge. Any eggs produced won’t hatch, killing the fly population over time, said Cris Young, a veterinarian with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The screwworm’s life cycle is about 24 days. The releases may continue twice weekly for six months, Putnam said. Chemical treatments are available for infested cattle and pets, but the sterilized insects are so effective that pesticides aren’t necessary, Young said. Any suspected cases of screwworm should immediately be reported to 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352)