ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
MGN WASHINGTON (AP) – By just about everyone’s estimation, the Federal Reserve will have an announcement to make Wednesday afternoon: It’s raising interest rates. The expected hike, the Fed’s first since last December, will signal its view that the U.S. job market and economy are nearing full health, with the unemployment rate at an unusually low 4.6 percent. It would also mean that rates on some consumer and business loans will likely increase modestly. What no one knows is what the Fed may say about the likely pace of future rate increases or perhaps about the economy’s prospects under the incoming Trump administration. Any answers – or at least hints – could come in a statement the Fed will release, in its updated economic forecasts and in a news conference by Chair Janet Yellen. Whatever message they send, Fed policymakers will have had much to discuss during their two-day meeting, having not met since President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise election victory Nov. 8. Here are three things to watch for after the Fed’s meeting ends: ___ STATE OF THE ECONOMY The Fed most recently raised its key policy rate last December, after having left it at a record low near zero since the financial crisis erupted seven years earlier. In a statement, it will explain its rate decision and its view of the economy. So far, the Fed has expressed the belief that still-low inflation gives it leeway to raise rates at a very gradual pace. Investors will be watching to see if it modifies that view. An especially rosy view, with expectations of a steadily rising job market and inflation edging closer to the Fed’s 2 percent target, could suggest a relatively fast pace of future rate increases. A more cautious outlook, by contrast, would signal that the central bank expects to further raise rates only incrementally. In the arcane world of Fed-speak, seemingly trivial word changes can sometimes have a major impact. Investors will be watching its statement, for example, to see whether the Fed changes its observation that “near-term risks to the economic outlook appear roughly balanced.” Just dropping the word “roughly” would be seen as an upgrade of the Fed’s economic view – and perhaps a signal that it foresees a relatively quickened pace of rate increases. ___ FORECAST AND DOT PLOT Each quarter, the 17 members of the Fed’s policy committee – five board members (there are two vacancies) and 12 regional bank presidents – offer their own individual, but anonymous, forecasts for the economy’s performance. Any significant upgrade Wednesday of those forecasts – for economic growth, the unemployment rate and inflation – could mean the Fed is growing more confident that the economy has strengthened enough to withstand a faster pace of rate hikes. The current 4.6 percent unemployment rate, a nine-year low, is below the 4.8 percent that Fed officials in September had collectively pegged as full employment. And after an anemic first half of the year, economic growth has accelerated in the second half. Another gauge to watch is where the 17 officials foresee the path of their benchmark rate, the federal funds rate. Each official’s expectation is represented as a dot on the rate chart. Fed officials stress that the chart is merely a projection of where rates might go and is not a pledge of any kind. A year ago, for example, the “dot plot” suggested that the Fed would raise rates four times in 2016. Yet a rate hike Wednesday would be the first this year. In September, the Fed officials projected one rate hike for 2016 and two each in 2017 and 2018. Some economists are now revising their own forecasts to show three or even four rate increases for next year if Trump succeeds in getting his economic program through Congress and the program begins to accelerate the economy. Once inaugurated, Trump will have the authority to immediately fill the two vacancies on the Fed’s board. Those new officials could have a key role in influencing future rate decisions. ___ YELLEN’S VIEW After the Fed’s announcement, Yellen will take questions from reporters, who will seek details about the Fed’s discussions, its economic outlook and its thoughts on the Trump administration. If history is a guide, expect Yellen to be exceedingly cautious in discussing how the Fed may or may not fine-tune its policymaking in response to Trump’s plans to slash taxes, ease regulations, speed infrastructure spending – and possibly try to diminish the Fed’s independence. Since Trump’s victory, stock markets have rallied, sending stocks to record highs, while bonds have absorbed losses on expectations of higher inflation and interest rates. Investors appear to be betting that the economy will strengthen along with corporate profits. A faster-growing economy could mean more rapid rate hikes from the Fed. Yellen, though, will likely tread carefully in her assessment of the Trump agenda’s likely impact on the economy, in part because the president-elect’s agenda could undergo significant revision in its path through Congress. The Fed chair may be less hesitant to reject Republican proposals in Congress to rein in the Fed’s authority and independence. These efforts include a proposal to authorize Congress’s auditing arm to review the Fed’s rate decisions and require it to establish a formula to use in setting its policies. Yellen has criticized all those proposals, arguing that restricting the Fed’s political independence would be a serious error, with possibly dangerous consequences for the economy.