Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plansFDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
A police officer guards a haul of drugs that are on display at an Australian Federal Police office in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016. (CNN) (CNN)– Australia police ended a two-and-a-half year drug investigation on Christmas day by busting a cartel and seizing 1102 pounds (500 kilograms) of cocaine. The December 25 bust, along with a seizure of 1336 pounds (606 kilograms) of cocaine from the same syndicate earlier this year, was worth about $259 million (AUD $360 million) and is Australia’s largest ever haul from a single cartel. Police said it was among their 10 largest seizures ever. The investigation, codenamed Operation Okesi, was a joint effort between Australian Federal Police, New South Wales Police and Australia’s Border Force. Speaking beside a table piled high with heavy bricks of drugs, NSW Police Force State Crime Commander Mark Jenkins commended Australia’s law enforcement and border protection agencies for working on bust, even at the cost of missing Christmas with their families. “This job began with a thread of information to the NSW Police Force’s Drug Squad two-and-a-half years ago,” Jenkins said. Drugs seized by Australian police as part of an operation in Brooklyn, NSW, on Christmas Day 2016. (CNN) “What has followed and the results achieved are a powerful example of the impact example of the impact made by the hard work and cooperation of (Australian police).” Fishing boats investigated Police told CNN the cartel was local, but with international connections. It is believed to have been smuggling drugs into Australia via Sydney, on commercial fishing boats. Police dealt the cartel its first bloody nose when they seized 1336 pounds (606 kilograms) of cocaine in Tahiti in March 2016. The drugs were en route to Australia. Drugs seized by Australian police as part of an operation in Brooklyn, NSW, on Christmas Day 2016. (CNN) Earlier this month police followed a large commercial fishing boat out out of Sydney Fish Markets, to the New South Wales south coast. On Christmas night, a one-man boat was launched from the larger vessel and landed at Parsley Bay in Brooklyn, NSW. Investigators closed in, capturing 1102 pounds (500 kilograms) and arresting seven men. Over the next four days, police rounded up eight more men across NSW, Queensland and Tasmania. All fifteen men were locals aged between 29 and 63 years old, and had allegedly been posing as fishermen as a cover for their drug running. Cocaine ‘easy’ to obtain Australia has one of the highest uses of cocaine, by percentage of population, in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. About 2.1% of the population, or around 460,000 Australians, are estimated to have used the illegal drug in the past year, a national survey found. Over the course of their lifetimes, more than 1.5 million Australians say they’ve tried the drug. However, seizures of cocaine by police have also risen dramatically in recent years. According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, between July 2014 and June 2015 there was 3,236 cocaine seizures countrywide, the most since at least 2005. Still, despite police efforts, in a 2014 study of regular injecting drug users, 72 per cent said cocaine was easy to obtain, more than the previous year.