Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhoodWarm afternoon with stray showers possible inland
CAPE CORAL Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department is responding to a scene located at Southwest 45th Street and Pelican Boulevard.
The Weather Authority Warm afternoon with stray showers possible inland The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer Wednesday afternoon with a chance for stray showers, primarily inland.
SANIBEL Lee County parents push for clarity on school reopenings post-Milton Parents are demanding answers from the Lee County School District. It’s still not clear when students will return to Sanibel School or Fort Myers Beach Elementary after facing Hurricane Milton.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after hours long standoff in Cape Coral A man is in custody following an hours-long stand-off with Cape Coral police.
SANIBEL Sanibel school parents seek timeline on school reopening A school board meeting to discuss damage at the barrier islands’ schools took place on Tuesday in Lee County.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island police chief gets no confidence vote from union Marco Island Police Chief Tracy Frazzano has received a vote of no confidence from the police union.
Nonprofit organization tests water quality in Charlotte County One local non-profit is working to keep track of Charlotte County’s water quality.
SANIBEL Building Resilience: How Sanibel businesses recover from hurricanes Operating in Sanibel is difficult enough; however, when mother nature interferes, recovering can become a monumental feat.
FORT MYERS BEACH Getting the help you need from FEMA Jeff Keenan has been out of his condo on Fort Myers Beach since Hurricane Ian.
FORT MYERS Cold Case Solved: Man sentenced for 2004 murder of Lee County man A family is now able to have closure after a cold case was solved 20 years after it happened.
MATLACHA The Blue Dog Bar and Grill reopens on Matlacha The Blue Dog Bar and Grill on Matlacha has reopened after being damaged by two back-to-back Hurricanes.
SWFL homeowners investing in water filtration systems After hurricanes Helene and Milton, many homeowners are turning to the trend of adding water filtration systems to protect their plumbing and improve their water quality.
GROVE CITY Boat stuck in Grove City backyard after Hurricane Milton One Charlotte County community is still picking up from Hurricane Milton. The Grove City community is just south of McCall Road.
FGCU FGCU basketball player helps treat others during Peru mission trip FGCU power forward Michael Duax went to Peru on a mission trip in the offseason to help give medical care to those in the country.
WINK NEWS Collier County Public Schools mourns death of student According to the letter, a number of resources will be offered to students in the affected school.
CAPE CORAL Heavy police presence reported in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department is responding to a scene located at Southwest 45th Street and Pelican Boulevard.
The Weather Authority Warm afternoon with stray showers possible inland The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer Wednesday afternoon with a chance for stray showers, primarily inland.
SANIBEL Lee County parents push for clarity on school reopenings post-Milton Parents are demanding answers from the Lee County School District. It’s still not clear when students will return to Sanibel School or Fort Myers Beach Elementary after facing Hurricane Milton.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after hours long standoff in Cape Coral A man is in custody following an hours-long stand-off with Cape Coral police.
SANIBEL Sanibel school parents seek timeline on school reopening A school board meeting to discuss damage at the barrier islands’ schools took place on Tuesday in Lee County.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island police chief gets no confidence vote from union Marco Island Police Chief Tracy Frazzano has received a vote of no confidence from the police union.
Nonprofit organization tests water quality in Charlotte County One local non-profit is working to keep track of Charlotte County’s water quality.
SANIBEL Building Resilience: How Sanibel businesses recover from hurricanes Operating in Sanibel is difficult enough; however, when mother nature interferes, recovering can become a monumental feat.
FORT MYERS BEACH Getting the help you need from FEMA Jeff Keenan has been out of his condo on Fort Myers Beach since Hurricane Ian.
FORT MYERS Cold Case Solved: Man sentenced for 2004 murder of Lee County man A family is now able to have closure after a cold case was solved 20 years after it happened.
MATLACHA The Blue Dog Bar and Grill reopens on Matlacha The Blue Dog Bar and Grill on Matlacha has reopened after being damaged by two back-to-back Hurricanes.
SWFL homeowners investing in water filtration systems After hurricanes Helene and Milton, many homeowners are turning to the trend of adding water filtration systems to protect their plumbing and improve their water quality.
GROVE CITY Boat stuck in Grove City backyard after Hurricane Milton One Charlotte County community is still picking up from Hurricane Milton. The Grove City community is just south of McCall Road.
FGCU FGCU basketball player helps treat others during Peru mission trip FGCU power forward Michael Duax went to Peru on a mission trip in the offseason to help give medical care to those in the country.
WINK NEWS Collier County Public Schools mourns death of student According to the letter, a number of resources will be offered to students in the affected school.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 photo, a sea turtle named Captain swims in her tank at Mote Marine in Sarasota, Fla., Captain has been at Mote Marine, since 2014 so that she could be rehabilitated and work on her diving and floating skills after being hit by a boat many years ago. She now has weights on the back of her shell to help her but she will never be able to be released back into the wild. She was transferred to Broward County’s yet-to-open Carpenter House Marine Environmental Education Center on Jan. 4. (Rachel O’Hara/Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP) HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) – Captain the sea turtle smacked her flippers together as she was lifted out of her tank at Mote Marine Laboratory Wednesday morning. It was likely the last time she would see the aquarium that’s been home for more than two and a half years. After a nearly four-hour drive, which Captain spent in a foam-padded kiddie pool, she had arrived at her new spot: Broward County’s yet-to-open Carpenter House Marine Environmental Education Center. For a turtle that was only supposed to be at Mote for three to six months, Captain made quite the impression on employees and volunteers. At her Wednesday transport, interns Hayley Richardson and Liz Thrun posed the turtle with signs they had made reading, “Booty-licious, we love you Captain!” Richardson also cut out rainbow-colored letters spelling the turtle’s name and placed them by her tank. “She’s a good education ambassador and she never fussed going from one environment to another,” said Mote rehabilitation and medical care coordinator Lynne Byrd, who worked extensively with the turtle. “All the docents and interns and volunteers fell in love with her.” Captain arrived at Mote in March 2014 after a cycle of aquarium care and release. She was initially found stranded on a Florida beach after a boat injury, then was sent to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, where she was eventually deemed releasable into the wild. But only a month later, she was found stranded again. At that point, she was taken to Mote, where it was hoped she would still eventually be released, Byrd said. The boat injury caused buoyancy issues, despite weights that Mote added to the back of her shell. She also had an unexpected habit: eating sand and pebbles from the bottom of her tank, which complicated her floating and diving. In 2015, Mote concluded that Captain could not be released into the wild, leaving the decision to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the agency responsible for finding a permanent home for non-releasable sea turtles. A few months ago, the aquarium learned that the sea turtle had what animal lovers call a “forever home” where Captain would be the first – and possibly only – resident. The Carpenter House is a historic home repurposed as a marine education center through a collaboration between the Broward County Parks Department and Nova Southeastern University. The house’s full-size swimming pool was remodeled into a space for Captain. The FWC has “been involved with the design and permitting of the pool and everything else to ensure it’s everything a sea turtle needs … and probably a little bit more,” said the facility’s director, Derek Burkholder. Captain’s debris-eating days are over. “We don’t have any sand and pebbles or anything in there, so it’s just a flat, clean bottom,” Burkholder said. The Carpenter House is to open March 3. Not everything will be unfamiliar: Captain will be reunited with the Carpenter House’s caretaker, Amy Hupp, who previously worked with the turtle at the Georgia center. “We’ve been working on this opening for a while,” said Cyndy Baker, public communications manager at Broward County Parks and Recreation. “This is an educational opportunity for people who are around here and visiting – it’s very exciting.”