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.
In this Oct. 26, 2016 photo, a nutraloaf, a meal typically given to inmates for misbehavior involving food or bodily waste, sits in front of inmate Kevin Dickens during an interview with The Associated Press at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Del. Dickens holds the dubious distinction of being on a loaf diet for longer than any other Delaware inmate — five consecutive weeks in 2009. Originally sentenced to four years behind bars in 2002 for assault, has been convicted 18 times since then for assault in a detention facility. Without those additional 18 charges, he would have been released in 2006, but he is now looking at a release date of 2051. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) SMYRNA, Del. (AP) – Dinner is served in cellblock 18, and one can’t help but approach it with trepidation. It’s finger food – not even sporks allowed – sitting unadorned on a piece of brown paper. The stuff of legend and lawsuits. “I would equate it to the zucchini bread my mom used to make, except for the surprise pineapple pieces,” said Delaware corrections commissioner Robert Coupe. Prisoner No. 256265 has a simpler description. “Basically, it’s baked slop,” Kevin Dickens said as he picked at a hunk of nutraloaf during a recent prison interview. Dickens is no stranger to the concoction also known as an alternative meal plan. He’s been on a loaf diet for longer than any other Delaware inmate – five straight weeks. Prisons and jails in other states also have served “the loaf” to unruly inmates, typically for misbehavior involving food or bodily waste, but its use is on the decline following years of lawsuits around the country, some equating it to cruel and unusual punishment. Prison officials maintain that the loaf is not meant as punishment. They consider it a behavioral management tool, used in response to disruptive conduct that threatens the safety of prison operations. Nevertheless, the New York Department of Corrections agreed to eliminate its “special management meal” in 2015 as part of a settlement of a broader ACLU lawsuit over prison conditions. Pennsylvania replaced the loaf with bagged meals in October, and Maryland prison chief Stephen Moyer last month rescinded a directive allowing its use following a query by The Associated Press. “The secretary was unaware of the directive … and just believes there are other disciplinary options,” said Maryland DOC spokesman Gerard Shields, adding that the loaf had been used only sparingly. Virginia prison officials still use what they call “diet loaf,” but a corrections spokesman said they do not track its use and declined to provide a copy of related policy guidelines. According to American Correctional Association standards, alternative meal service should be based only on health or safety considerations, meet basic nutritional requirements, and be used for no more than seven days, absent administrative review and approval of a health care practitioner. It’s unclear how many prisons and jails still use the loaf, but Prison Legal News, a project of the nonprofit Human Rights Defense Center, reported last year that at least a dozen state prison systems still have it. “It is my understanding that any use of nutraloaf by prisons and jails around the country is pretty limited,” Jon Nichols, executive director of the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates, said in an email. Delaware, however, is sticking with its alternative diet. Coupe said it was served to 30 inmates in 2015 and to 17 last year. A first occurrence of misbehavior involving food or bodily waste is subject to a nutraloaf diet for three consecutive days. A subsequent occurrence can result in seven more days. Coupe said a decision to order a loaf diet requires a medical review and approval by the warden. Meanwhile, state officials are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Dickens over his treatment in prison, including a claim that he was “constructively starved” when placed on a nutraloaf diet for five consecutive weeks in 2009. “It started to affect my health. I lost like 60 pounds,” said Dickens, who says he suffered from frequent blackouts and low blood pressure. Prison officials maintain that they did not violate Dickens’ rights and that the loaf provides the daily nutrients a prisoner needs. That doesn’t mean it has to taste good. During the AP’s visit with Dickens, prison officials served a loaf for a taste test. “They always bring out the best for the company,” joked Dickens, saying the loaf was moist and well-cooked, with a better consistency than usual. This reporter found the “best” to be a bland, brownish, earthy, suet-like concoction, occupying a culinary space somewhere between a loaf and a casserole. A crumbly, zucchini bread-type mashup gone awry. Not as awful as feared, but sorely wanting some spicing or saucing up. During a follow-up prison visit, the AP got a chance to taste another loaf, which had more of an orange tint, perhaps because of more cheese sauce or carrots, even though kitchen workers follow a strict recipe. This version was far tastier than the first, with prison staffers agreeing it was roughly comparable to lasagna. “It’s all right. It will fill you up,” inmate Antoine Money said after his first taste of nutraloaf. Money, who works as a diet cook in the prison kitchen, has prepared nutraloaf several times for other prisoners but, unlike Dickens, had never tasted it previously. “I think Mr. Dickens was keeping the AMP in business for a while,” food service director Chris Senato said jokingly. Dickens, who was sentenced to four years behind bars in 2002 for assault, has been convicted 18 times since then for assault in a detention facility, often involving flinging bodily waste. Without those additional 18 charges, he would have been released in 2006 but is now looking at a release date of 2051. Dickens says he’s not a trouble maker and that guards frequently bait him and taunt him. “Rules go both ways. Your authority ends where abuse begins,” said Dickens, who has developed a strategy for confronting the loaf: He first goes for the pineapple chunks, then picks around the corners and edges for whatever else he can stomach. “It’s not something you swallow easily,” he said. “After you take two or three bites, you want to gargle and barf.”