ALVA Woodpeckers build home in 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 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 (CBS MONEYWATCH) Now that health care experts and consumer advocates have had a chance to review a plan by Republican lawmakers to replace Obamacare, answers to burning questions — especially from health care exchange members — are starting to take shape. The proposed changes in the bill, called the American Health Care Act, are by no means final. House Republicans are expecting the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees to take up the legislation this week and move the bill to the full house by early next month. But Republicans have launched the bill with no information from the Congressional Budget Office, which analyses legislation on behalf of lawmakers. As a result, Congress and health care experts are having trouble estimating how much the changes will cost and what effect the changes may have on the number of Americans covered. In short, however, the bill eliminates tax penalties for the uninsured and replaces income-based government subsidies with refundable tax credits based on age. It also makes several changes to the ACA Medicaid expansion program. Here’s a closer look at what the new legislation may mean for health care consumers. If you have a pre-existing medical condition Under the House plan, insurers would not be able to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, and they must charge the same premium as they charge those patients without preexisting conditions. What’s more, like the ACA, the bill calls for no lifetime or annual limits on coverage. What is new The bill requires insurers to charge a 30 percent increase in premiums for consumers who allow their health care coverage to lapse. While this applies to all consumers, it could end up affecting more consumers who sign up for insurance once they have an accident or are diagnosed with an illness. If you opt for no coverage Tax penalties for consumers who refuse to buy health insurance — the individual mandate, as it is known under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — would disappear. Again, if you let your previous insurance policy lapse, you would be subject to the 30 percent surcharge for premiums when and if you decide to buy more coverage. If you buy coverage in the individual market Many of the standards that were mandated by the ACA, including those concerning maternity and preventive care, remain intact under the House bill. However, the measure eliminates the federal premium subsidies for low- and middle-income people, making insurance for many consumers more expensive. The bill would also eliminate the ACA subsidies for out-of-pocket expenses currently available to some people. In place of the subsidies, the House bill provides for refundable tax credits ranging from $2,000 for people below age 30 and $4,000 for people over age 60, with an annual limit of $14,000. The bill also expands the types of coverage eligible for tax credits, which may translate into people using credits to pay for catastrophic or limited care plans. Tax credits would not be available for individuals with $75,000 or more in annual income and married couples with annual income above $150,000. According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a man in his 60s would qualify for more than $6,000 in ACA subsidies, compared to the $4,000 in refundable tax credits. And while the ACA limited the amount insurers could charge older customers to three times what they charge younger participants, the House bill allows insurers to charge five times that amount. If you are part of Medicaid or the Medicaid expansion program U.S. states that opted for Medicaid expansion under the ACA can stick with the expansion until 2020. People who are enrolled at that time would continue to get coverage. New enrollees would not be accepted, and people who move out of the coverage, because of an employment opportunity or other reason, would not be able to return to expanded coverage. In addition, the House bill calls for Medicaid funding to move to a per capita basis, instead of the current system of matching state Medicaid expenditures with federal funding one for one. The per capita formula “sets up payments based on average costs for children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities using 2016 medical costs and trending forward using the medical consumer price index,” explained Michael Miller, strategic policy director at Community Catalyst, a health care advocacy group. Health advocates worry this formula is flawed and could seriously reduce the number of people who receive Medicaid coverage. If you’re covered by your employer Some large employers would no longer be required to offer health insurance under the House bill. It’s unclear what ramifications this would have in the employer-based market and how many people could lose coverage. In addition, the so-called Cadillac Tax may be alive and well under the House bill, at least for the short term. In 2020, the ACA was set to impose a 40 percent excise tax on employer plans that cost more than $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. The House bill would delay this tax until 2025. If you are eligible for a Health Savings Account: The amount you can save in these accounts would increase in 2018 to $6,550 for an individual and $13,100 for a family. If you win the lottery We’re not being facetious. A good number of pages of the House bill are devoted to denying Medicaid payments to lottery winners. That make some sense, but may not be health care consumers’ top priority. The Associated Press contributed to this report.