Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
FORT MYERS Help identify driver of SUV related to Fort Myers shooting Police hope someone can help identify the driver of an SUV involved in the shooting on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
FORT MYERS Help identify driver of SUV related to Fort Myers shooting Police hope someone can help identify the driver of an SUV involved in the shooting on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
Former Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis. PUNTA GORDA, Fla. An organization funded by taxpayer money voted to spend some of it for the legal defense of Punta Gorda police chief Tom Lewis, state attorney Stephen Russell said. Lewis was charged in February with second-degree misdemeanor culpable negligence after the fatal shooting of retired librarian Mary Knowlton in an August 2016 citizens police academy. He was placed on paid administrative leave one day after the charge came down. Lewis is the president of the Southwest Florida Police Chief’s Association, which receives monies from law enforcement agencies across the region. Only Lewis and two other regular members of the association were present during the vote to fund his legal defense, Russell said. It’s unclear how much money they voted to spend. Russell, who brought the charges against Lewis, resigned from the association after the vote. The text of Russell’s resignation email is below: Members, It has come to our attention that, at the April 20, 2017 meeting of the Southwest Florida Police Chief’s Association, there was a vote to use funds of the Association to supplement the defense of criminal charges that have been brought by the Office of the State Attorney against one of your members, Tom Lewis. It is our understanding that only three of the regular members (highest full-time commanding officers) were present during the vote and one of those was the recipient of the monies, Tom Lewis. The ethical conflict presented by this award of Association funds, some of which are monies paid through the Office of the State Attorney membership dues, for the criminal defense of Tom Lewis and the Office of the State Attorney’s prosecution of criminal charges against Tom Lewis arising out of a tragic set of facts and circumstances cannot be overcome. In addition, the questionable award of 501(c)(3) corporate funds for the purpose of enhancing a private criminal defense fund has placed the Office of the State Attorney and our representative members in a position that continued membership in this Association is impossible. While this office and its members continue to support all law enforcement agencies and officers in their goals of keeping our community safer and protecting our citizens, we cannot support the use of Association funds in this matter. Please accept this communication as the immediate resignation of each of the members of the State Attorney’s Office from the Southwest Florida Police Chief’s Association. We wish all of the individual law enforcement agencies success as we work together in every effort to ensure the safety of everyone in our community. Stephen B. Russell State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit Stephen Romine, an attorney for Lewis, called Russell’s email “misleading.” Lewis neither made nor seconded the motion and abstained from voting, Romine said. The number of people at the meeting constituted a quorum, according to Romine. Russell clarified in a statement Wednesday that while he supports the mission of the association, he views continued affiliation with it as a conflict of interest. The trigger man in the shooting, Lee Coel, was charged with first-degree felony manslaughter and fired from his job as a Punta Gorda police officer. He’s appealing his termination.