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.
Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash NAPLES, Fla. – Amid a national conversation about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, guidance to how college and university campuses investigate these issues has some fearing for victim safety. Last month, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos issued new guidance to schools on how their Title IX office should investigate complaints of sexual misconduct. Democrats in Washington responded by filing a bill seeking to undo this guidance and mandate rules set up during the Obama administration. The new guidance, reminds schools not to forget about due process to the students accused in complaints and opens the door for them to use a higher standard of evidence in conducting investigations. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, nearly 200 lawsuits have been filed in the last several years against colleges and universities by students who felt they were not given a chance to properly defend themselves against Title IX complaints. But, the guidance is seen by some as a rollback of expanded protections for alleged victims of sexual harassment and violence on campus. âMy major concern is that these investigations will not be conducted in a timely manner, that victims will be forced to be on campus with their accused attackers or harassers,â said Adria Silva, a Naples attorney who has represented student victims and well as accused students against their schools. EVOLUTION OF TITLE IX Title IX was established in the 1970âs to assure that campuses were free of gender discrimination in athletics and academics. The Clinton Administration revised it in 1997, to define sexual harassment as a form of gender discrimination. In 2001, during the Bush administration, the guidance was further tweaked. Part of it instructed schools to protect alleged victims during an investigation by changing class schedules or removing suspected harassers from dorms. It also discussed court rulings that established the extent to which an allegation had to be proven before a school should take more permanent steps to eliminate the problem. Then during the Obama-era in 2011, a “Dear Colleague” letter spelled it more clearly rather than just referencing case law. Schools were reminded to use whatâs known as a âpreponderance of evidenceâ standard, meaning the event âmore than likely occurredâ. In 2014, the department of education issued âquestions and answersâ on the 2011 guidance in hopes of further clarify what schools should be doing to minimize risks on campus. PENDULUM SWINGING TOO FAR? Some say the Obama-era guidance overstepped the due process rights of accused students. Patricia Hamill, an attorney who has represented several accused students, identifies herself as a mother and a feminist who looks at this issue like a lawyer. âI don’t think it does victims of sexual assault any good to have processes that people perceive to be unfair to respondent students, you want integrity in the process for everybody,â said said. Hamill is representing a student against Brandeis University in New England. DOCUMENT: See Brandeis complaint here The suit involves two male students who were in a consensual homosexual relationship for 21 months. After the breakup, the boyfriend of Hamillâs client complained to the Title IX office that portions of their sexual relationship were unwanted. Hamill said an outside investigator looked into the complaint and concluded her client was responsible for sexual misconduct, but he had never been aware of what he was specifically accused of doing wrong. âWhen she asked him, would you wake your boyfriend with kisses in the morning, he answered âyesâ and was found to have taken advantage of the incapacitated state of sleep,â she said. When Brandies motioned to dismiss the case, a judge ruled against it. In an 89 page order, he points out that the school had changed its process after 2011 to remove a variety of protections to accused students. DOCUMENT: Brandeis – Judges order to dismiss Besides a concern for lengthy investigations, victimsâ advocates are also wary about a different evidentiary standard. The 2017 guidance now allows schools to choose between the preponderance of evidence standard and a higher âclear and convincingâ standard. Silva said this standard does not match case law and fears it will cause confusion for schools. But Hamill said she feels most schools will continue to use the preponderance standard. âThere would be on many college campuses be a hue and cry if you went to a clear and convincing standard,â she said. Both Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida Southwestern College said their Title IX offices continue to use the preponderance of evidence standard.