New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashesNew leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Long-awaited test results showing elevated levels of arsenic in Dunbar have been released. But for those without advanced scientific degrees, deciphering the four lengthy certified reports the city posted on its website is easier said than done. “It’s like Greek to me,” nearby resident Janice Watkins-Brown said. “You just looking at figures and numbers and that’s not explaining anything.” The area bounded in red shows the site in Dunbar where sludge from a water treatment plant was disposed of. Test results showed elevated levels of arsenic in 2007, and in the groundwater in 2012, but those results weren’t public until earlier this year. Uproar over the city’s lack of disclosure led to the latest round of tests, but the city again came under fire when it labeled preliminary results showing elevated levels of arsenic in 4 of 6 wells as “inconclusive” and failed to release them to the public for weeks. The Florida Department of Florida Environmental Protection criticized the city’s handling of those results in a letter to City Manager Saaed Kazemi, and Sen. Bill Nelson chastised the city in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt. Kazemi said the city didn’t release the preliminary results because they were waiting for the findings to be certified and reviewed by a consultant. Watkins-Brown’s husband died of cancer 14 years ago, and now she wonders if the toxic sludge site played a role. “They really need to come out and explain whether it’s dangerous, is it affecting people’s health?” Watkins-Brown said. Nearby resident Milton Johnson wants to know how bad things are in the soil near his home. “You just look at a lot of writing and stuff like this, to me it just don’t make sense,” Johnson said. City leaders plan to hold a public meeting next month to discuss the certified results. WINK News reached out to at least a dozen environmental consulting companies to decipher the results, but all have yet to respond. UPDATE AS OF 7 P.M. GFA International Inc., the geological firm that performed the tests, notified the city Tuesday morning that one of the monitoring wells installed last week for testing had been tampered with, according to the city. The top of the well had been twisted off, causing it to fill with sand, the city said. The firm’s well driller confirmed it has since been repaired. Testing on the well will resume Wednesday, the city said. The Fort Myers Police Department plans to increase patrol in the area. The incident is not expected to delay the schedule of GFA International Inc. delivering the initial groundwater and soil test results in January 2018, the city said. DUNBAR TOXIC SLUDGE SITE TIMELINE June 12 – Former toxic dump site in Dunbar exposed by the media June 14 – Fort Myers mayor responds to dump site arsenic claims June 23 – City council announces plan to clean up former toxic dump site July 17 – City officials pledge more transparent approach July 18 – Fort Myers mayor at loss over why site was kept secret July 25 – Residents to sue Fort Myers over former toxic dump site August 2 – Residents voice concerns at public forum August 16 – Department of Environmental Protection begins testing August 23 – Crews replace well at Dunbar sludge site October 18 – Geology firm GFA International begins testing for toxins October 24 – More than 25 residents work with Atty. Ralf Brooks to hold city accountable November 16 – NAACP calls lack of action ‘environmental racism’ November 29 – DEP blasts Fort Myers over handling of Dunbar sludge tests December 1 – Sen. Nelson says residents ‘deserve to know’ Dunbar sludge results December 4 – Fort Myers City Council OKs $150K for legal defense as Dunbar sludge lawsuits loom