Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plansFDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
Cropped Photo: Army Medicine / Wikipedia / CC BY 2.0 / MGN Nearly every weekday morning for 16 weeks William Lower woke long before dawn and hit the pavement. Most mornings, the Cape Coral VPK teacher said he would get up around three o’clock to be back in time to help get his daughter off and ready for school before his wife had to leave for work. All the dedication and discipline in his training had a purpose. Lower was hoping to run the Fort Myers Marathon on November 5, in memory of his mother who died of brain cancer his senior year in high school. “I remember the last time she saw me run. My coach just kept saying do it for her, and that stuck with me,” Lower said. The marathon would have been the first, and would have been on the 20th anniversary of his mother’s death. Just 9 days before the race, Lower and hundreds of other participants got an email that the race wouldn’t be taking place. The organizer, Sunshine State Races, said in the email that it was choosing to postpone the race due to construction along McGregor Boulevard and negative impacts by news media regarding Hurricane Irma. The company has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau and more than a dozen complaints. The complaints describe two other races, one in New York and one on Fort Myers Beach that were canceled less than a week before the events. Consumers wrote BBB stating that they could not get refunds for registration fees. Runners that signed up for the November 2017 Fort Myers Marathon and Half Marathon were given a choice to transfer their registration to a race in Palm Beach in December; a half marathon in Fort Myers in March; or to the full marathon in Fort Myers that is being planned for November 2018. None of these options helped runners like Noreen Graf who said she spent thousands of dollars in travel arrangements to come from Texas with her family. Graf registered just one day prior to receiving the email that it wouldn’t be happening. “I knew that they had to know the race was going to be canceled so that registration should have been shut down,” said Graf. Emails between the race organizer and the City of Fort Myers permitting staff show that as early as September 22, there were discussions about moving the race to a different date. The construction issue on McGregor Boulevard had been brought up by the city as early as June 30, according to emails. The company also had not applied for a county permit, which would have needed to be to approved by October 5, according to a spokesperson for the county. John Mathews, the owner of Sunshine State Races, said it is not unusual for race planners to actively collect registrations while they are still working to get all of their permits. He said he was looking into all of his options to either re-route the race or move the date. He would not comment on other canceled races, but said he would respond to the BBB complaints. For runners who had registered for the Fort Myers Marathon, Mathews said they need to email support@sunshinestateraces.com to either ask for a refund or let him know if they want registration transferred to either the March or November races in Fort Myers. The Better Business Bureau of West Florida said complaints about lost race registration for canceled events is a complaint they are seeing more frequently. “One of the big key elements for consumers is checking the venue and verifying. If you contact the venue and ask them about the event and they have no clue its happening then that’s your first red flag,” said Bryan Oglesby, director of public relations and outreach for the BBB West Florida. He emphasized the importance of always checking for BBB complaints before signing up for a race and using their guide to selecting a run. Lee County still has not received a permit application for Sunshine State Races’ Fort Myers half marathon that’s supposed to be held March 4. Mathews has until one month prior to get that permit approved. The city’s permitting director said most of the paperwork on their end has been turned in already. The November 2018 full marathon is also not yet permitted with the city or the county. Special permitting is required to be in place with Lee County thirty days in advance of an event.