Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and falsifying his name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and falsifying his name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
GNU Image/ MGN The Southeast’s largest supermarket chain announced Tuesday that it is changing its employee prescription plan to cover a drug that helps prevent HIV infections, remedying an omission that doctors and gay rights groups said was highly unusual. Publix announced its change in a Twitter reply to Florida state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando-area Democrat who had met with company officials Monday to discuss their refusal to cover Truvada for PrEP. The 6-year-old drug is more than 95 percent effective in preventing the contraction of human immunodeficiency virus, which can cause AIDS. It is usually prescribed to HIV-negative gay men and other people at higher risk of infection. The issue came to light again recently when a website, The Body, noted that a former Publix employee had been denied coverage for PrEP. The Associated Press began reporting on the issue last week but Publix did not respond to numerous calls and detailed messages at that time. Smith tweeted about his meeting with Publix officials late Monday night, saying they confirmed the decision not to cover the drug but would not say if it “was based solely on cost or some absurd moral objection they have to PrEP.” Early Tuesday, Publix replied that it had reconsidered its position and would cover PrEP, saying the company is “committed to the health and well-being of our associates and families.” Publix did not immediately respond to calls from the AP on Tuesday. Publix officials told Smith during the meeting that the company doesn’t usually cover prescriptions to treat a condition an employee might get in the future, but he pointed out it does cover birth control. He said he walked them through a situation where an HIV-negative employee is in a relationship with someone who is HIV-positive. Covering the employee’s PrEP is both morally and financially sound, he said. “I think they know and understand that this is the right thing to do for their employees,” said Smith, Florida’s only openly gay legislator. HIV specialists and gay rights groups say the drug is almost universally covered by large employers who provide prescription drug coverage for their workers. Gilead Sciences, its manufacturer, estimated U.S. usage at 120,000 people last year. Dr. David Holland, chief clinical officer for communicable diseases at the Fulton County Board of Health in Atlanta, said that since 2015 the county’s HIV prevention program has prescribed Truvada for PrEP 255 times. He confirmed that the former Publix employee, a Georgia resident, had been denied coverage – the only such case he’d seen. Holland said some patients take it for a short time when they are at highest risk; others, for years. The former employee told the AP last week that he left Publix at the end of 2016 after being with the company for a year, primarily over the drug issue. He said his new employer pays for his PrEP prescription, which costs about $1,500 a month for individual buyers. Insurance companies typically negotiate discounts with pharmacies. The man asked that his name and occupation be withheld to protect his privacy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the average lifetime cost of treating a person who becomes HIV positive at 35 is $449,000. That does not include treating anyone else the person might infect. Publix has 188,000 employees at 1,169 stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. The chain usually scores well on surveys of customer and employee satisfaction but has received low scores from the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group. It called Tuesday’s decision “a positive step.” Smith said Publix scores low with the group because it does not include protections for gay or transgender people in its anti-discrimination policies and didn’t recognize same-sex relationships until just before gay marriage became legal in Florida. Scott Schoettes, HIV project director at Lambda Legal, a gay rights organization, said it is unclear whether companies are legally required to cover Truvada for PrEP. He said a refusal might be considered unlawful discrimination against a person’s sexuality or HIV status, but no case has gone to court. He said he is unaware of any other large employer refusing to cover Truvada for PrEP. “Whether or not it is illegal, it is misguided from both a health perspective and an economic perspective. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that it is better and cheaper if someone isn’t infected,” he said. Federal law requires insurers cover treatment for clients who are HIV positive. As preventative measures and education have improved, the CDC says the number of U.S. residents contracting HIV dropped to 37,600 in 2014, the latest year available – an 18 percent decline since 2008. Still, about 1.2 million people in the U.S. are HIV positive and 6,721 people died of AIDS or HIV in 2014 – an 87 percent drop since fatalities peaked at 50,877 in 1995, just before the first treatments became widely available.