‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
ALVA SR 31: a dangerous road and persistent safety concern State Road 31 proves hazardous once again, with a recent fatal crash highlighting ongoing safety concerns. The road — particularly the stretch at the Lee/Charlotte county line — has seen numerous crashes, including Wednesday’s incident involving a 19-year-old who died after crashing with a car hauler. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the victim’s […]
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
ALVA SR 31: a dangerous road and persistent safety concern State Road 31 proves hazardous once again, with a recent fatal crash highlighting ongoing safety concerns. The road — particularly the stretch at the Lee/Charlotte county line — has seen numerous crashes, including Wednesday’s incident involving a 19-year-old who died after crashing with a car hauler. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the victim’s […]
Just before 10 on an otherwise typical workday in May 2017, employees on the second flood of an office complex off Metro Parkway had some unexpected visitors. The Fort Myers police department assisted federal and state authorities in a raid of the offices of Vylah Tech, a technical support company. The company’s assets were frozen by court order and all control of it was handed over to a receiver. “We were completely wrongfully accused in this whole thing,” said Angelo Cupo, who founded the company with his father. The Federal Trade Commission and the Florida Attorneys General targeted Cupo’s business as part of a joint investigation dubbed: Operation Tech Trap. The FTC joined forces with Attorneys General in four states to stop alleged deceptive technical support practices. Vylah-Tech, and affiliated companies, is accused of using deceptive pop up advertising instructing customers that their computers have been infected with a virus, and to call an 800 number for support. The company is also accused of deceiving customers who had pre-paid technical support services as part of packages bought with new devices. Those customers told the FTC that when they called for help setting up their devices, they were incorrectly informed that their computers were infected with viruses and would need to purchase additional software. Cupo and his attorney said those allegations are not true and feel the government is wrongly destroying a family run business. He did admit to hiring a private vendor at one time to use pop-up advertising, but said there was nothing deceptive in the content of those messages. He claimed their entire business model has since shifted, and in recent years they did not use pop-up advertising at all. His attorney said employees did not engage in deception over the phone. Cupo feels the court appointed receiver for the company, who is supposed to run the company while the case is ongoing, is running his company into the ground. The phone number for Vyla Tech still rings to an automated answering service with no indication that the company is shut down or being run by a receiver. A notice to contact the receiver, a Miami-based public accounting firm, is posted on the locked door of the office suite once occupied by Vylah-Tech. “When the person is punished before they even have the chance to defend themselves, that’s where the real problem comes in,” said Cynthia Crawford, an attorney for the Cause of Action Institute, who is now representing the Cupo family. Crawford filed a federal appeal to have assets of the business and the family members connected to the business unfrozen. In March, the court issued an order releasing some personal assets of family members. In the government’s response to that appeal, documents indicate that the receiver in charge of taking over Vyla Tech felt there was no way to run the business at a profit without engaging in deceptive practices. Nicole Waide, a former federal prosecutor who is not connected to this case in any way, said the receiver is allowed to stop operating the business if the only way to run it is to use illegal methods. “Normally you’d be notifying customers if that was the case, so I’m not exactly sure what’s going on in this situation,” said Waide. She said the government’s intent in freezing assets and putting a company into receivership is to preserve money that may have been illegally obtained from customers, so ultimately it can be returned to those people. The receiver did not respond to an email from WINK News. The Attorneys General and the Federal Trade Commission could not discuss an ongoing case.