16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier CountyNew bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
7-month-old Emma Grace Kennedy (left), Carl Ray Kennedy, 51 (right). A kidnapped infant was found safe Tuesday and her sex offender father was arrested after a two-day manhunt that began when he assaulted the baby’s mother with a knife, authorities said. Emma Grace Kennedy, who is seven months old, appeared to be in good health and was being evaluated at a hospital, the Danville Police Department in Virginia said in a news release. Carl Ray Kennedy, the girl’s father, was arrested with the baby in Randleman, North Carolina, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of where the abduction took place Sunday evening at a gas station in Danville, police said. Virginia State Police had issued an Amber Alert early Monday stating that the infant was in “extreme danger.” Previous story: Authorities in Virginia have issued an AMBER Alert for a 7-month-old baby girl Kennedy, 51, is a registered sex offender with a long criminal history, police said. Before the alleged abduction, he was out of jail on a $250,000 bond on a drug distribution charge. An aunt of the girl said she believed that Kennedy was capable of harming his daughter. “At his age and his health, I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Amy Wyatt Metzger, a sister of Krysten Murphy, the baby’s mother, said Tuesday before Kennedy’s capture. “He’s said things alluding to harming her or the family or the baby,” said Metzger, who lives in Virginia Beach. “Things like, ‘I’m going to blow up your family’s house. If I can’t be with the baby, you can’t either.'” Metzger said Kennedy had been harassing Murphy and her family in person, by phone and on social media since losing custody of the girl a couple months ago. Murphy and Kennedy had lived together for about a year and a half in Randleman, North Carolina, which is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Raleigh, Metzger said. After they split up, Murphy moved in with her mother in Danville, Virginia, which is where police say the abduction occurred. Before Kenney’s capture, Metzger said her sister was “totally just freaking out and beside herself” and felt that she was to blame. “It’s just gut-wrenching,” Metzger said. Kennedy is registered as a sex offender in Asheboro, North Carolina, which about 70 miles (115 kilometers) south of Danville. North Carolina incarceration records show Kennedy was convicted in 2014 on a felony charge of strangulation and a charge of misdemeanor sexual battery. Sexual battery means he engaged in sexual contact with someone against his or her will or with someone who was mentally disabled or physically incapacitated, according to the state’s criminal code. Kennedy was required to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Assistant Chief Mark Lineberry of the Asheboro Police Department told the Courier-Tribune of Asheboro that the charges stemmed from a report by a woman that Kennedy assaulted her at a home. Kennedy has an active warrant for failure to register as a sex offender, said sheriff’s Capt. Jason Chabot in Randolph County, where Asheboro is located. In March, Kennedy was arrested on drug charges, including felony possession of cocaine. The Courier-Tribune reports he was living in nearby Randleman when he was arrested. Kennedy had met Murphy, the mother of his daughter, a couple of years ago at a nursing home, her sister said. She was a certified nursing assistant and he was a patient in poor health, reportedly from a boating accident, Metzger said. “Carl does not have anywhere to live,” Metzger said of Kennedy’s most recent living situation. “To the best of our knowledge, he has been floating around at friends’ houses, wherever he can stay. He was evicted in March because he incarcerated at that time.”