Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW GulfFour dead after crash in Lehigh Acres
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
Four dead after crash in Lehigh Acres According to The Florida Highway Patrol, four people are dead after a crash on Lee Blvd. in Lehigh Acres Sunday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mandatory evacuation ordered for Fort Myers Beach The Town of Fort Myers Beach has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire island.
BUCKINGHAM Storm prep supplies selling out across Southwest Florida As Hurricane Milton moves towards Florida’s Gulf Coast, many are springing into action to gather the supplies needed to endure the storm.
Gas stations without fuel in Southwest Florida As Hurricane Milton is approaching the Florida Gulf Coast, residents are stocking up on gas. The following gas stations are out of fuel.
SWFL Florida evacuation orders ahead of Milton There are now mandatory evacuation orders for some barrier islands in Southwest Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis provides latest updates on Hurricane Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference with an update on preparations for Hurricane Milton.
What’s open and closed as Hurricane Milton looms Hurricane Milton strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
Four dead after crash in Lehigh Acres According to The Florida Highway Patrol, four people are dead after a crash on Lee Blvd. in Lehigh Acres Sunday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mandatory evacuation ordered for Fort Myers Beach The Town of Fort Myers Beach has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire island.
BUCKINGHAM Storm prep supplies selling out across Southwest Florida As Hurricane Milton moves towards Florida’s Gulf Coast, many are springing into action to gather the supplies needed to endure the storm.
Gas stations without fuel in Southwest Florida As Hurricane Milton is approaching the Florida Gulf Coast, residents are stocking up on gas. The following gas stations are out of fuel.
SWFL Florida evacuation orders ahead of Milton There are now mandatory evacuation orders for some barrier islands in Southwest Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis provides latest updates on Hurricane Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference with an update on preparations for Hurricane Milton.
What’s open and closed as Hurricane Milton looms Hurricane Milton strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
FILE – In this March 21, 2018 file photo, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington. Investors are eagerly awaiting the updated economic forecasts the Fed will issue when its meeting ends Wednesday, June 13. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year and signaled that it may step up its pace of rate increases because of solid economic growth and rising inflation. The Fed now foresees four rate hikes this year, up from the three it had previously forecast. The central bank on Wednesday raised its key short-term rate by a modest quarter-point to a still-low range of 1.75 percent to 2 percent. The move reflects the economy’s resilience, the job market’s strength and inflation that’s finally nearing the Fed’s target level. The action means consumers and businesses will face higher loan rates over time. It was the Fed’s seventh rate increase since it began tightening credit in 2015, and it followed an increase in March this year. When the Fed last met in May, it left its short-term rate unchanged. But it noted that inflation was edging near its 2 percent target after years of remaining undesirably low. Should inflation eventually pick up, the Fed might move to tighten credit more aggressively. A gradual rise in inflation is coinciding with newfound economic strength. After years in which the economy expanded at roughly a tepid 2 percent annually, growth could top 3 percent this year. Consumer and business spending is powering the economy, in part a result of the tax cut President Donald Trump pushed through Congress late last year. With employers hiring at a solid pace month after month, unemployment has reached 3.8 percent. Not since 1969 has the jobless rate been lower. Beginning in 2008 in the midst of the financial crisis, the Fed kept its key rate unchanged at a record low near zero for seven years. It then raised rates once in 2015, once in 2016, three times in 2017 and now twice this year. The Fed aims to achieve its mandates of maximizing employment and stabilizing prices by lowering rates to spur growth during times of economic weakness and raising rates to slow growth if the economy threatens to overheat. When the Fed tightens credit, it aims to do so without derailing the economy. But if it miscalculates and overdoes the credit tightening, it can trigger a recession. The economic expansion has survived for nine years and is now the second-longest in history. It will become the longest if it lasts past June 2019, at which point it would surpass the expansion that lasted from March 1991 to March 2001. While many economists think the current expansion will exceed the 1990’s streak, some worry about what might occur once the impact of the tax cuts begin to fade and the Fed’s gradual rate hikes begin to curb growth. Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, has suggested that the economy could experience a “growth recession,” in which the gross domestic product slows so much that unemployment starts to rise. The Fed’s pace of rate hikes for the rest of the year could end up reflecting a tug of war between a sturdy economy and the risks to growth, including from a potential trade war that could break out between the United States and such key trading partners as China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico. All those countries have vowed to retaliate against any U.S. tariffs with their own penalties against U.S. goods. A global trade war would risk cutting into U.S. economic growth by depressing American export sales and raising inflation by making consumers and businesses pay more for imports. The Fed’s meeting this week is to be followed by policy meetings of two other major central banks – the European Central Bank on Thursday and the Bank of Japan on Friday. While Japan’s central bank isn’t expected to make any major policy shifts, anticipation is rising that the ECB may outline as early as this week plans to begin paring its bond-buying stimulus program as a prelude to ending them altogether.