Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor BoulevardFamily of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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.
FILE: Purple Heart medals, bearing the image of Gen. George Washington, are seen prior to the start of a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington in this April 2007 file photo. AP PHOTO/CHARLES DHARAPAK/FILE Today is Purple Heart Appreciation Day. While the Medal of Honor is still the highest military decoration, the Purple Heart is the oldest. It began as the Badge of Military Merit … an extraordinary piece of American history, created on August 7, 1782. “The Badge of Military Merit is significant, because it is the inspiration for the modern Purple Heart,” said Peter Bedrossian, program director of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, in New Windsor, N.Y. The hall has one of only three known original cloth-and-silk Badges of Merit issued and designed by George Washington himself. “Let it be known,” he ordered, “that he who wears the Military Order of the Purple Heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland, and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen.” One was presented to Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the Continental Army. He crossed Long Island Sound with his company and was awarded the badge. The color purple, said Bedrossian, signified royalty: Purple dye was expensive — the average person couldn’t afford a purple garment — and so purple would signify an elevation of your status above those around you.” After Independence, though, the Merit Badge was forgotten. But in 1932 — on the bicentennial of Washington’s birth — Gen. Douglas MacArthur revived it. It would no longer be a stitched patch, but a medal featuring a bust of Washington and his coat of arms, given to service members killed or wounded by enemy action. “It’s the warrior being honored,” said Bedrossian. “What the warrior goes through remains the same.” Tony Lassiter is one of those warriors; he served in Vietnam. “We were on a convoy and that’s when we were ambushed,” he recalled. “I had two of my soldiers killed.” Nearly two million Purple Hearts have been awarded since 1932. Among the recipients: Michael Clemente’s father. His son, Michael Clemente Jr., brought pictures and paperwork so that his father’s name could be added to the Purple Heart Honor Roll. “He was in the Battle of the Bulge, in a lot of battles,” Clemente Jr. said. As for Tony Lassiter, he keeps his framed … a reminder of his service and sacrifice. “It’s one medal that you don’t want to receive, because you gotta get wounded or killed to receive it,” he said. “But I mean it’s just special to me. Every morning when I walk out that door, there’s my medal hanging there. But there’s a lot of pain to get that medal.” To enroll names in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor’s database of medal recipients, please contact toll free 1-877-28HONOR, or complete their enrollment form (pdf). Instructions for submitting enrollment form (pdf) For more info: National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, New Windsor, N.Y. Military Order of the Purple Heart Military Order of the Purple Heart Services Foundation, Annandale, Va. Badge of Military Merit (George Washington’s Mount Vernon)