the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
NAPLES Collier County students explore trade careers at job fair Hundreds of Collier County students explored potential future careers at the Build My Future Job Fair.
NORTH NAPLES New orthopedic hospital nears completion in Collier County A new orthopedic hospital is nearing completion in Collier County, Florida, with an estimated cost of $140 million.
the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
NAPLES Collier County students explore trade careers at job fair Hundreds of Collier County students explored potential future careers at the Build My Future Job Fair.
NORTH NAPLES New orthopedic hospital nears completion in Collier County A new orthopedic hospital is nearing completion in Collier County, Florida, with an estimated cost of $140 million.
This screen shot shows the GoFundMe page for Michael Cohen, the former lawyer for Donald Trump. The page, created by Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis, is asking the public for help paying for Cohen’s legal defense, and one anonymous donor already has ponied up $50,000. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Michael Cohen is sticking his hand out and asking the public for help paying for his legal defense, and one anonymous donor already has ponied up $50,000. Through his lawyer, Donald Trump’s former “fixer” says collecting contributions through a GoFundMe page set up after his guilty plea this week is the only way to ensure the truth comes out about the president. It’s also the latest sign that Cohen is broke. Trump’s former personal lawyer owes at least $1.4 million to the IRS after pleading guilty Tuesday to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and bank fraud, and has racked up millions of dollars in debt. Because of his plea, he is being forced to give up his New York City taxi medallions, which have shrunk in value as Uber and Lyft shake the industry. “He’s without resources and owes a lot of money,” Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in television interviews Wednesday. Cohen, who once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, commented in court Tuesday that Trump had directed him to arrange payments of $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal to buy their silence about alleged affairs before the election. While Trump denies the affairs, his account of his knowledge of the payments has shifted. In April, Trump denied he knew anything about the Daniels payment. He told Fox News in an interview aired Thursday that he knew about payments “later on.” By Friday morning, the GoFundMe page dubbed the “Michael Cohen Truth Fund” had raised more than $149,000 from about 2,770 donations. Most reaction on social media was incredulous and unsympathetic, but one $5 donor was encouraging, writing: “The USA would love you for your honesty.” Confusion over the web address for the fundraising page, michaelcohentruthfund.com, led someone on Wednesday to anonymously register a shorter version, michaelcohentruth.com, that redirects to Trump’s re-election campaign website. Cohen’s crowdfunding campaign, which has a goal of raising $500,000, could be a way for Cohen to bolster his whistleblower status by appealing to Democrats and others who want to see Trump taken down. It’s not the first time someone who felt wronged by Trump has asked the public to pony up. Fired former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe raked in more than $500,000 in just five days of his legal defense campaign, and Daniels funded her lawsuit against the president with about $500,000 raised from nearly 17,000 donors. Cohen could ultimately need much more to wipe his books clean. Court papers filed in connection with his guilty plea detailed his precarious financial state, as well as his side gigs as a taxicab magnate, high-interest lender and broker of real estate and handbag deals. In one arrangement, according to the papers, Cohen used a line of credit he obtained at 5 percent interest to float a $6 million loan to a Chicago taxi operator at 12 percent interest. Later, when applying for the $500,000 home equity credit line used to finance the Daniels payment, the papers say, Cohen failed to disclose $14 million in medallion-related debt. Cohen and his wife claimed on the loan paperwork that they had a positive net worth of more than $40 million. In April, transaction records show, Cohen put up his multimillion-dollar Trump Park Avenue home — valued at $9 million — as collateral on some of his taxi-related loans. The value of medallions, the physical plates affixed to cabs that owners are required to display, have dropped precipitously in recent years from highs of over $1 million apiece in New York just a few years ago to nearly a quarter of that amount today. Cohen has been involved in the New York City yellow cab industry since the 1990s. He has owned about 30 medallions with his wife and father-in-law, as well as a fleet of 22 cabs in Chicago, records show. Some of them are held through companies with names such as Love Bug Cab Corp. and Tailgater Cab Corp. In addition to his Trump and taxi work, the court papers say, Cohen made $100,000 in 2014 for brokering the sale of a piece of property in a Florida aviation community and $30,000 in 2015 for brokering the sale of a Birkin bag, a highly coveted French handbag. Davis, who is listed as the creator of Cohen’s fundraising page, told The Associated Press last month that Cohen was footing the bill for his defense after pivoting from loyalty to Trump to looking out for himself, but was “thinking of trying to get some help.” A description on the GoFundMe page describes it as a “transparent trust account, with all donations going to help Michael Cohen and his family” as he goes forward with telling the truth about Trump. Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson said crowdfunding campaigns raise ethical concerns because they allow people to contribute to a political cause similarly to a campaign contribution, but without the same transparency and regulation. “Who does the lawyer and client feel grateful to?” said Levinson. “Right now, there is no clear way of finding out.” GoFundMe no longer allows fundraisers to download a list of donor’s information such as email addresses, citing new data protection regulations. Fundraisers can communicate with donors through the GoFundMe site. And although there is an option to make donations appear anonymously on the public-facing part of the website, it appears that the fundraiser can still view the name of these donors. GoFundMe did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The money also could add to Cohen’s already sizeable tax bill. Robert Rizzi, a lawyer specializing in tax and government ethics, said the law is unclear whether Cohen would have to pay taxes on the fundraising proceeds. Taxes would apply if the money counts as income, but not if it’s a gift — but gifts must be given “out of detached and disinterested generosity,” Rizzi said. “There would be an irony in being taxed on money he raised to defend himself for tax evasion,” Rizzi said.