FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
The Gulf Coast Humane Society is going through what every shelter in the country dreads – confirmed cases of Canine Distemper. GCHS has been a leading shelter in herd health over the years, but with the rise of Canine Distemper in the U.S., the disease has found its way to the shelter. “Distemper is a serious infectious disease and we have been following every protocol to make sure our shelter animals are safe and healthy,” said GCHS executive director Jennifer Galloway. “We are committed to practicing the best and safest protocols to keep all of our shelter animals safe.” Canine Distemper is a virus which is contracted through airborne exposure, such as coughing and sneezing, or by touching another surface which was exposed by an infected animal. What makes canine distemper so dangerous is the animal can start shedding the virus seven days before symptoms start showing. Symptoms include pus-like discharge from the eyes, nasal discharge, fever, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite and vomiting. Distemper is often fatal. The virus attacks the animal’s respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, the latter causing seizures, muscle twitches, convulsions with jaw chewing movements and/or partial or complete paralysis. The Distemper cases resulted after GCHS helped out other shelters affected by Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina. Out of the five dogs GCHS took in from these shelters, two ultimately were infected with Canine Distemper. The dogs which were brought into GCHS, had their two vaccinations and were titer tested. GCHS is currently being advised by the University of Florida’s Maddie’s Shelter Medicine program. Dr. Cynda Crawford of the University of Florida, is an infectious disease expert and is helping layout a plan to make GCHS Distemper free. It will be a tireless process, but one which needs to be followed to a “T”, Galloway said. “I commend GCHS for partnering with shelters impacted by the recent hurricanes to offer their dogs a safe haven,” Dr. Crawford said. “Unfortunately, such good deeds come with risk for bringing in a contagious disease, despite best efforts to reduce this risk. GCHS is committed to supporting the full recovery of the distemper-infected dogs so they have that second chance at life the shelter promised when they took them in. I hope the community rallies around them, specifically in adopting the dogs when they are ready.” GCHS has been proactive in keeping the community informed about all the diseases which have been exasperated by the slew of hurricanes, starting with Irma. The shelter requires potential adopters who come in and do meet and greets with dogs to initial and sign a worksheet on common shelter diseases and illnesses. The GCHS shelter manager has consistently been in contact via email with adopters to warn them of symptoms of infectious diseases such as parvo, ringworm and Canine or Feline Distemper – all of which have risen in the U.S. due to the hurricanes. “GCHS follows American Veterinary Medical Association shelter medicine guidelines,” Galloway said. “Our shelter is always getting compliments on how clean it is and we always have, and will, maintain those high standards of good herd health.” The only solution to prevent Distemper is vaccinating all of your animals. All potential adopters will need to have vaccinations records of all their pets before adopting from GCHS. “Vaccinating your pets is the only way to eliminate the spread of Distemper,” Galloway said. “Our protocols at GCHS are far above the normal standard, as well. These are threats every shelter in America has to deal with sometime or another and we are doing what is needed to do to for a healthy shelter.” Here are some facts to know about Distemper: Distemper does not spread to humans. The Canine Distemper does not infect cats or kittens. The Distemper vaccine which pet owners are highly recommended to get for their animals, is very effective in preventing the disease. GCHS vaccinates all their shelter animals, as well. Distemper is very hard to detect in its early stages, since it can shed for up to seven days before symptoms start to show. But the disease is treatable if diagnosed at an appropriate time. There also have been financial strains the shelter has been under due to more aggressive cleaning and trying to contain the Distemper virus. Items such as cleaning supplies, medical supplies and preventative measures like disposable gloves, booties and gowns are being used at a much faster rate than normal, thus meaning much higher costs. “Now, more than ever, we need our supporters’ help and donations,” Galloway said. “These are costs we are not normally accruing and being a non-profit organization, those add up.”