Fort Myers debates fluoride in water as city council vote looms TuesdayGator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday night
FORT MYERS Fort Myers debates fluoride in water as city council vote looms Tuesday The debate over fluoride in drinking water has been reignited following an announcement by the Florida surgeon general urging cities to halt fluoride treatment.
ESTERO Gator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday night Imagine glancing out your back door and seeing a gator sliding around on your deck. That’s exactly what happened to an Estero homeowner who found an unexpected visitor on their property.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers crash leaves motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries A motorcyclist is in critical condition following a collision with a sedan at the intersection of North East Pine Island Road and Judd Creek Boulevard in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane Ian recovery delays impact tourism and local businesses Fort Myers Beach is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck over two years ago.
FORT MYERS Alliance for the Arts hosting Jazz on the Green, celebrating historic music genre Catch Grammy winners and jazz virtuosos at the Jazz on the Green event hosted by the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
BONITA SPRINGS Will San Carlos Estates merge with Bonita Springs? Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers debates fluoride in water as city council vote looms Tuesday The debate over fluoride in drinking water has been reignited following an announcement by the Florida surgeon general urging cities to halt fluoride treatment.
ESTERO Gator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday night Imagine glancing out your back door and seeing a gator sliding around on your deck. That’s exactly what happened to an Estero homeowner who found an unexpected visitor on their property.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers crash leaves motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries A motorcyclist is in critical condition following a collision with a sedan at the intersection of North East Pine Island Road and Judd Creek Boulevard in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane Ian recovery delays impact tourism and local businesses Fort Myers Beach is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck over two years ago.
FORT MYERS Alliance for the Arts hosting Jazz on the Green, celebrating historic music genre Catch Grammy winners and jazz virtuosos at the Jazz on the Green event hosted by the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
BONITA SPRINGS Will San Carlos Estates merge with Bonita Springs? Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA – FEBRUARY 02: Punxsutawney Phil is held up by his handler for the crowd to see during the ceremonies for Groundhog day on February 2, 2018 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow. Groundhog Day is a popular tradition in the United States and Canada where people await the sunrise and the groundhog’s exit from his winter den. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his den. Early spring arrives if he does not see his shadow, causing Phil to remain above ground. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) Punxsutawney Phil predicts spring will come early. Don’t get too excited, though — he’s usually wrong. Thousands of people gathered Saturday at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch the famous groundhog emerge from his burrow and deliver his highly anticipated forecast. As the legend goes, if Phil sees his shadow, he considers it an “omen” of six more weeks of bad weather and heads back into his hole. If it’s cloudy and he doesn’t, you can put away that winter coat sooner than expected. The groundhog doesn’t have the best track record It’s a Groundhog Day tradition that stretches back more than a century. But even though Phil has been in the weather-prediction business for more than 130 years, he doesn’t have a stellar track record. To be fair, it’s a pretty tough job. Trying to predict a month and a half of weather for a country with vastly different regional climates is no small feat. Still, you think he’d have the hang of it by now. In the past decade, Phil has predicted a longer winter seven times and an early spring three times. He was only right about 40% of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which says the groundhog shows “no predictive skill.” “You’re better off trying to decide what the rest of February and March will look like by flipping a coin,” CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said. But the people who know Phil best don’t exactly see it that way. A.J. Dereume, one of the groundhog’s handlers, insists Phil’s predictions have a 100% accuracy rate — they just get lost in translation. According to lore, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is the only person who can interpret Phil’s message. So every year, the groundhog sits on his tree stump and conveys his prediction to the club president, who then directs the vice president to read from a scroll that corresponds with the year’s forecast. “Phil is the one deciding whether or not he’s seen the shadow,” Dereume says. “It’s not up to us. All we do is deliver his message.” Either way, human forecasters don’t mind having the alternate prediction out there in case their own projections go askew. “People like to have something to blame for the weather, and the groundhog is the perfect thing to blame,” Jones said. “It’s better than blaming your meteorologist.” Why a groundhog makes weather predictions So, why do Americans look to a groundhog for a weather forecast? The tradition has its roots in a Christian religious holiday called Candlemas Day, dating back to ancient times. It was celebrated midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Later, people across Europe took their candles to church on February 2 to have them blessed, believing it would bring good tidings through the winter, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Over time, the tradition evolved to incorporate weather. A sunny sky on February 2, superstition held, would mean a cold and stormy remainder of winter, while a cloudy sky meant a quicker warm-up. When the tradition spread to Germany, a hedgehog — and its shadow sightings — joined the mix. And when German settlers arrived in the colonial America, they relied on the more plentiful groundhog to do the work. Fast-forward to 1887, when an editor of a Punxsutawney newspaper declared Phil America’s official weather-predicting groundhog. Newspapers across the country picked up the story, and the tradition caught on. The ongoing extreme cold We now know Phil’s prediction — but we also have our doubts. So, what do the experts say the next month or so will actually feel like? Well, the past week spread record cold across the United States. More than 200 million Americans experienced temperatures below freezing. The extreme cold polar vortex killed at least 23 people and left others with lasting frostbite injuries. Next comes the thermal whiplash as the bone-chilling cold is expected to melt away through early next week. As for the rest of winter, temperatures over the next six weeks look about average — if not below average in most of the country, Jones said, nodding in the direction of a bit more winter.