Fort Myers Beach to test hurricane emergency messaging alertStudents make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach to test hurricane emergency messaging alert The Town of Fort Myers Beach is set to test its CodeRED alert system as hurricane season begins in 31 days.
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.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach to test hurricane emergency messaging alert The Town of Fort Myers Beach is set to test its CodeRED alert system as hurricane season begins in 31 days.
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.
MGN The final defendant in a heroin trafficking conspiracy will spend 12 years in prison following his sentencing in Collier County Circuit Court on Thursday. Circuit Judge Ramiro Manalich sentenced Javier Duarte to prison for trafficking heroin, conspiracy to traffic heroin and structuring transactions to evade reporting or registration requirements prohibited. Duarte was also ordered to pay fines totaling $1 million. Duarte was the last of 19 defendants to be located and sentenced to prison or jail on heroin and cocaine trafficking charges as part of a far-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy in South Florida. Combined, their sentences total 144 years in prison and their fines total $12.25 million. At a press conference Sept. 16, 2015, Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk announced the arrests of 16 of the defendants in connection with the nearly yearlong investigation initiated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office into several drug trafficking organizations responsible for distributing heroin throughout South Florida. Three others, including Duarte, were later arrested on warrants. CCSO partnered with the Office of the State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami Dade Police Department Homicide Street Violence Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations to conduct the operation. The conspiracy was not confined to any single jurisdiction. Arrests were made in Collier, Lee and Dade counties. “The individuals arrested today are all part of drug trafficking organizations that have plagued the citizens of South Florida for decades,” Sheriff Rambosk said at the press conference. “Some have previous arrests and others have evaded arrest. Today’s arrests will severely impact their ability to do business in the South Florida area for some time. Due to the amount of narcotics moved by this organization we believe we have made South Florida a safer place by removing these individuals from the community. “ The investigation was launched in December 2014. Detectives seized or purchased just over 16 ounces of heroin with an estimated street value of $60,800. Those targeted in the operation conspired to traffic approximately 33 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of $2.6 million, or the equivalent of 330,000 dosages. They conspired to traffic 15 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $525,000. They conspired to traffic 1 kilogram of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $32,000. And they conspired to traffic 3,000 oxycodone pills with an estimated street value of $75,000. In September 2015, the joint investigation led to the seizure of approximately $45,000 cash, approximately 39 ounces of heroin valued at approximately $100,000, thousands of Fentanyl tablets with an approximate total package weight of 472.49 grams, thousands of Xanax tablets with an approximate total package weight of 425.16 grams, four; 13 handguns, including four that were stolen; and two rifles and the arrest of eighteen (18) individuals for Trafficking Heroin and Trafficking Cocaine. Duarte was located in Colorado and subsequently arrested on a Collier County warrant on Feb. 12, 2018. Additional defendants previously convicted and sentenced for their role in the operation are: Joshua Isaac Roth of Naples: trafficking in heroin and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Sentence: 15 years prison, $1.1 million fine. Casimir Steven Mioduchoski of Naples, trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Sentence: 15 years in prison, $1.5 million fine. Andy Guerra of Naples, trafficking in heroin, and conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: 10 years prison, $1 million fine. Frank David Paez of Naples, trafficking heroin and conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: 13 years prison and $1 million fine. Brittany Corah Parker of Naples, trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to traffick in heroin. Sentence: five years prison, $1 million fine. Jeffery Brookbank of Naples, conspiracy to traffic heroin. Sentence: 10 years prison, $50,000 fine. Shantell Latreece Parker of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, conspiracy to traffic I cocaine. Sentence: three years prison. Barstow Mackelvie Morton of Naples, conspiracy to traffic heroin. Sentence: five years prison, $550,000 fine. Alexandre Metellus of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Sentence: three years prison, $100,000 fine. Dean Allyson Landry of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Sentence: three years prison, $550,000 fine Yuniel Reyes of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: eight years prison, $500,000 fine. Paul Ontano of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: seven years prison, $500,000 fine Justin Carroll of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: five years prison, $550,000 fine Alicia Potter of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: three years prison, $550,000 fine. Vernon Rodriguez of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: three years prison, $100,000 fine. Mira Baker Jr. of Miami, trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Sentence 13 years prison, $1.1 million fine. Christopher Michael Wagenman of Naples, conspiracy to traffic in heroin. Sentence: 10 years prison, $100,000 fine.