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.
Tank Commander Roger Zucker. After World World II, another international crisis in 1950 sent American troops overseas. Communist-backed North Korea crossed what’s known as the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea. Taking place between WWII and the Vietnam War, the Korean War ended in a stalemate. Sometimes referred to as the “Forgotten War,” 37,000 Americans died in the fight and another 100,000 were wounded. Naples resident Roger Zucker, who served as a tank commander in the war, spoke with us about his experience fighting for freedom. Tank Commander Roger Zucker. The big thing is, “you have to get used to the sounds,” Zucker said. “You get used to hearing which way the artillery is going. If it’s coming your way, it makes a different sound than when it’s going out.” At 21, he had already earned three stripes: Sergeant First Class in the Army’s 32nd Infantry Regiment, Seventh Infantry Division. “When I got to Korea, they had already been pushed back from the Yalu River and we were at the 38th Parallel,” he said. “And what we did there was patrol up into North Korea, but at night, we would withdraw.” In the dead of winter, it was cold over there – really cold. There were 25 men in his platoon; five per tank. He said, “We never got out of our clothes for 30 days, nothing. We’d wash our hands, wash our face and shave, but never got out of our clothes.” Zucker reminisces how the other four soldiers in his tank became like family. “Roy Mikes was my driver, Frank Ferris was my bow gunner, Ken Livey was my gunner and Charlie Seacrest was the loader,” he said. “Isn’t that something… that you don’t forget.” Especially Ferris, he recalled, whose humorous antics helped temper the heaviness of war, calling him “a real character”. Safe Conduct Pass He also said Ferris had “true” character the team could count on. “He was on guard duty, took a prisoner. A guy just wanted to surrender but he never even woke anybody up, just took care of it,” Zucker said. “That was the way he was.” Enemy soldiers were encouraged to surrender using Safe Conduct passes that were airdropped and promised humane treatment. Now 89, Zucker marvels at the memories that come flooding back when he looks at mementos like a $5 bill signed by every member of his platoon, and photos that serve as reminders of close calls. $5 bill signed by every member of Zucker’s platoon. “There’s a crater where they bombed us one day, you know, so they missed. They didn’t get me, they didn’t get anybody. They made a bit of a hole in the ground,” he said. There were countless, sleepless nights on patrol. But Zucker says he was fatalistic and didn’t really feel the stress. “I said a little prayer to myself when I went out and I said a little prayer when I got back—thank you very much,” he said. But his Lieutenant never made it back; another somber reminder of the sacrifices of war. And yet so many, like Zucker, signed up and showed up to protect our freedom. “It’s quite an experience to represent your country,” said Zucker. In 1995, more than 40 years after the war ended, the Korean War Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. to the nearly 6 million Americans who served. MORE: Collier-Lee Honor Flight takes veterans to Washington D.C. memorials MORE: Collier-Lee Honor Flight trip of a lifetime for Korean War veteran The seven-foot, stainless-steel statues are quite a sight to see. Zucker recently saw it in person as part of Collier-Lee Honor Flight, which transports local veterans to Washington to visit the memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifice. Generations at War Series WWII veteran recounts his time as a B-26 Bomber pilot 100-year-old vet, wartime navigator shares relics from WWII A local ‘Rosie the Riveter’ on women’s roles during WWII SWFL Army combat engineer on supporting the frontlines in WWII Tank Commander Roger Zucker.