16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier CountyNew bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
FILE – In this Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017, file photo, Jesus Reyes pushes a television down an aisle as he shops at a Black Friday sale at a Best Buy store in Overland Park, Kan. Shoppers feeling good about the economy, who are spending more than expected on items like kitchen gadgets, toys and coats, could make this the best holiday season in several years. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) This year, Black Friday is more than just the starting gun for the all-important holiday shopping season (or the day you elbow your neighbor out of the way to score a TV). For retail’s struggling players, shopping’s mega-day is crucial. Remember: In September 2017, Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in hopes of turning around its struggling business. But terrible holiday sales left it on life support. The company said it would close all its US stores three months later. There are six fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas on the calendar than last year. But there’s no other reason stores should stutter. As my CNN Business colleague Nathaniel Meyersohn points out: Consumer confidence remains high, and low unemployment should buttress spending. The National Retail Federation estimates retail sales in November and December will grow between 3.8% and 4.2% compared with a year ago. “We’re in a very strong consumer environment,” Cowen analyst Oliver Chen told me. “If you’re having difficulties, what does it mean for the future?” Companies like Macy’s and Kohl’s, which have recently struggled, aren’t likely to go the way of Toys “R” Us, Chen notes. Both have healthy cash flow and aren’t financing their businesses with too much debt. But the next few weeks could be “make or break” for their current turnaround strategies, he said. Watch this space: If Macy’s, which recently lowered its expectations for the holidays, underperforms, it could accelerate store closures, according to Chen. Those who can afford extra investment, meanwhile, may pull further ahead of the pack. Take Walmart, which has started to offer free next-day delivery on orders over $35 for more than 200,000 items. It’s also pledged to staff up stores with extra workers. Some will be outfitted with mobile checkout scanners to ring up customers on the spot, helping them bypass lines. Target said it’s increasing its holiday payroll by $50 million. Target and Walmart’s commitment to curbside pickup, plus their easy-to-use mobile apps, will also provide an advantage, Chen said. Of course, looming over all these players is Amazon. The company still beats Walmart and Target on average delivery speed by a day (two days vs. three days), according to new research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Amazon also offers lower prices on a sample basket of holiday shopping items that includes LEGO toys, a 23andMe DNA test and a Playstation 4 Pro. Amazon has the greatest number of items available, too. The $4 trillion force propelling US stocks to record highs The Federal Reserve’s rescue of the overnight lending market appears to be having an unintended side effect: it’s juicing the stock market, my colleague Matt Egan reports. The situation: The September spike in overnight lending rates revealed that the plumbing of financial markets was broken. Banks and other financial institutions simply didn’t have enough cash. As a result, the Fed — acting as a plumber — started pumping in lots of cash to ease the crunch. The Fed also reversed course by promising to purchase bonds. A ton of them. After months of shrinking its balance sheet, the Fed vowed to buy $60 billion worth of Treasury bills per month through the spring of 2020. The result: The Fed’s balance sheet has swelled by $286 billion since early September, to $4.05 trillion. The Fed has stressed that its current efforts are just a technical fix, and do not mark a return of that 2008 crisis-era bond-buying program aimed at stimulating the economy. But there’s a growing realization that the Fed’s bond purchases are supporting stocks, even if that wasn’t the goal. “I don’t even think it’s debatable,” Danielle DiMartino Booth, a former Fed official who’s now CEO of Quill Intelligence, told Matt. “It’s patently obvious that the Fed’s interventions into the market is having a huge effect on the stock market.” One contributing factor: Fed liquidity is boosting the bond market, making it easier for companies to borrow cash that can be used for share buybacks. Those share repurchases help boost demand for stocks while simultaneously boosting per-share earnings. Up next Monday: Dallas Fed manufacturing data Tuesday: Alibaba’s Hong Kong listing; S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index; US consumer confidence; Abercrombie & Fitch, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar Tree, Dell and GameStop earnings Wednesday: US durable goods orders; US personal spending and income Thursday: US markets closed; EU business confidence Friday: Half day for US markets; UK and Japan consumer confidence; India and Canada GDP