Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Credit: Eddie Maloney from North Las Vegas, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)] Thousands of people travel through Southwest Florida each day with Allegiant Air flights. But a new report shows the airline is dealing with the aftermath of multiple safety issues. And the people overseeing the fixes aren’t doing enough to protect air travelers. Allegiant has dealt with various mechanical issues since 2011, including in-flight engine shutdowns, aborted takeoffs and unscheduled landings. The Office of the Inspector General recent report found the FAA, which oversees operations, missed opportunities to limit safety risks in a timely manner. MORE: Office of the Inspector General report on FAA’s oversight of Allegiant Still, there are passengers who fly Allegiant who say they have never experienced any difficulties or worries during an Allegiant flight. “Every experience that I’ve ever had has been good,” said Mindy Stenson from Canal Winchester, Ohio. “And that is just what keeps me coming back.” At Punta Gorda Airport, passengers on Allegiant flights have experienced similar issues to those reported nationally. “There was a loud rumbling, and something felt like it wasn’t going to come down all the way,” said Melissa Iannuzzi, describing her previous experience during an Allegiant flight. The issues with Allegiant flights have gained national attention. In April 2018, when a 60 minutes investigation found the airline is 3-point-5 times more likely to have mechanical failures than other airlines. “They all have that chance,” said Sharon Norris in North Port. “You just have to trust and have faith that you are not going to be one of the statistics.” Safety risks recognized by the inspector general mainly happened on Allegiant’s MD-80 airplanes, which the airline retired in late 2018. “Just never really thought about it because it was never a flight that happened to me or my family,” Norris said. Allegiant tells us it continuously works to exceed all federal standards, with safety as a top priority. Allegiant Air statement: Safety has always been — and will remain — at the heart of our operation, and fundamental to everything we do. We vehemently dispute any implications to the contrary. We continue to work with the FAA and other regulatory agencies to ensure we meet and exceed all Federal standards, and plan our future with complete commitment to vigilant monitoring and continuous improvement. It is also important to note that this report primarily centers upon work with the FAA which occurred years ago, involving an aircraft type since retired from Allegiant’s fleet. With the completion of a planned, multi-year transition to an all-Airbus fleet, and as the first US airline to adopt Airbus’ cutting-edge preventative maintenance technology platform, today we are an industry leader in reliability and service. The inspector general wants the FAA to make improvements in nine areas, including developing better monitoring procedures and training modification. The FAA says it will work with the inspector general’s office on its recommendations FAA statement: “The FAA has initiated compliance actions at Allegiant Air that have improved safety for the flying public, are generally consistent with FAA’s Compliance Program, and are in accordance with Safety Assurance System (SAS) policies. Nonetheless, the FAA continually strives to enhance the agency’s oversight posture and, and we will work with the OIG regarding its draft report recommendations.” Allegiant is the eleventh largest passenger airline in the United States. More than 14 million people flew on its planes in 2018. Other passengers we spoke to say Allegiant’s issues are in the past and out of their control. “It’s life, honey,” Milton Oliver said in Venice. “God will watch over you. You don’t have to worry.”