Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane IanCostco construction causes commotion in Collier County community
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors in Collier County The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, whoâs full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors in Collier County The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, whoâs full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign event, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Oelwein, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Iowans take their first-in-the-nation nominating contest status seriously. As a result, though, they are not even safe in their own homes from politicians. In the final days before the Iowa caucuses, Democrats are bombarding the local airwaves with ads as polls show it’s a tight race heading into Monday’s contest. In just one local newscast on Wednesday morning in Des Moines, viewers were subjected to no less than ten political ads. Two were from South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, two from Senator Elizabeth Warren, and one each from former Vice President Joe Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer along with a couple of outside groups. Since the 2020 presidential election cycle began, Democratic candidates and other groups have spent more than $71 million on TV and radio ads in Iowa leading up to the caucuses so far. In 2016, candidates and other groups spent a total of $79.8 million overall on the presidential race heading into the caucuses on both the Democratic and Republican side. With days still to go, Steyer has spent more than $16 million on political TV and radio ads in the state, the most of any candidate. Sanders has spent nearly $11 million so far, and Buttigieg has spent nearly $10.5 million. Warren and Yang have each spent more than $6 million on TV ads. While Biden has spent around $4.2 million on ads, a super PAC supporting him, Unite the Country, has spent a separate $4.5 million. Klobuchar’s campaign has dropped nearly $4 million on Iowa ads. Even Senator Michael Bennet, who has barely registered in polls, has spent just over $1 million. Final pitches hitting the airwaves have run the gamut from solving issues like high drug prices and health care to Washington corruption. In many cases, the ads amount to condensed versions of stump speeches, boiled down from rallies on the campaign trail to a minute or less. One Sanders’ spot features the viral moment from his Queens, New York rally, where the senator asked “Take a look around you and find someone you don’t know. Maybe someone doesn’t look kind of like you. Are you willing to fight for that person, as much as you’re willing to fight for yourself? If you and millions of others are prepared to do that, not only will we win this election, but together we will transform this country.” Biden is using a similar pitch to the one he highlighted during a campaign stop last week in Waukee, Iowa. “It’s said in here, your character is revealed” a narrator says under an image of the Oval Office. Warren leaned into the electability argument with an ad titled “She Can Win,” featuring an Iowan who caucused for Trump in 2016 but now supports Warren. In another ad, she reminded voters she used to be a registered Republican. And yet another highlights her Republican family members and working-class roots. Klobuchar is pushing a final message of unity. “Iowa it’s time to choose,” an ad begins before touting the recent string of endorsements for the Minnesota senator. “Klobuchar can unite our party and perhaps our nation that’s why she’s visited all of Iowa’s 99 counties,” it continues. Meanwhile, Buttigieg is playing up generational change. “It’s time to turn the page from a Washington experience paralyzed by the same old thinking, polarized by the same old fights, to a bold vision for the next generation,” Buttigieg says in the 30 second ad. In his final TV pitch, he calls for breaking “from the old politics” to unify the nation. Andrew Yang made a similar argument. In his latest ad, released one week before the caucuses, he used a quote from one of the debates. “If you’re a parent you’ve had this thought: our kids are not alright,” Yang says. And while Steyer is trailing in recent Iowa polls, Steyer is using momentum he’s seen other early state polls to help propel him across the finish line in the Hawkeye state. Some candidates have not held back with their criticism of Democratic opponents on the trail in recent days, but there’s one commonality all of the candidates’ recent Iowa TV ads have had: They are not attacking each other. “For the most part, there have been no direct attacks amongst each other,” said Mitchell West, senior analyst for Kantar/CMAG, which tracks television ads. “I thought they would have gone a little bit negative, but so far they have not.” According to Kantar/CMAG tracking, that was not the case with the large Republican fields heading into Iowa in 2012 and 2016. Several outside groups have paid for ads criticizing specific candidates, but Democratic presidential candidates’ TV ads themselves have all zeroed in on the same foe: President Trump. Mr. Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, hasn’t really focused on TV ads in Iowa, although he did hold a rally in Des Moines on Thursday. Mr. Trump has two longshot challengers, former Masscahusetts Governor Bill Weld and former Congressman Joe Walsh, in the race for the Republican nomination. Mr. Trump’s campaign is dispatching 80 surrogates to caucus sites around the state on Monday. Adam Brewster contributed reporting from Iowa.