ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, holds a sign as he stands inside a defendants’ cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020. MAXIM SHEMETOV/REUTERS A Russian court found former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan guilty of espionage on Monday and sentenced him to 16 years in prison. For his family, it was a predictable conclusion to the high-profile spy case that has been yet another strain on relations between Moscow and Washington. The U.S. Ambassador to Russia has ridiculed the verdict as a “mockery of justice.” Whelan, 50, was arrested at Moscow’s Metropol Hotel in December 2018. Investigators claim he was caught red-handed after receiving a USB drive containing classified information. The American, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, has maintained throughout the trial that he was framed by an agent from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), who gave him the drive. He pleaded not guilty during the trial and insisted he was not an American spy. Prosecutors had sought an 18-year prison sentence in the case. The charges carried a possible maximum sentence of 20 years. Whelan’s family had expressed hope that the end of the trial might mean the U.S. could push harder for his return from Russia. To appeal, or to deal “We hope that the U.S. government and the Russian Federation will begin discussing Paul’s release immediately, now that there will no longer be any procedural impediments,” Whelan’s brother David said in a statement emailed to CBS News last week. In a new statement, released immediately after the sentencing on Monday, David Whelan said the family expected his brother’s legal team to appeal the verdict within a couple weeks. Paul Whelan’s Russian lawyer, however, suggested a deal between the U.S. and Russia could be another option. Defense lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said his team was preparing documents for a possible appeal, but that a meeting was expected with Whelan on June, 22 and they would make a decision after that on whether to file the appeal. Their thinking was that Whelan could be pardoned or included in a potential prisoner exchange between the two nations. Zherebenkov said the decision would have to be discussed at the highest levels of government. Whelan himself dismissed the verdict as political, and said he would appeal it. Under Russian law, if the verdict is not appealed, it comes into force 10 days from Monday. If it is formally appealed, the sentence would only come into force if the verdict is upheld by an appellate court. In the meantime, Whelan will be held at the Lefortovo prison’s pre-trial detention center. “Mockery of justice” “It was the Russian legal system that was found guilty of injustice” David Whelan said in his family’s statement Monday. “The court’s decision merely completes the final piece of this broken judicial process. We had hoped that the court might show some independence but, in the end, Russian judges are political, not legal, entities.” Speaking outside the court, U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan said he was “disappointed and outraged” by the outcome of the trial, but added: “I can’t say I’m surprised.” He called the trial “a mockery of justice,” insisted no evidence had been presented in court and said Whelan was denied the opportunity to defend himself properly, or even to communicate with his family. In a tweet sent by the U.S. Embassy’s spokesperson, Ambassador Sullivan had previously criticized Russia for the “secret trial.” “Fair and transparent? No. Evidence produced? No. The world is watching,” the ambassador said. On Monday Sullivan said he would next “consult with my government in Washington, which, as I said, at the highest levels is extremely concerned.” “This is not going to have a good impact on our relationship,” Sullivan added about Washington-Moscow ties, which have been strained for years over Moscow’s alleged interference in U.S. democracy, the war in Syria, and a host of other issues. Speaking about Whelan’s case last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the Trump administration’s long-standing demand for Whelan’s release. At the time of his arrest, Whelan was the director of global security for Michigan-based auto parts supplier BorgWarner. Before that he spent 14 years in the U.S. Marine Corps before being discharged in 2008 for bad conduct, according to the military. He served in Iraq for several months in 2004 and 2006. While most of the charges against the American remained sealed, Russian media reports said Whelan stood accused of trying to recruit a long-time Russian acquaintance to gain a list of names of employees of a Russian security agency. All of the hearings in the trial before the reading of Monday’s verdict were held behind closed doors, under strict restrictions implemented to control the spread of the coronavirus in Moscow. U.S. intelligence and State Department sources had told CBS News previously that they were confident Whelan wasn’t a spy. Whelan had visited Russia several times before his arrest in 2018. Last month he underwent an emergency hernia surgery at a Moscow hospital. First published on June 15, 2020 / 4:16 AM © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.