Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd.Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FGCU FGCU’s Zavian McLean shares student athlete experience with podcast FGCU men’s basketball guard Zavian McLean shares what its like to be a Division I student athlete in his podcast “Truey Talks.”
Locals react to egg price increase Egg prices continue to soar. In fact, prices have gone up about 37% from where they were just one year ago, and the pricing and supply issues have started to impact Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Trump’s executive order on straws stirs debate in Fort Myers Beach President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back plastic straws, reversing a previous plan to reduce plastic reliance in the federal government.
Charlotte County official’s usage of racial slur prompts calls for resignation Charlotte County Commissioner Stephen Deutsch is under scrutiny after a complaint surfaced last week alleging he used the N-word during a work meeting.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral woman finds hope with new ALS drug A breakthrough discovery of a drug offers new hope for patients with a genetic form of the disease.
Elevate Florida program to help homeowners strengthen properties against storms The Florida Dept. of Emergency Management announced the launch of its new “Elevate Florida” residential mitigation program.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FGCU FGCU’s Zavian McLean shares student athlete experience with podcast FGCU men’s basketball guard Zavian McLean shares what its like to be a Division I student athlete in his podcast “Truey Talks.”
Locals react to egg price increase Egg prices continue to soar. In fact, prices have gone up about 37% from where they were just one year ago, and the pricing and supply issues have started to impact Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Trump’s executive order on straws stirs debate in Fort Myers Beach President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back plastic straws, reversing a previous plan to reduce plastic reliance in the federal government.
Charlotte County official’s usage of racial slur prompts calls for resignation Charlotte County Commissioner Stephen Deutsch is under scrutiny after a complaint surfaced last week alleging he used the N-word during a work meeting.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral woman finds hope with new ALS drug A breakthrough discovery of a drug offers new hope for patients with a genetic form of the disease.
Elevate Florida program to help homeowners strengthen properties against storms The Florida Dept. of Emergency Management announced the launch of its new “Elevate Florida” residential mitigation program.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, with (L-R) US Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump and Response coordinator for White House Coronavirus Task Force Deborah Birx, speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) As the nation confronts a surge in coronavirus infections across the South and parts of the West, tensions between the White House and Dr. Anthony Fauci, a highly respected and leading expert on infectious diseases, have burst into public view amid competing assessments of the country’s response to the crisis. The efforts to discredit Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reached a fever pitch in recent days as top White House officials criticized his statements on the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, suggesting he has been wrong on numerous occasions. “Dr. Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public but he has been wrong about everything I have ever interacted with him on,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told CBS News, before listing instances where he and Fauci diverged on how best to respond to the pandemic. “Now Fauci is saying that a falling mortality rate doesn’t matter, when it is the single most important statistic to help guide the pace of our economic reopening. So when you ask me if I listen to Dr. Fauci’s advice, my answer is only with caution.” The attempts to undercut Fauci, who polling shows remains trusted by most Americans, come as coronavirus infections are spiking in more than three dozen states and hospitalizations continue to rise. As a result of the latest surge in new cases, some governors have halted phased reopenings of their economies and reimposed restrictions designed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But President Trump has lauded his administration’s handling of the pandemic and attributes the rise in coronavirus cases to increased testing, even as the percentage of tests that come back positive rises in hotspots. With the November election drawing closer, the president continues to push for a reopening of the country and is pressuring schools to prepare for in-person learning in the fall, even as local officials work to adopt hybrid models that aim to protect students and staff from getting infected. In an interview last week with Greta Van Susteren, chief national political analyst for Gray Television, the president pushed back on Fauci’s view that the country is “knee deep” in the first wave of the pandemic and must confront the “serious situation” immediately. “I think we are in a good place,” Mr. Trump said then. “I disagree with him. You know, Dr. Fauci said ‘don’t wear masks,’ and now he says ‘wear them.’ And you know, he’s said numerous things. ‘Don’t close off China. Don’t ban China.’ And I did it anyway. I sort of didn’t listen to my experts and I banned China.” He also told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a separate interview Fauci “is a nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes.” Mr. Trump on Monday shared a tweet from game show host Chuck Woolery suggesting “everyone is lying” about the coronavirus, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fauci was instructed not to attend a press briefing with other members of the White House coronavirus task force at the Department of Education last Wednesday, although he did appear at a task force briefing on Friday. While the president blamed Fauci for mixed messages on the need for Americans to wear masks, other top administration officials, including Surgeon General Jerome Adams, have likewise offered conflicting recommendations to the public on the effectiveness of masks in protecting against the coronavirus. Adams, who in March said “masks do not work for the general public,” said in an interview with “Face the Nation on Sunday that the Trump administration is “trying to correct” its earlier messaging on masks and face coverings and acknowledged it’s “very hard to do.” Adams wore a mask during the interview, which was conducted remotely. The rosy picture of the coronavirus crisis painted by the president stands in sharp contrast to the blunt warnings issued by Fauci in recent weeks. Fauci, who has served under six presidents, told FiveThirtyEight’s podcast in an interview that “when you compare us to other countries, I don’t think you can say we’re doing great. I mean, we’re just not.” He also refuted Mr. Trump’s assertion that the declining mortality rate indicates success in controlling the coronavirus, saying in an event on Facebook Live with Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, that “it’s a false narrative to take comfort in a lower death rate.” “There’s so many other things that are very dangerous and bad about this virus,” Fauci said. “Don’t get yourself into false complacency.” Fauci told the Financial Times he has not briefed Mr. Trump in more than two months and last saw the president in person at the White House on June 2. Ā© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.