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.
Credit: Flickr/Jimmie Many parents and students alike remember clipping Box Tops off of their groceries and taking them to school. Each clipping could mean a ten-cent donation, resulting in additional funds for field trips, supplies and technology. But a year ago, Box Tops for Education began transitioning from physical clippings to a receipt-scanning app. Receipts must be scanned within 14 days to count, or the value expires. If you shop online and use a delivery service, you can forward receipts to receipts@boxtops4education.com. As a result, parents say they’ve stopped participating and some schools’ bottom lines are showing it. Participant turned spectator Wendy Canamucio of Naples estimates she’s clipped hundreds of Box Tops over the years for relatives. “There’s always a contest with the class to see who could get the most for a pizza party or ice cream or something like that. it was fun,” Canamucio said. Canamucio says she even went out of her way to buy products with the Box Tops logo. “I had four little Ziploc’s going for each kid and they’d be all excited about who’s going to get it, or who had the most,” Canamucio said. But since the program switched to the app, she says she doesn’t even both with it anymore. “I couldn’t find the receipts, or stack them in a pile and say I’ll get to it later and then never did. It was inconvenient,” Canamucio said. She says she’s submitted just three receipts this whole school year. Schools showing a decline Canamucio isn’t the only person struggling with the change. In Charlotte County, Meadow Park Elementary School received $1,207 in the 2018-2019 school year, compared to $520 in 2019-2020. At Vineland Elementary, their year to year loss was almost $800. In Lee County, both Pine Woods and Three Oaks Elementary Schools say they saw more than a $1,000 decrease in revenue from last year to this year. And in Collier County, Laurel Oak Elementary saw a more than $900 decrease in revenue. At Sea Gate Elementary, they went from $1,337 in 2018-2019 to just $77 this past school year. Elizabeth Sanchez runs the Box Tops program at a Laurel Oak Elementary School and says they use the funds for technology. “Since it (Laurel Oak Elementary School) started doing Box Tops, it has made over $23,000. It it’s been doing this for about 20 years, so that’s not small change,” Sanchez said. When WINK asked Box Tops for its annual revenue, they wouldn’t share it with us. However, they provided this statement: “For over 20 years, Box Tops for Education has been focused on helping families easily earn cash for their schools. Since its inception, more than 70,000 schools have earned more than $934 million to fund supplies, field trips, playground equipment and more. “In 2019, we launched our Box Tops for Education mobile app, which lets shoppers conveniently earn cash for their school of choice by purchasing participating products and scanning their store receipts. By opting into the mobile app and scanning a store receipt, all participating Box Tops products and bonus offers are automatically identified and instantly added to a school’s earnings online. “Additionally, this past May, we focused our efforts on recognizing teachers. We partnered with Chance the Rapper on an inaugural award show on Instagram, where we donated $300,000 directly to teachers and schools, and through a social campaign (#GiveExtraCredit) in partnership with Kids in Need Foundation, we donated an additional $150,000 throughout the month.”