New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashesNew leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Single-family homes are seen in this aerial photograph taken over San Diego, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. U.S. sales of previously owned homes surged by the most on record in July as lower mortgage rates continued to power a residential real estate market thats proving a key source of strength for the economic recovery. Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images The stock market continues to be volatile and the job market is still in worse shape than where it was before Covid-19 plunged the United States into recession. But there is still one undeniable bright spot for America’s economy: the housing market. Mortgage applications are rising, thanks to record low rates. The Federal Reserve is planning to keep rates interest rates near zero for the foreseeable future, which will make financing even more affordable. “Housing is probably going to come out as one of the winners of this crisis,” said Esty Dwek, head of global market strategy for Natixis Investment Managers. “Interest rates should remain low for even longer. So I don’t expect housing to be another shoe to drop for the economy,” Dwek added. Strength in the housing market has helped power the CNN Business Back-to-Normal Index as well. CNN Business partnered with Moody’s Analytics to create the index, which looks at a variety of measures to judge how the economy is doing. On the housing front, the index includes daily new home postings from Zillow and weekly loan applications from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Low rates are one of the main reasons why home sales and prices continue to rise. What’s more, the coronavirus outbreak is prompting many people in big cities to pull the plug on apartment living and buy bigger homes in less densely populated suburbs. “Rising prices are just one more reason for people to leave expensive urban neighborhoods behind,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather in a report last week. “The sudden rise of remote work has allowed homebuyers who are priced out of one neighborhood to expand their search to more affordable areas,” Fairweather added. The exodus to the suburbs continues Redfin said in its report that media home sale prices rose 13% from a year ago to nearly $320,000 — the highest price on record. What’s more, recent increases in pending home sales and new home listings were their highest since 2015. The housing market on the West Coast is particularly hot. According to data from housing market and real estate analytics firm Meyers Research, prices for new homes rose solidly in July in Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas as well as Sacramento and Riverside in California. Meyers Research said in a report that “low mortgage rates and the desire for more space has pushed a lot of residents into homeownership,” and residents of the pricier Los Angeles and San Francisco areas are the ones leaving for other cities. At some point though prices could become too high. Builders may want the red-hot housing market to cool off just a little bit. “Land is a valuable and limited commodity. Builders need to be careful to not sell through all of their lots too quickly so many will slow sales intentionally,” said Ali Wolf, chief economist for Meyers Research, in a report. “Today’s low mortgage rates allow builders to raise prices without crushing demand,” Wolf added. Redfin’s Fairweather is also worried that home prices could eventually become too high. That would be especially problematic for renters who don’t have the advantage of cashing in on an existing home in order to trade up. “Home-price growth this high is making the housing market especially difficult for first-time homebuyers right now,” Fairweather said. “Price growth may slow in 2021, but even if it does, high prices are going to continue to make affordability a concern for buyers.”