Local non-profit, Family Initiative, has big plans after receiving $5 million from GolisanoCharlotte County deputies bust park drug deal after community tip
CAPE CORAL Local non-profit, Family Initiative, has big plans after receiving $5 million from Golisano A multi-million dollar donation is helping people with autism have priceless experiences.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County deputies bust park drug deal after community tip One man’s drug deal in Charlotte County wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Dog alerts Lee County woman to home intruder The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 22-year-old man for burglary and loitering after he broke into a woman’s home and stood inches away from her bed as she slept.
NAPLES Naples business owner accused of rape In 2023, 14,021 domestic violence 911 calls came into Collier County.
manasota key Charlotte County Commissioners vote ‘Yes’ to changes and redevelopment on Manasota Key The Charlotte County Commissioners voted to pass charges that residents on Manasota Key have been dreading.
The debate over fluoride in Florida’s water The water you drink and use to brush your teeth is fueling a community, state and national conversation.
SANIBEL Phase 2 of Sanibel Beach renourishment project set to begin Eric Jackson, Sanibel’s Public Information Officer, is encouraging residents and visitors to still come to the beach.
NAPLES Riding toward a brighter future for kids: The story of Bikes for Tykes For nearly four decades, Bikes for Tykes has been on a mission to give children and adults in need in Southwest Florida a chance to ride refurbished bicycles.
ENGLEWOOD SWFL agencies bring chaplains on staff to offer support to first responders First responders across the country face the devastating impact of suicide nationwide those numbers are rising.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputies arrest man for ATV and UTV thefts, fence destruction A North Fort Myers man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a four-wheeler, crashing it into a property fence, and later trying to flee on a second stolen vehicle.
‘I saw God twice:’ Boating accident survivor thanks Lee Health After surviving an unthinkable accident in Matlacha, one woman wants to thank the medical team that saved her.
MATLACHA Blue Dog restaurant in Matlacha thankful for decade of support The Blue Dog Bar & Grill in Matlacha has survived multiple hurricanes over the past decade. Now, they’re thanking the community for supporting them every step of the way.
NAPLES Nominee of Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the year volunteers for STARability Gulfshore Life has nominated Anne Fleming as one of its Men and Women of the Year for volunteering her time to raise money for a new home store for Starability.
WINK NEWS Holiday gift exchange scams targeting social media users During the holiday season, tidings of joy and goodwill can be shrouded by scammers seeking to take advantage of holiday shoppers.
New cancer fighting machinery arrives at Southwest Florida Proton All the pieces are in place now, but it will take about a year of calibrating and fine-tuning before the proton machine is up and running.
CAPE CORAL Local non-profit, Family Initiative, has big plans after receiving $5 million from Golisano A multi-million dollar donation is helping people with autism have priceless experiences.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County deputies bust park drug deal after community tip One man’s drug deal in Charlotte County wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Dog alerts Lee County woman to home intruder The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 22-year-old man for burglary and loitering after he broke into a woman’s home and stood inches away from her bed as she slept.
NAPLES Naples business owner accused of rape In 2023, 14,021 domestic violence 911 calls came into Collier County.
manasota key Charlotte County Commissioners vote ‘Yes’ to changes and redevelopment on Manasota Key The Charlotte County Commissioners voted to pass charges that residents on Manasota Key have been dreading.
The debate over fluoride in Florida’s water The water you drink and use to brush your teeth is fueling a community, state and national conversation.
SANIBEL Phase 2 of Sanibel Beach renourishment project set to begin Eric Jackson, Sanibel’s Public Information Officer, is encouraging residents and visitors to still come to the beach.
NAPLES Riding toward a brighter future for kids: The story of Bikes for Tykes For nearly four decades, Bikes for Tykes has been on a mission to give children and adults in need in Southwest Florida a chance to ride refurbished bicycles.
ENGLEWOOD SWFL agencies bring chaplains on staff to offer support to first responders First responders across the country face the devastating impact of suicide nationwide those numbers are rising.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputies arrest man for ATV and UTV thefts, fence destruction A North Fort Myers man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a four-wheeler, crashing it into a property fence, and later trying to flee on a second stolen vehicle.
‘I saw God twice:’ Boating accident survivor thanks Lee Health After surviving an unthinkable accident in Matlacha, one woman wants to thank the medical team that saved her.
MATLACHA Blue Dog restaurant in Matlacha thankful for decade of support The Blue Dog Bar & Grill in Matlacha has survived multiple hurricanes over the past decade. Now, they’re thanking the community for supporting them every step of the way.
NAPLES Nominee of Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the year volunteers for STARability Gulfshore Life has nominated Anne Fleming as one of its Men and Women of the Year for volunteering her time to raise money for a new home store for Starability.
WINK NEWS Holiday gift exchange scams targeting social media users During the holiday season, tidings of joy and goodwill can be shrouded by scammers seeking to take advantage of holiday shoppers.
New cancer fighting machinery arrives at Southwest Florida Proton All the pieces are in place now, but it will take about a year of calibrating and fine-tuning before the proton machine is up and running.
A fire warning sign is seen through the smoke in Sandy, Ore., on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. Gov. Kate Brown said Monday she has asked President Donald Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for Oregon as it battles deadly wildfires that have wrought destruction across the state. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte) Putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires on the West Coast is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and keeping people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying even a walk outside or trip to the park. People in Oregon, Washington state and California have been struggling for a week or longer under some of the most unhealthy air on the planet. Relief from the acrid yellowish-green smog may not come for days or weeks, scientists and forecasters said. And with wildfires getting larger and more destructive because of climate change and more people living closer to areas that burn, it’s likely smoke will shroud the sky more often in the future. “I don’t think that we should be outside, but at the same time, we’ve been cooped up in the house already for months, so it’s kind of hard to dictate what’s good and what’s bad. I mean, we shouldn’t be outside period,” Portland resident Issa Ubidia-Luckett said as she grabbed food Monday. The hazy, gunk-filled air closed businesses like Whole Foods stores and iconic Powell’s Books in Portland and suspended garbage pickup in some communities. Pollution and fire evacuations canceled online school and closed some college campuses in Oregon. Smoke enveloped Washington state, and some parts of California might not see relief until next month. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality extended an air quality alert to Thursday, and the air was so thick that Alaska Airlines stopped flights to Portland and Spokane, Washington, until Tuesday afternoon. Zoe Flanagan, who has lived in Portland for 12 years, braved the smog to walk her two dogs Monday. In desperation, Flanagan and her husband turned on the heater a day earlier because it has a better filter than their air conditioner. “I can feel it in my chest and then I just feel hungover despite not drinking,” she said. “I felt really hungover all day Saturday. I just couldn’t get enough water, I had a headache.” Health officials urged people to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed. Smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions. Health experts warn that young children, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions should especially avoid smoky areas. Smoke from dozens of Western wildfires is pooling in California’s Central Valley, an agricultural region that has some of the state’s worst air quality even when there are no flames. Some parts of central California are not likely to see relief until October, said Dan Borsum, the incident meteorologist for a fire in Northern California. “It’s going to take a substantially strong weather pattern to move all the smoke,” Borsum said at a briefing Sunday. Joe Smith, advocacy director for Sacramento Loaves & Fishes, which helps homeless people, said California’s capital city hasn’t seen consistent blue skies in weeks. People without homes have been grappling with an onslaught of disasters this year. “Some of the toughest folks you’ll ever meet are people who live outdoors, unhoused, but it is getting to them,” Smith said. “We’ve got COVID-19, followed by excessive heat wave, followed by smoke. What’s going to start falling out of the air next on these poor folks?” Twana James, who lives in a tent in Sacramento, coughed several times, trying to clear her throat, saying her voice is not usually so hoarse. “We got hella ashes from the fires, everything is covered in ashes,” she said by phone Monday. “It’s hard to breathe.” Places like the Oregon Convention Center in downtown Portland are being used as shelters for people who need a dose of healthy air. Typically during wildfires, people can escape to other areas of the state to breathe easy, said Dylan Darling, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “That’s what’s standing out — there just isn’t a place in Oregon right now to find fresh air,” Darling said. The level of pollution lingering for so long and so widely “really stands out in the state’s history,” he said. Oregon needs a “perfect balance” of winds to disperse smoke but not exacerbate the fires, said Tyler Kranz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Portland office. “We need the winds to get the smoke out of here,” Kranz said. “We just don’t want them to be too strong, because then they could fan those flames, and all of a sudden, those fires are spreading again.” Ubidia-Luckett was eating outside Monday at a popular burger place east of Portland with her 6-year-old son, but they moved inside because of the bad air, which had postponed the boy’s first day of kindergarten for the second time. “That’s the hard part for little kids. They’re so cooped up so what do you do?” she asked. “Eventually, they want to go outside.” Associated Press writers Janie Har and Juliet Williams in San Francisco contributed to this report. Cline reported from Salem, Oregon, and is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.