3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrestedDeath investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
Overloaded circuit sparks house fire in Jamaica Bay community A Jamaica Bay community home was damaged in a fire sparked by an overloaded circuit, according to the South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District.
LEE COUNTY Could Guardian Caps make their way to high school football games? With the NFL allowing Guardian Caps during regular season games, could we see Guardian Caps during high school football games?
Florida insurer fined $1M over Hurricane Ian claims The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the seven figure fine to Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Company for violating a number of Florida laws when handling some of its Hurricane Ian- related claims.
New treatment stops essential tremors and shaking More than ten million people experience shakes known as essential tremors, which can make everyday tasks like eating and talking challenging.
NAPLES Ex-wife faces new charges for involvement in near-fatal Naples shooting The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the ex-wife of a shooting victim who nearly lost his life.
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
Overloaded circuit sparks house fire in Jamaica Bay community A Jamaica Bay community home was damaged in a fire sparked by an overloaded circuit, according to the South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District.
LEE COUNTY Could Guardian Caps make their way to high school football games? With the NFL allowing Guardian Caps during regular season games, could we see Guardian Caps during high school football games?
Florida insurer fined $1M over Hurricane Ian claims The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the seven figure fine to Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Company for violating a number of Florida laws when handling some of its Hurricane Ian- related claims.
New treatment stops essential tremors and shaking More than ten million people experience shakes known as essential tremors, which can make everyday tasks like eating and talking challenging.
NAPLES Ex-wife faces new charges for involvement in near-fatal Naples shooting The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the ex-wife of a shooting victim who nearly lost his life.
FILE – In this April 22, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Birx was brought into President Donald Trump’s orbit to help fight the coronavirus, she had a sterling reputation as a globally recognized AIDS researcher and a rare Obama administration holdover. Less than 10 months later, her reputation is frayed and her future in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration uncertain. As COVID-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.” For many Americans that guidance has been difficult to abide, including for Birx herself. The day after Thanksgiving, she traveled to one of her vacation properties on Fenwick Island in Delaware. She was accompanied by three generations of her family from two households. Birx, her husband Paige Reffe, a daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren were present. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked Americans not to travel over the holidays and discourages indoor activity involving members of different households. “People who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different households.” Even in Birx’s everyday life, there are challenges meeting that standard. She and her husband have a home in Washington. She also owns a home in nearby Potomac, Maryland, where her elderly parents, and her daughter and family live, and where Birx visits intermittently. In addition, the children’s other grandmother, who is 77, also regularly travels to the Potomac house and returns to her 92-year-old husband near Baltimore. Birx’s own experiences underline the complexity and difficulty of trying to navigate the perils of the pandemic while balancing a job, family and health, especially among essential workers like her. Yet some of Birx’s peers in public health say she should be held to a higher standard given her prominent role in the government’s response to the pandemic and the current surge in COVID-19 deaths across the country. Birx has expressed a desire to maintain a significant role on the White House coronavirus task force when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next month, according to a person familiar with the Biden team’s personnel deliberations and a Trump administration coronavirus task force official. Neither was authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and both spoke on condition of anonymity. “To me this disqualifies her from any future government health position,” said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security. “It’s a terrible message for someone in public health to be sending to the American people.” After The Associated Press raised questions about her Thanksgiving weekend travels, Birx acknowledged in a statement that she went to her Delaware property. She declined to be interviewed. She insisted the purpose of the roughly 50-hour visit was to deal with the winterization of the property before a potential sale — something she says she previously hadn’t had time to do because of her busy schedule. “I did not go to Delaware for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving,” Birx said in her statement, adding that her family shared a meal together while in Delaware. Birx said that everyone on her Delaware trip belongs to her “immediate household,” even as she acknowledged they live in two different homes. She initially called the Potomac home a “3 generation household (formerly 4 generations).” White House officials later said it continues to be a four-generation household, a distinction that would include Birx as part of the home. Birx’s job makes her an “essential worker” by federal guidelines, in a position that requires extensive travel to consult with state and local officials on the pandemic response. She has traveled to 43 states, driving 25,000 miles, she said, often to coronavirus hot spots. Birx also has an office in the White House, where numerous COVID-19 infections have been revealed. Through it all, she said she has kept herself and her family safe through isolating, wearing a mask and regular testing. Birx has not said how long she isolates for before visiting family. Medical experts say people who only recently became infected often do not test positive. They say wearing a mask has limited efficacy in an environment such as the White House, where few others use them. Margaret Flynn, the children’s other grandmother comes to the Potomac home to provide child care, then returns to her husband, who has health complications. Birx said that she hasn’t seen the other grandmother since the beginning of the pandemic and does not know how frequently she visits the Potomac house. Flynn confirmed that she hasn’t spoken to Birx in months. Flynn declined to say how frequently she visits the home to look after the grandchildren. From the podium at the White House, Birx has spoken about how she comes from a multigenerational family with her parents and her daughter’s family, including grandchildren, all living under one roof. Many saw that as a relatable family dilemma. In early April, she said she understood the sacrifices many were making and explained that she couldn’t visit her Potomac home when one of her grandchildren had a high fever. “I did not go there,” she said, while standing next to President Donald Trump. “You can’t take that kind of risk.” She has resumed her visits to the house since then. Numerous elected officials, including prominent Democrats, have been forced to acknowledge that they have not heeded their own stern warnings to the public about the dangers of spreading the virus. But Birx occupies a position of far greater authority when it comes to the pandemic. Many Americans rely on the advice that she and the government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have given. Kathleen Flynn, whose brother is married to Birx’s daughter who lives in the Potomac house, said she brought forward information about Birx’s situation out of concern for her own parents, and acknowledged family friction over the matter. “She cavalierly violated her own guidance,” Flynn said of Birx. Richard Flynn, her father, confirmed details of Birx’s Thanksgiving holiday gathering and visits to the Potomac house, but said he trusted the doctor and believes she’s doing what’s right. He said Birx’s visits to the house have occurred only every few weeks of late. “Dr. Birx is very conscientious and a very good doctor and scientist from everything I can see,” Richard Flynn said during a recent interview. Medical experts say public health officials such as Birx need to lead by example, including personal conduct that’s beyond reproach. “We need leadership to be setting an example, especially in terms of things they are asking average Americans to do who are far less privileged than they are,” said Dr. Abraar Karan, a global health specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about the high-profile lapses in judgment. Birx came to the White House coronavirus task force with a sterling reputation. A public servant since the Reagan administration, Birx has served as a U.S. Army physician and as a globally recognized AIDS researcher. She was pulled away from her ambassadorial post as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator to assist the task force in late February. Birx, however, has faced criticism from public health experts and Democratic lawmakers for not speaking out forcefully against Trump when he contradicted advice from medical advisers and scientists about how to fight the virus. While she stayed in Trump’s good graces far longer than Fauci, who frequently contradicted Trump, the president by late summer had sidelined Birx, too. Kathleen Flynn said she urged her brother and sister-in-law not to allow her mother to babysit, arguing it put her mother at risk by spending so much time in a household other than her own, while also posing a danger to Birx’s elderly parents. Flynn, who said she has long had a strained relationship with her brother, is currently not on speaking terms with him and has never met Birx. Flynn said her mother waited about a week after Birx’s Thanksgiving trip before returning to the Potomac home to provide child care help. Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University’s law school who has known Birx professionally for years, said that he’s confident that Birx took all necessary precautions to minimize risks in her Thanksgiving travel. Still, he said it undercuts her larger goal to get Americans to cooperate with government officials’ efforts to minimize the death and suffering caused by the virus. “It’s extraordinarily important for the leaders of the coronavirus response to model the behavior that they recommend to the public,” Gostin said. “We lose faith in our public health officials if they are saying these are the rules but they don’t apply to me.”