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: WINK News. Children are grasping to understand the new normal brought on by the pandemic. Golisano Children’s Hospital and providers across the region are reporting high increases in visits to their behavioral health facilities by youth. At the same time, the area is grappling with a shortage of mental health professionals to help kids in crisis. They also expect a cut in funding which could be disastrous for some families. To keep this from happening, medical professionals want families in Southwest Florida to write to their legislators to ask for more funds to support mental health services. “We need families in Southwest Florida to write their legislators. Demand that we increase reimbursement and that we increase support for these services,” said Armando Llechu, chief officer of Hospital Operations and Women and Children’s Services at Lee Health. At Golisano’s Children Hospital, which is part of Lee Health, visits to their behavioral health facility have grown by 50% compared to last year. The changes last year were so extreme that it’s affecting children who haven’t had any behavioral issues before, Llechu said. “A straight-A student, honors, never had an issue, No behavioral problems,” Llechu said. “He told his mother, I think about killing myself at least once a week.” “It came out of nowhere,” Llechu added. That story is not unique. ‘”I spoke to another mother whose daughter, whose adolescent daughter is so troubled and so disruptive, that the mother had to leave her job for fear that she would be working and come home to find her daughter not alive,” he said. Stacey Cook, president and CEO at Saluscare, said they are seeing the same increase in anxiety, depression, substance use and suicidality. Cook and Dr. Paul Simeone, vice president of Mental and Behavioral Health at Lee Health, presented the need to the local legislative delegation. “Dr. Simeone and I also presented to the local legislative delegation this year, representing 13 organizations, advocating for a review and increase in Medicare reimbursement rates – which have remained flat for over 20 years and simply do not cover the cost of services,” Cook said. “We also discussed with the delegation our workforce shortage. We can feed this right back into the low reimbursement rates.” Simeone said mental health has become an unfounded mandate in the state. LINK: Lee Health Foundation’s ‘Kids Minds Matter’ “We are asked to provide services that we really can’t pay for. And so then the question becomes – so how do you do it,” Simeone said. At the David Lawrence Center in Collier County, Chief Operating Officer Nancy Dauphinais said the number of children in their crisis unit daily is up 27%. It can take about eight months to see a behavioral health professional at Golisano Children’s Hospital, said Dr. Emad Salman, vice president of operations at the hospital. “Prior to COVID, we had a crisis with mental health. There were long lines for people waiting to get access to mental health providers. There was increasing suicide rates. Now, we’ve added on top of it – another epidemic with COVID,” Salman said. “They have lost the structure that they had in their life. Their whole school curriculum was turned upside down in the last year. They are afraid of losing a loved one. They are afraid of losing their future with all of the upheaval that is going on politically in our country.” If you want to join the letter-writing campaign, you can do so by visiting the contact page for the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives. MORE: Contact – Florida Senate Contact – Florida House RESOURCES Warning signs to look out for in your child: Isolation or refusal to attend school; Changes in eating habits; Withdrawal from peers or social activities; Withdrawal from extracurricular activities at school or in the community; and/or Reports of bullying, harassment, or intimidation in school, the community, or on social media. SalusCare has a weekly zoom support group for parents. It’s free and you do not need to be a client. It’s Monday nights at 7. Zoom ID: 975 9545 3712 Password: 488302 SalusCare Emergency Services: 239-275-4242 National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255 Disaster Distress Helpline: www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline Parent/Caregiver Guide for Helping Families Cope with COVID-19: www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/outbreak_factsheet_1.pdf Smart Social: Monitor your kids online https://smartsocial.com/parental-control-software/ National Association of School Psychologist: School safety and crisis (PDF) David Lawrence Center website for children If you or a loved one are struggling, you can find support by visiting resources on the NAMI website. For a comprehensive list of resources and organizations, you can visit This is My Brave. For additional tools, including a treatment locator, you can visit the CDC’s mental health web page. MORE RESOURCES FGCU Community Counseling Center https://www.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/counseling/communitycounseling/ National Alliance on Mental Illness, Collier County namicollier.org National Alliance on Mental Illness, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry counties namilee.org Lee Health – Behavioral Health https://www.leehealth.org/our-services/behavioral-health Lee Health Foundation’s – ‘Kids Minds Matter’ https://leehealthfoundation.org/kids-minds-matter The National Alliance for Caregiving offers a free handbook Circle of Care: A Guidebook for Mental Health Caregivers Collier County Mental Health Court ca.cjis20.org/home/collier Lee County Mental Health Court ca.cjis20.org/home/lee Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance convio.net Local Support Groups: Anxiety and Depression Association of America adaa.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help) hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/mental-health-parity Southwest Florida Resource Link http://www.swflresourcelink.com/services/mental-health–substance-abuse Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) https://www.lsfnet.org/family-crisis-counseling-and-childrens-mental-health-programs-available-to-southwest-families-during-pandemic/ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Talking to kids about suicide