Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows three Cuban nationals being rescued from a deserted island between Florida and Cuba, Monday, Feb. 9, 2021. They waved flags to catch the attention of a Coast Guard helicopter crew that flew over the island while on a routine mission Monday. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP) Three Cubans who capsized and survived 33 days on coconut water, shellfish and rats atop a deserted rocky islet south of Florida were in U.S. immigration custody Thursday, and legal experts said they may be allowed to stay under current federal policies. A Coast Guard helicopter earlier this week spotted the two men and one woman and hoisted them in baskets from a rocky cliff in Anguilla Cay, a Bahamian islet close to Cuba. The three were flown to a Key West hospital and then taken Wednesday by U.S. Border Patrol officials to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pompano Beach, Florida. Officials said the Cubans had no serious injuries. The Associated Press requested interviews with the survivors, but Coast Guard and immigration officials have not released their identities and did not grant access for interviews. “They will receive comprehensive medical care from the moment of their arrival and throughout the entirety of their stay,” said ICE spokesman Nestor Yglesias. “The three individuals will be afforded access to all legal processes available to them under the laws of the United States.” Because their names have not been released, it is not clear who their lawyers are. Attorneys familiar with the Cuban Adjustment Act, which has given Cubans a virtually guaranteed path to legal residency and eventual citizenship, said the Cubans could have permission to stay on humanitarian grounds. Because they were brought ashore by the Coast Guard, they could benefit from the 55-year-old law, which allows Cubans to apply for legal permanent residency a year after their arrival and released into the community, lawyers say. “Sooner or later ICE will have to release these people to the community. They did not come here illegally,” said Lorenzo Palomares, an immigration lawyer. The U.S. Coast Guard did not respond to requests clarifying what considerations were made before the group was flown into the United States. It was unclear whether the group was originally bound for the U.S. or simply lost at sea, and the Coast Guard has said it focused merely on rescuing them. However, the rocky, uninhabited island is routinely monitored by the Coast Guard for strandings of migrants hoping to reach U.S. soil. Lt. Riley Beecher, a Coast Guard pilot, said that while on a routine mission they saw on Monday what looked like flags waving in the usually brown and light green topography. “I thought ‘let’s take a closer look.’ I had never seen anything on that island.” Lt. Beecher said. “Then I saw two people were frantically waving their hands trying to get us to come down.” The crew dropped fresh water and a radio to the three before another crew flew in additional supplies Monday prior to the three being pulled out Tuesday. The Coast Guard said the three told of drinking from coconuts to stay hydrated and eating rats and the meat of conchs, a sea mollusk. David Abraham, a professor of immigration and citizenship law at the University of Miami school of law, said the migrants’ status could be in limbo because it’s unclear if they were considered to have been detained at sea. Abraham said it will be interesting to see how Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration will handle this case, considering that former Democratic President Barack Obama – in thawing relations with Cuba – had halted the “wet foot, dry foot” policy that in effect considered any Cuban who set foot on dry land to be automatically a legal arrival. Thereafter, authorities were able to turn back Cuban migrants who were seeking to enter the country illegally, even after they had set foot on land, though many continued to come and seek protection under asylum laws. Republican President Donald Trump reversed Obama’s thaw and reinstated economic sanctions on Cuba but did not revert to the “wet foot, dry foot” policy, and his administration also took a harder line on asylum applications. Some Cubans have been detained for months at ICE detention centers without being able to obtain parole that would allow them to apply for residency in a year. “This may provide the Biden administration an opportunity,” Abraham said. “The Trump administration, as part of its general crackdown, did not honor that exception for Cubans. In the past ICE would have without question released these folks, paroled them from detention into the community. It would be interesting to see if they do that now.”