Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of RafahBig Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water There’s a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies have filed a lawsuit saying they are owed a specific amount of public water for irrigation from Lake Okeechobee.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
FORT MYERS More changes near Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers An already jam-packed, headache-inducing area for traffic is expected to get worse on Monday.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Preseason preparations With less than a month until the official start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated May 5th to May 11th National Hurricane Preparedness Week.
CAPE CORAL Temporary closures planned for Cape Coral athletic fields Three athletic fields in Cape Coral will temporarily close in May and another in June.
FORT MYERS Influencer shooting victim ‘Hood Fishing’ is stable and recovering A local internet star injured during a shooting in broad daylight on Fort Myers Street is still recovering from what happened.
NAPLES $8K reward offered for information on 2 brothers wanted in fatal stabbing More money is up for grabs if you’re able to help police find two brothers who allegedly stabbed two men in Collier County.
NEW YORK Trump fined $1K for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial has fined him $1,000 for violating his gag order and has sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
Exclusive: More than 100 American Flamingos counted in Florida Audubon Florida has revealed the numbers of flamingos in the state to WINK News, in advance of an official statement scheduled for later Monday.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after police respond to shooting outside Cape Coral home A man has been taken into custody after a reported shooting in a Cape Coral neighborhood where a car was found with at least one bullet hole.
Charlotte County home sellers had 2nd highest profit margin in Q1 While nationwide profit margins for home sales decreased 55%, in Charlotte County the profit margin for sellers rose to 103.1% for the first three months of the year.
FORT MYERS Second teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller to face charges as an adult A second teen will face adult charges in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water There’s a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies have filed a lawsuit saying they are owed a specific amount of public water for irrigation from Lake Okeechobee.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
FORT MYERS More changes near Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers An already jam-packed, headache-inducing area for traffic is expected to get worse on Monday.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Preseason preparations With less than a month until the official start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated May 5th to May 11th National Hurricane Preparedness Week.
CAPE CORAL Temporary closures planned for Cape Coral athletic fields Three athletic fields in Cape Coral will temporarily close in May and another in June.
FORT MYERS Influencer shooting victim ‘Hood Fishing’ is stable and recovering A local internet star injured during a shooting in broad daylight on Fort Myers Street is still recovering from what happened.
NAPLES $8K reward offered for information on 2 brothers wanted in fatal stabbing More money is up for grabs if you’re able to help police find two brothers who allegedly stabbed two men in Collier County.
NEW YORK Trump fined $1K for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial has fined him $1,000 for violating his gag order and has sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
Exclusive: More than 100 American Flamingos counted in Florida Audubon Florida has revealed the numbers of flamingos in the state to WINK News, in advance of an official statement scheduled for later Monday.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after police respond to shooting outside Cape Coral home A man has been taken into custody after a reported shooting in a Cape Coral neighborhood where a car was found with at least one bullet hole.
Charlotte County home sellers had 2nd highest profit margin in Q1 While nationwide profit margins for home sales decreased 55%, in Charlotte County the profit margin for sellers rose to 103.1% for the first three months of the year.
FORT MYERS Second teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller to face charges as an adult A second teen will face adult charges in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller.
A mural at McCollum Hall (Credit: WINK News) A cultural centerpiece in Dunbar is being restored to its former glory. McCollum Hall has a long history as a staple of the community. It was once a place for entertainment, where everyone of any color was invited, and now it’s coming back to life. You may not look twice at the vacant building along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, just east of downtown Fort Myers, but you can watch it reflourish. It was the place to be in the 1930s and 40s, and rare in the days of segregation. “McCollum Hall as a venue was very transcendent in that it provided a common space and safe place for Blacks and whites to come together,” said Antoine Williams, assistant director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). “It got famous because it became part of that Chitlin circuit with the Duke Ellingtons and all of those great performers,” said Charles Barnes, chairman of the Lee County Black History Society. “There were stories where it said there was a string that separated in the middle between the white and Black tenants that were actually there enjoying the music, but the music got so good that the rope came down and everybody was dancing with everybody.” Buck McCollum was a Black businessman who created the venue in the 1930s. The Fort Myers CRA wants to bring those days back to life by reviving the building and painting the past through murals located in Buck’s backyard. “This is an homage to their lifestyles, their culture, and their memories here in this Dunbar area,” said Shari Shifrin, director of the Fort Myers Mural Society. “What we’re trying to do is, we’re trying to tell the story of not only McCollum Hall but McCollum Hall’s influence on the Dunbar community,” said Erik Schlake, an independent artist and mural artist in Fort Myers. That story begins with Paul Laurence Dunbar. Not from the neighborhood that bears his name, but at the start of the 20th century, he was among the first influential Black poets. The story continues with scenes recreated from photos of McCollum Hall – the dancing, the stores, the everyday gatherings. There’s also a portrait of Evelyn Sams Canady, who founded the Dunbar Easter parade. “We are representing culture. We are trying to educate the community through culture,” said J.P. Almonacid, an independent artist. “Art goes hand in hand with history.” “I’m trying to tell better stories that I can kind of create a building block or really, stepping stones from the past to the present,” Schlake said. And in the future, McCollum Hall will be ready for a new story. “We hope that it will be an economic draw and asset not just for the City of Fort Myers but Lee County and Southwest Florida as a whole,” Williams said. “Recognizing the history, celebrating the history, and also acknowledging the need for to transition this property in this community in such a place to where everyone can benefit.” Crews have finished the exterior renovations to McCollum Hall. Construction on the inside of the building is set to begin next month and wrap up in December. The artists say they’ll be done with the murals by the end of March.