Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shootingBishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shooting A shooting investigation is underway in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shooting A shooting investigation is underway in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
FILE – In this Oct. 28, 2020 file photo, a poll worker deposits ballots at the official drop box outside the Westchester Regional Library during early voting for the general election in Miami. In a state famous for election night fiascoes, Florida’s smooth handling of the November presidential election is being hailed as a sign it finally got things right. Even so, Florida Republicans are placing new rules on voting by mail, drop boxes and ballot-handling. And that’s causing an outcry among Democrats and voting rights advocates. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP, File) In a state famed for election night fiascoes, Florida’s handling of the November presidential vote was hailed as a sign it finally got things right. Even so, Florida Republicans have drafted new rules on voting by mail, drop boxes and ballot handling that are raising an outcry. Even as Florida basks in the glow of its chaos-free Election Night, its GOP-controlled legislature – still unsettled by November’s unproven claims of fraud – has responded by drafting voting changes that are raising alarm among Democrats and voter rights advocates. Florida lawmakers passed an elections bill Thursday that may be far from a sweeping rewrite of voting rules. But the proposal is soon expected to become law and is helping to fuel a national debate over election integrity in some of the most crucial presidential battleground states. It’s one of a wave of GOP-backed election bills being debated around the country after former President Donald Trump stoked false claims that fraud led to his 2020 election defeat. Opponents say such measures would disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color, a complaint raised prominently last month in neighboring Georgia, where GOP-led post-election voting changes caused an uproar. Refrains of “don’t Georgia my Florida” resonated among Democrats in the Sunshine State. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential contender up for reelection next year, said he would sign Florida’s bill. “We were proud of the election we ran, but obviously we want to stay ahead of the curve,” DeSantis said Friday. “I don’t know when they’re gonna send it to me but obviously it’s something I approve of and will sign it.” Republicans described their proposal as “guardrails” against fraud, restricting when ballot drop boxes can be used and who can collect ballots – and how many. To protect against so called “ballot harvesting,” an electoral Good Samaritan can only collect and return the ballots of immediate family and no more than two from unrelated people. It would add another layer of security by requiring identification, possibly a partial Social Security Number, to the usually routine process of changing voter registration information. Republicans point to an incident last fall when a Florida man was arrested on accusations of changing the governor’s voter registration record without authorization. And under the new rules, drop boxes would only be available when elections offices and early voting sites are open – with mandatory supervision. “We’ve looked across the nation and we’ve seen things where ballot boxes can be tampered with,” said GOP state Sen. Travis Hutson, who helped carry the bill forward. Elections officials in Florida noted, however, that they knew of no widespread problems with drop boxes in their state. Florida’s push to get more voters to cast ballots early or by mail meant lines on Election Day were shorter than usual. And even among a widely split electorate where emotions ran high, there were no reports of significant problems at its early or Election Day polling sites. Fearful that the coronavirus pandemic would keep voters away on Election Day, Democrats campaigned especially hard to get more of their base to cast ballots by mail or deposit them in drop boxes, some of them available 24 hours a day. Opponents call Florida’s new legislation a partisan bid to recoup the GOP’s lost advantage in voting by mail in Florida. More than 11 million Floridians cast ballots in November, a record 4.8 million of them by mail. While Trump carried Florida by about 3%, the Democratic advantage in absentee voting proved worrisome to many Republicans. In the end, Florida Democrats outvoted Republicans by mail by 680,000 more absentee ballots. That has Democrats skeptical of their GOP counterparts. “Is the priority to make it more difficult for Floridians to vote? Could it be because Democrats turned out in historic numbers using vote-by-mail?” asked Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Democrats call the addition of new ID requirements deliberate Republican attempts to make the electoral process more inconvenient for Black and inexperienced voters, as well as those who might have difficulty getting to a polling place. “The bill is different, but it still has barriers and hurdles for our people with disabilities, our seniors and our communities of color,” said Rep. Tracie Davis, a Democrat who served as a deputy elections supervisor for Duval County. State Sen. Joe Gruters, who chairs the Republican Party of Florida chair, contends that the proposals are merely acts of fine-tuning “to ensure that we have integrity in the system,” adding during floor debates that “this does nothing to suppress the vote.” The governor’s signature also would extend a no-influence zone to 150 feet (50 meters) around polling places. And elections officials would have to let candidates and other observers witness some key election night moments in the ballot-handling process. Any violations could prompt hefty fines. Democrats charged that Republicans were creating phantom issues to justify changes. A group representing the state’s 67 county elections officials never called for any of the changes, but its leader said his colleagues would dutifully follow any new requirements set in law. “After days of debate, our hope is that the initial and unnecessary call for election reform will not detract from the confidence that was well-earned in 2020,” said Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County supervisor of elections and the president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections. Latimer had called for wider use of ballot drop boxes, even as Republicans curtailed their use to the same hours when early voting sites and elections offices are open. He said the legislation makes requesting vote-by-mail ballots – and returning those ballots – harder. “We should be looking for cost-effective ways to expand their use, including the use of secure 24-hour drop boxes with camera surveillance. Instead, the new legislation prohibits that,” said Latimer. Susan MacManus, a professor emeritus of politics at the University of South Florida, predicted lawsuits are inevitable once the election bill becomes law. “It’s very complex and has lots of elements to it,” said MacManus of the Republican-drafted bill. “When one party has complete control, the other side is always suspicious of motives.”