FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional playHomes For Our Troops grants veteran new home
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Hot, hot, hot Heat advisory in place for Saturday until 8 p.m.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over five and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Hot, hot, hot Heat advisory in place for Saturday until 8 p.m.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over five and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
Christopher Nelson Velez. Credit: Cape Coral Police Department A man was arrested by the Cape Coral Police Department after a violent road rage incident Wednesday. According to CCPD press release, the incident happened near the 1100 block of Del Prado Boulevard S when both vehicles stopped in a parking lot. Police say Christopher Nelson Velez, 40, of Punta Gorda, battered and attempted to pull three victims, a young woman and two girls, from their vehicle, leaving two with minor injuries. A mother confirmed another girl was in the car, bringing the victims to four total. But the mother says her daughters were not injured during the encounter. After investigating the incident, police say Velez was driving recklessly near the victim’s car while driving eastbound on Viscaya Parkway. Both drivers exchanged words and gave each other the finger. As they continued eastbound, Velez threw a protein shaker cup and hit the 12-year-old girl in the front passenger seat in the right eye. Both vehicles turned right from Viscaya Parkway onto Del Prado Boulevard to travel southbound. Velez eventually cut the victim off, forcing her to turn into the Shoot Center parking lot. Velez exited his van and approached the victim’s car. According to police, he reached into the open window and tried to pull the woman out but was unsuccessful. Velez attempted to remove one of the girls from the left rear window. In doing so, the passenger’s tube top came off. The driver got out to stop Velez and was dragged by her shirt. The girls got out of the vehicle and started to hit Velez, at which point he got into his van and left. Around 4:30 pm Wednesday, Velez and his van were found at the 7-Eleven located at 1526 Chiquita Blvd. S. Based on the evidence, witness statements, and victim identification, Velez, was arrested. He now faces charges of throwing a deadly missile, two counts of burglary with battery, and three counts of battery. Two of the victims were taken to the hospital because of their injuries. The mother of a 14-year-old girl involved told us her daughter is traumatized after the attack. She says the girls were on their way to school but never made it there because of the attack. “He was accelerating at a pretty quick pace,” said Troy Eckenrode, who witnessed the road rage. “But what caught my eye, my attention, was the back door was open on the van as he’s pulling away.” Eckenrode, an employee at Shoot Center, was working when the attack happened. He only saw the van speeding away but soon noticed the girls who had been attacked. “One of them said they got hit in the face by the gentleman and that they were attacked and beat up, and they were just very emotional,” Eckenrode said. Eckenrode said there were shoes, hats and water bottles on the ground where the girls were standing. It wasn’t until he watched the surveillance video that he realized what happened. “As soon as the van stopped, the door was even open before the van stopped, and the guy’s already out of his vehicle,” Eckenrode said. “And then just kind of seeing what happened with them and hearing their side of the story, it was kind of an indicator, yeah, definitely road rage.” Velez remains in the Lee County Jail. Velez’s white van found at a 7-Eleven on Chiquita Boulevard and Trafalgar Parkway in Cape Coral, where he was arrested Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Credit: Shared with WINK News. Credit: Cape Coral Police Department.