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.
Suburban house. Credit: Pixabay House hunters are increasingly getting priced out of the real estate action, with homeownership now out of reach for most people in more than 4 in 10 counties across the U.S., a new analysis shows. Home prices jumped more than 10% in two-thirds of the 569 counties tracked by Attom Data Solutions, a provider of property data. All together, those counties represent about 250 million Americans, according to the research firm, which analyzed publicly recorded sales-deed data for counties that recorded the most real estate transactions between April and June. The number of counties where homeownership is now considered unaffordable jumped about 20% from a year earlier, rising to 242 counties in the second quarter compared with 205 in the year-earlier period. Attom said. The latest data signal that America’s housing market is going in the “wrong direction,” said Todd Teta, chief product officer with Attom. The surge in home prices is raising concerns with some market observers that soaring real estate prices may herald the same type of overheating that led to the 2006 housing bubble. The current market is fueled by ultra-low mortgage rates and demand for homes from millennials. What is considered “affordable”? “That 20% more counties are unaffordable is problematic,” Teta said. “We’re starting to creep up to where it will be generally unaffordable on a national basis. Anything that causes mortgage rates to go up and prices to go up will put us over the tipping point.” The rise in home prices means ownership costs are higher across the nation, even though the majority of U.S. counties are still considered affordable, Teta noted. The typical home now requires 25.2% of the average national wage of about $64,000 — up from 22.2% of the average wage a year earlier and its highest point since the third quarter of 2008. Homeownership is considered affordable if homeowners pay less than 28% of the typical local annual income on their properties, including costs for mortgage payments, home insurance and property taxes. As property prices rise, homebuyers must pay above that threshold in about 43% of the country’s counties, the study found. Those counties range from Berkeley, West Virginia — where home buyers need to pay roughly 28% of the typical income to afford a home — to Kings County, New York, better known as Brooklyn, where home buyers need more than 100% of a Brooklynite’s typical annual income to buy a home. “It’s getting closer to becoming unaffordable in most counties,” Teta said. Lack of inventory A dearth of homes on the market is one of the main drivers of higher prices, causing buyers to bid up homes — often with all-cash offers — and even forego traditional sale contingencies like home inspections. It’s also holding back would-be sellers. With 20% fewer properties on the market compared with a year ago, some homeowners are opting to stay put rather than deal with the struggle of finding a new place to live. But that creates a vicious cycle, with shrinking inventory leading to bidding wars and more reluctance on the part of some homeowners to list their homes for sale. “The available inventory of homes for sale last month translated into 2.5 months of supply at the May selling pace, up from 2.4 months in April,” Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said in a report. “Six months of supply has historically been considered a sign of a balanced housing market.” 10 most affordable counties in U.S. Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, outside Allentown, 5.5% of annualized weekly wages needed to buy a home Bibb County (Macon), Georgia, 8% percent Cambria County, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh, 8.2% Macon County (Decatur), Illinois, 9.1% Peoria County, Illinois, 10.4% Rock Island County, Illinois, 10.4% Wayne County, Michigan, 10.7% Broome County, New York, 10.7% Delaware County, Indiana, 11.2% Chautauqua County, New York, 11.2% 10 least affordable counties in U.S. Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, 100.8% of annualized weekly wages needed to buy a home Marin County, California (outside San Francisco), 81.4% Santa Cruz County, California, 76.2% Queens County, New York, 68.7% Monterey County, California (outside San Francisco), 65.9% Nassau County, New York, 63% San Luis Obispo County, California, 62.4% Sumner County, Tennessee, 62.1% Orange County, California, 59.2% Napa County, California, 59.1%