ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
The CEO of NCH Healthcare System and medical staff delivered a plea to the Southwest Florida community on Friday: Get vaccinated or we’ll pay the consequences. “We need to unify more than ever,” said Paul Hiltz during the update on the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and their plans to respond to the rise in hospitalizations. On Friday, the hospital system reported treating 152 patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Of that number, 126 patients, or 83%, are unvaccinated. Thirty-six of those patients are in the ICU. Of those, 18 patients are on ventilators. The age range of hospitalized patients runs from 9 to 100. NCH says with patients being admitted and discharged throughout the day, that number will fluctuate. Jon Kling, chief operating officer, said, “Right now we have patients waiting in our ER, and we’ll get discharges and we’ll admit those patients, but by tonight, we’ll have another round of patients waiting for those beds again.” Dr. Douglas Harrington, a pulmonary critical care physician at Downtown Baker Hospital, had a strong message to the public. “What we’re now seeing with this present surge is a firestorm in our community of the pandemic,” Harrington said. “This pandemic was absolutely preventable by following science and becoming vaccinated.” The vast majority of the patients now being seen in NCH hospitals with COVID-19 are younger and healthy, with one as young as 2 years old. “They’re becoming critical not in a week or two, but within days, so that ability to see the patient, to have days to get them on treatment, is not at our hands anymore,” Harrington said. “Now, they come in the hospital and within 24 hours they’re in the intensive care unit.” One patient in his early 30s was admitted to Baker Hospital two weeks ago short of breath and COVID positive. Harrington said the man has since had cardiac arrest and is on “full-blown life support on a true heart-lung machine and has been on that machine for two weeks.” “I am more comfortable here working the ICU than I am going into any business with unmasked people right now,” Harrington said. “I’ll stay in the ICU, wear my mask, work 24/7. I am that concerned about the community.” As of Friday, the ICU at NCH went from 26 to 36 patients within 24 hours. “We have a deep fear we have not reached that peak yet,” Harrington said. “People are dying … The time is now. We need to vaccinate.” When asked about the misinformation about the vaccine, he said, “This vaccine is extremely safe … This misinformation is based on false claims and concerns,” before going on to dispel multiple false claims being made against the vaccine. Regarding the number of deaths currently being reported, Harrington explained, “No, we’re seeing deaths, we’re absolutely seeing deaths. This surge we’re in, it’s happened so fast that we literally don’t have the data of what our death percentage is.” The latest reported numbers show 58 people die every day on average from COVID-19 in Florida – the highest average in the nation. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.