Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville. (File/AP) The accrediting organization for the University of Florida has taken preliminary steps that could lead to a probe into whether the university faces “non-compliance issues” over its decision to block three professors from serving as expert witnesses in a high-profile voting rights lawsuit. With an investigation looming, the university clarified that the political science professors would be allowed to testify as plaintiffs’ witnesses if they don’t get paid or use school resources. Professors Daniel Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin were set to testify as plaintiffs’ witnesses in a federal lawsuit challenging a new Florida election law that, in part, makes it harder for people to vote by mail. Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the measure (SB 90) during the 2021 legislative session this spring, fulfilling a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The lawsuit filed in May on behalf of the groups Florida Rising Together, Faith in Florida, UnidosUS, the Equal Ground Education Fund, the Hispanic Federation and Poder Latinx, contends that the changes dealing with issues such as voting by mail could curtail voting by Black and Latino residents. A document filed by the plaintiffs on Friday said the university notified the professors that they would be prohibited from testifying in the case. According to the court document, the university told the professors that “outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the state of Florida create a conflict” for the university. The university’s stance garnered national headlines over the weekend. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, said Monday her organization is asking University of Florida President Kent Fuchs for an explanation. “We are following our ‘unsolicited information policy’ and investigating the issue. It involves a letter to the president asking for information to verify or clarify the news media’s account of what happened. From there, we will decide if there are any non-compliance issues,” Wheelan told The News Service of Florida in an email. The University of Florida issued a statement over the weekend saying that the school “has a long track record of supporting free speech and our faculty’s academic freedom.” The university disputed that the professors’ First Amendment rights were being violated. “Rather, the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution. ” the statement said. The university later clarified its position. “It is worth noting, the university views the professors’ request as a request to be paid to testify against the state, and the university, as a public institution, is part of the state — therefore, that would be adverse to the university’s interests. However, to be clear, if the professors wish to do so pro bono on their own time without using university resources, they would be free to do so,” university officials said in a statement provided to the News Service Monday. But McDonald indicated that the university’s objections to the professors acting as expert witnesses was not related to their compensation. “Lots of folks asking what if we do the work pro bono? Our compensation was not given as a reason in the original disapproval from UF. That is new language the university added in its PR statement,” McDonald tweeted Saturday. The document filed by the plaintiffs Friday noted that University of Florida professors have “historically been approved to serve as experts in numerous other cases both on behalf of and adverse to the state of Florida before” and alleged that the university’s objections were specifically related to the 2021 election law. Higher-education advocacy group The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is backing the professors. “The profound civic importance of fair trials requires the ability of fact and expert witnesses to come forward to testify truthfully without fear that their government employer might retaliate against them. Public university faculty are no exception. We call on UF to reverse course immediately,” the organization said in a statement Saturday. A coalition of 36 academic political scientists from across the nation penned an open letter calling on the university to reverse its decision, saying that the school displayed “a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of expert witnesses in election-related litigation.” “In denying these professors the ability to offer evidence and testimony to a federal court and prohibiting them from answering empirical questions about the effects of voting law changes, the university is acting as if faculty are agents of the current leadership of Florida state government,” the letter said.