Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouseConservation easement helps to preserve Naples coastline
Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouse Charlotte County commissioners are trying to keep the historical importance of the Placida bunkhouse alive.
Conservation easement helps to preserve Naples coastline A new beach resort to unwind and relax is on its way and there’s going to be a giant green space to help with that.
PUNTA GORDA 81-year-old SWFL veteran celebrated with Honor Flight Among the 100 Southwest Florida veterans headed to Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight is Bob Carpenter, an 81-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.
SANIBEL Sanibel eyes new hurricane protections amid recovery It should come as no surprise that parts of Southwest Florida, especially Sanibel Island, have a long way to go in their recovery from this year’s hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Facebook post helps find good Samaritan in Cape Coral A Cape Coral man is relieved to discover good people still exist.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell Beach Resort seeks expansion on Fort Myers Beach The face of Fort Myers Beach could look different as the Pink Shell Beach Resort wants to expand.
NAPLES Owner of Johnsonville named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year From king of sausage to best-selling author, Johnsonville owner Ralph Stayer has been named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year.
Fired FEMA worker speaks out The FEMA team leader who was fired for telling her crew to skip properties with signs supporting Donald Trump in a Highlands County mobile home park is pushing back.
FORT MYERS Water quality testing continues in Fort Myers waterways Water quality has been an ongoing issue for parts of southwest Florida, and two notoriously bad spots fall within the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO New mixed-use development proposed in Estero A new entertainment and living experience may be going right in the middle of a place you’ve never seen before.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for using stolen credit card to buy gift cards in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking the public for information on a male suspect seen making purchases with a stolen credit card in North Fort Myers.
How gut health affects mental and physical wellness You’ve heard it before: “You are what you eat.” Well, science is increasingly confirming that this adage holds true, especially when it comes to the impact of our gut microbiome on our overall health.
Couple’s wedding gift led to lifelong passion, business ownership The owners of a popular barbecue food truck fulfilled their dream of owning a brick-and-mortar restaurant, as Jay’s Smokin BBQ preps for its soft opening Nov. 13 at 10175 Tamiami Trail in Punta Gorda.
Goddard School breaks ground in Estero as franchise expands to SWFL Matt Speranza and Dave Horrell each changed the trajectory of their lives, shifting to figuratively painting the potential of children from literally selling paint.
2 teens accused of Hendry homicide will be charged as adults The family of a 16-year-old girl is one step closer to getting justice as the two suspects in her murder will be charged as adults.
Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouse Charlotte County commissioners are trying to keep the historical importance of the Placida bunkhouse alive.
Conservation easement helps to preserve Naples coastline A new beach resort to unwind and relax is on its way and there’s going to be a giant green space to help with that.
PUNTA GORDA 81-year-old SWFL veteran celebrated with Honor Flight Among the 100 Southwest Florida veterans headed to Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight is Bob Carpenter, an 81-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.
SANIBEL Sanibel eyes new hurricane protections amid recovery It should come as no surprise that parts of Southwest Florida, especially Sanibel Island, have a long way to go in their recovery from this year’s hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Facebook post helps find good Samaritan in Cape Coral A Cape Coral man is relieved to discover good people still exist.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell Beach Resort seeks expansion on Fort Myers Beach The face of Fort Myers Beach could look different as the Pink Shell Beach Resort wants to expand.
NAPLES Owner of Johnsonville named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year From king of sausage to best-selling author, Johnsonville owner Ralph Stayer has been named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year.
Fired FEMA worker speaks out The FEMA team leader who was fired for telling her crew to skip properties with signs supporting Donald Trump in a Highlands County mobile home park is pushing back.
FORT MYERS Water quality testing continues in Fort Myers waterways Water quality has been an ongoing issue for parts of southwest Florida, and two notoriously bad spots fall within the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO New mixed-use development proposed in Estero A new entertainment and living experience may be going right in the middle of a place you’ve never seen before.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for using stolen credit card to buy gift cards in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking the public for information on a male suspect seen making purchases with a stolen credit card in North Fort Myers.
How gut health affects mental and physical wellness You’ve heard it before: “You are what you eat.” Well, science is increasingly confirming that this adage holds true, especially when it comes to the impact of our gut microbiome on our overall health.
Couple’s wedding gift led to lifelong passion, business ownership The owners of a popular barbecue food truck fulfilled their dream of owning a brick-and-mortar restaurant, as Jay’s Smokin BBQ preps for its soft opening Nov. 13 at 10175 Tamiami Trail in Punta Gorda.
Goddard School breaks ground in Estero as franchise expands to SWFL Matt Speranza and Dave Horrell each changed the trajectory of their lives, shifting to figuratively painting the potential of children from literally selling paint.
2 teens accused of Hendry homicide will be charged as adults The family of a 16-year-old girl is one step closer to getting justice as the two suspects in her murder will be charged as adults.
FILE – In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo, Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks outside of the Dirksen building on Capitol Hill in Washington. A Connecticut judge has found Jones liable for damages in lawsuits brought by parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The parents of several children sued Jones over his claims that the massacre was a hoax. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) A Connecticut judge found Infowars host Alex Jones liable by default Monday in a defamation lawsuit brought by parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting over the conspiracy theorist’s claims that the massacre was a hoax. The ruling by the judge, who cited Jones’ refusal to abide by court rulings or turn over evidence, means a jury will determine how much in damages Jones should pay to the families. Shortly after the judge’s decision, Jones went on his show and said he’d been deprived of a fair trial. “These individuals, again, are not allowing me to have a jury trial because they know the things they said I supposedly did [say] didn’t happen,” he said. “They know they don’t have a case for damages. And so the judge is saying you are guilty of damages, now a jury decides how guilty you are. It’s not guilty until proven guilty.” Judge Barbara Bellis took the rare step of issuing a default judgment in the case because she said Jones and his companies, Infowars and Free Speech Systems, had failed to turn over documents including records that might have shown how, and if, they had profited from spreading misinformation about the school shooting and other mass killings. Norman Pattis, a lawyer for Jones, said an appeal of Bellis’ default ruling is planned. “The ruling is founded neither in law or fact,” Pattis said in an email. “We remain confident that, in the end, the Sandy Hook families cannot prove either liability or damages. We think their lawyers know this; hence, the desperate effort to obtain a default.” His lawyers have asked that Bellis be removed from the case, alleging she has not been impartial. The ruling has the same outcome as a jury determining the case in favor of the families. A jury will now determine the damages. Twenty first-graders and six educators were killed in the December 2012 shooting. The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their Newtown home before the shooting, and killed himself at the school as police arrived, officials said. The shooting was portrayed on Jones’ Infowars show as a hoax involving actors aimed at increasing gun control. Jones has since acknowledged the school shooting did occur. Families of the victims said they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers because of the hoax conspiracy pushed on Infowars. They sued Jones and his companies for defamation and infliction of emotional distress. The hearing on damages before a jury is expected to be held next year. “What’s clear from Judge Bellis’ ruling is that Alex Jones and the Jones defendants have engaged in a long, continuous course of misconduct in this case designed to prevent the plaintiffs from getting evidence about Mr. Jones’ business and about his motives for publishing lies about them and their families,” said Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for relatives of eight of the victims who sued Jones in Connecticut. Messages were left for the parents of some of the children killed in the shooting. A Texas judge recently issued similar rulings against Jones in three defamation lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook families in that state, finding Jones liable for damages after defaulting him and his companies for not turning over documents. Hearings on damages also were ordered. In one of the lawsuits, a Texas judge in 2019 ordered Jones to pay $100,000 in legal fees and refused to dismiss the suit. And a jury in Wisconsin awarded $450,000 to one of the parents in his lawsuit against conspiracy theorist writers, not including Jones, who claimed the massacre never happened. In the three Connecticut lawsuits, Jones previously was sanctioned for violating numerous orders to turn over documents and for an angry outburst on his web show against Mattei. A judge barred Jones from filing a motion to dismiss the case — a ruling that was upheld after being appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear Jones’ appeal in April.