LCSO Deputies save man from burning homeStalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO Deputies save man from burning home A dramatic rescue unfolded in North Fort Myers as deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office saved a disabled man from a burning home.
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
FORT MYERS Lee Health holds groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Myers Lee Health is expanding its reach and held an event for a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Fort Myers campus.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO Deputies save man from burning home A dramatic rescue unfolded in North Fort Myers as deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office saved a disabled man from a burning home.
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
FORT MYERS Lee Health holds groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Myers Lee Health is expanding its reach and held an event for a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Fort Myers campus.
Leah Lefkove, 9, shows off her vaccination sticker just before being the first child to be vaccinated at the Viral Solutions vaccination and testing site in Decatur, Ga., on the first day COVID-19 vaccinations were available for children from 5 to 12 on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. The U.S. enters a new phase Wednesday in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with shots now available to millions of elementary-age children in what health officials hailed as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education. (AP Photo/Ben Gray) Schools that allowed unvaccinated students exposed to COVID to stay in school as long as they continuously tested negative and followed mitigation measures were able to reduce the time students lost in the classroom and limit the spread of the virus, according to two reports released by the Centers for Disease Control Friday. The practice — commonly known as “test to stay” — is designed to limit the number of kids who have to stop in-person learning and quarantine by allowing students to stay in school if they’re exposed to a positive case as long as they consistently test negative for the virus. In one report, the agency assessed the use of the practice in Lake County, Illinois, from early August through October. During this period, more than 250 positive cases were identified, resulting in more than 1,000 close contacts that qualified for the “test to stay” program. Nearly 97% of students who qualified for the program participated. The CDC found that among close contacts who participated in the program, 16 ultimately tested positive, none of whom spread the virus to other school-based contacts (although nine tertiary cases were reported among household contacts of the 16 secondary cases. Secondary exposure occurs when a person is directly exposed to a person who has had direct contact with someone who has contracted COVID. A tertiary contact takes place when a person is exposed to someone with secondary exposure). The agency also found that students participating in the program preserved more than 8,100 total school days. In Los Angeles, the agency found similar results and said the ratio of COVID-19 incidence among students in schools utilizing test-to-stay strategies, compared to those that did not, were similar before and after implementation. Schools that did not implement a test to stay measures lost more than 90,000 school days as a result of quarantines over the course of the study period (September 20 through October). “Taken together, these findings reinforce the usefulness of TTS for helping to maintain in-person learning in school,” the authors reported. While the results suggest the strategy has benefits, the CDC stopped short of formally recommending the practice and noted that barriers exist to implementation. It demands substantial resources, both in terms of staffing and access to tests and “may not be a viable option for every school.” In Los Angeles, only one in five schools participated in the program, and those that didn’t cite resource-related reasons for opting out. The CDC is including the policy as an added preventative layer schools may consider, in addition to masking and vaccination. “School district administrators and local public health agencies should make efforts to ensure that such Test-to-Stay strategies if offered, are available in an equitable way among students and across schools,” the agency wrote. At least seven states have given schools the option to institute the policy in some form, although specific recommendations have varied. In Massachusetts, “test to stay” was implemented in late July, ahead of the new school year, and if used, it requires daily tests for close contacts. The Illinois state board of education says schools may also follow “test to stay,” but it advises that students should be tested on days one, three, five and seven following exposure. Others, like California and Washington, require at least two tests a week. In Utah, the practice is required by law for schools that meet a specific case threshold. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky had said in October that the agency was considering such guidance, calling the practice “a promising potential new strategy for schools.” The updated guidance comes as federal officials reportedly expect demand for testing to soar in the coming months. Abbott, one of the leaders in rapid test diagnostics, said in a statement that it is making more than 50 million tests a month and can produce even more if necessary. According to data from the CDC, the CDC is performing nearly 1.4 million PCR tests per day, a likely undercount of the total number of tests performed daily, given that the agency is not tracking rapid antigen tests. COVID cases among children have remained high since a late-summer surge. At least 100,000 cases have been reported among kids each week for the past four months and there was a nearly 24% rise in cases reported the week ending December 9 compared to the week before. According to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics, as of December, nearly 100% of public school students were offered in-person instruction and 99% of fourth and eighth graders attended full-time in-person learning. In March, following the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration announced it was investing $10 billion to assist schools with their testing programs for students and staff.