Caught on Video: man ignites North Fort Myers house on fireCape Coral says they’ll help neighbors forced to vacate but community still has questions
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Video: man ignites North Fort Myers house on fire We spoke with the mother of the family that lives in the home. She said both her husband and her 6-year-old son were in bed when she saw an orange glow coming from the front window; then, she saw flames.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral says they’ll help neighbors forced to vacate but community still has questions We’ve reported on the plans by Cape Coral to acquire 19 acres east of Bimini Basin, and how it will force the families currently living in those properties out.
Collier County commissioners oppose Amendment 3 This comes less than 24 hours after former President Donald Trump told the world he would vote for Amendment 3.
PHILADELPHIA Florida political analyst weighs in ahead of presidential debate Tonight may be the only chance viewers will get to see Kamala Harris and Donald Trump together on the debate stage.
LEHIGH ACRES Renewed call for guardrails following fatal Lehigh Acres canal crash A car flying into a canal, killing a 47-year-old man, has many raising the question of how it can be stopped from happening again.
Charlotte County Schools reflects on Guardian program 1 year later Charlotte County is getting a better idea of how armed people in its schools are doing. Last school year was the first entire year Charlotte County Schools had the guardian program in place.
PUNTA GORDA Public notice of pollution submitted for the Peace River There are reports of chemicals, oils and contaminants polluting the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Garden.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers neighbors work to stop parking lot A city sees a warehouse just south of Palm Beach Boulevard as a spot they can use for a brand new parking lot, but the people who live in the neighborhood are telling the city to think twice.
NAPLES Collier middle school student arrested for carrying knife A Manatee Middle School student has been arrested after a knife was found in his backpack at school.
FORT MYERS Suspect arrested in Papa Johns armed robbery A man has been arrested in connection with a robbery of a Fort Myers pizza shop.
TALLAHASSEE New ruling could ban lab grown meat production in Florida A federal judge will hear arguments next month about whether he should block a new Florida law that bars the production and sale of “cultivated meat” in the state.
Seconds save lives: New trial for diagnosing stroke Now, doctors are testing another drug to help people who suffer a different kind of stroke that floods the brain with blood.
Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 Whether crafting cakes or kombucha or focusing on a courtroom or cockpit, the individuals who have earned recognition among the Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 all stand out in their respective fields.
Del Taco to open in Port Charlotte A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Southwest Florida’s first Del Taco will take place Sept. 16 in Port Charlotte. It will be the third Del Taco location for Quality Restaurant Group President and operating partner Kenther Ramos.
BONITA SPRINGS Caught on camera: 8-foot alligator wrangled from Bonita Springs home See you later, alligator! Deputies came quick to the rescue to wrangle this slippery reptile.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Video: man ignites North Fort Myers house on fire We spoke with the mother of the family that lives in the home. She said both her husband and her 6-year-old son were in bed when she saw an orange glow coming from the front window; then, she saw flames.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral says they’ll help neighbors forced to vacate but community still has questions We’ve reported on the plans by Cape Coral to acquire 19 acres east of Bimini Basin, and how it will force the families currently living in those properties out.
Collier County commissioners oppose Amendment 3 This comes less than 24 hours after former President Donald Trump told the world he would vote for Amendment 3.
PHILADELPHIA Florida political analyst weighs in ahead of presidential debate Tonight may be the only chance viewers will get to see Kamala Harris and Donald Trump together on the debate stage.
LEHIGH ACRES Renewed call for guardrails following fatal Lehigh Acres canal crash A car flying into a canal, killing a 47-year-old man, has many raising the question of how it can be stopped from happening again.
Charlotte County Schools reflects on Guardian program 1 year later Charlotte County is getting a better idea of how armed people in its schools are doing. Last school year was the first entire year Charlotte County Schools had the guardian program in place.
PUNTA GORDA Public notice of pollution submitted for the Peace River There are reports of chemicals, oils and contaminants polluting the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Garden.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers neighbors work to stop parking lot A city sees a warehouse just south of Palm Beach Boulevard as a spot they can use for a brand new parking lot, but the people who live in the neighborhood are telling the city to think twice.
NAPLES Collier middle school student arrested for carrying knife A Manatee Middle School student has been arrested after a knife was found in his backpack at school.
FORT MYERS Suspect arrested in Papa Johns armed robbery A man has been arrested in connection with a robbery of a Fort Myers pizza shop.
TALLAHASSEE New ruling could ban lab grown meat production in Florida A federal judge will hear arguments next month about whether he should block a new Florida law that bars the production and sale of “cultivated meat” in the state.
Seconds save lives: New trial for diagnosing stroke Now, doctors are testing another drug to help people who suffer a different kind of stroke that floods the brain with blood.
Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 Whether crafting cakes or kombucha or focusing on a courtroom or cockpit, the individuals who have earned recognition among the Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 all stand out in their respective fields.
Del Taco to open in Port Charlotte A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Southwest Florida’s first Del Taco will take place Sept. 16 in Port Charlotte. It will be the third Del Taco location for Quality Restaurant Group President and operating partner Kenther Ramos.
BONITA SPRINGS Caught on camera: 8-foot alligator wrangled from Bonita Springs home See you later, alligator! Deputies came quick to the rescue to wrangle this slippery reptile.
Navy sailors. Credit: Pixabay A federal judge in Texas blocked the Department of Defense on Monday from punishing 35 members of the Navy who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in compliance with the service’s vaccine mandate due to religious objections. The group of Christian Navy personnel, including SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant Craft crewmen, divers and an explosive ordnance disposal technician, brought their case against President Biden and the Defense Department in November and argued the Navy’s vaccine mandate violates the First Amendment and federal law. The service members asked the court to stop the Defense Department from enforcing the policy, to which they are seeking religious accommodations, against them and prohibit the Navy from taking “adverse action” against them for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19. In a 26-page order granting the Naval Special Warfare Command members relief, Judge Reed O’Connor called the Navy’s religious accommodations process for its vaccination policy “theater” and said it “rubber stamps each denial” for a religious exemption. “The Navy service members in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” O’Connor, appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote in his order. “The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. There is no military exclusion from our Constitution.” The Defense Department issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for service members in August, and the Department of the Navy required all active-duty Navy personnel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before November 28 or face discipline. The Navy members who filed suit against the Pentagon sought religious accommodations to the vaccine requirement, citing their religious beliefs for their objections to receiving COVID-19 shots. But the Navy has denied most of their requests, many of which have been appealed, according to court filings. O’Connor wrote in his orders that the Navy service members are likely to succeed in pursuing their claims that the vaccine mandate is unconstitutional and in violation of federal law. “The plaintiffs’ loss of religious liberties outweighs any forthcoming harm to the Navy,” he wrote. “Even the direst circumstances cannot justify the loss of constitutional rights.” O’Connor called the Navy’s religious accommodation process an “exercise in futility” and said the service members “need not wait for the Navy to rubber-stamp a constitutional violation before seeking relief in court.” The Defense Department in December began disciplinary actions and discharges against members who have declined to comply with the vaccine mandate, with up to 20,000 unvaccinated service members facing removal. In the Navy, more than 98% have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though 5,328 active-duty members were unvaccinated as of December 29, according to the service. More than 2,800 active-duty Navy personnel have requested religious accommodations, though none have been approved.