FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Shaina, Chris, and Cristobal Shaina Petit-Homme thought she was going to Golisano Children’s Hospital for an appointment.
ESTERO One lane blocked due to crash on Corkscrew and TPI Rd. Estero Fire Rescue is on the scene of a car crash at Corkscrew Road and TPI Road.
FORT MYERS ‘We see about 15,000 patient visits a year’ Gulf Coast Humane Society plans to build new veterinary clinic At a workshop Monday afternoon, the Fort Myers city council approved the Gulf Coast Humane Society’s request for additional land for future expansion.
ESTERO Attorneys meeting with landowners over BERT fallout If a railroad-turned bike path was cutting through your backyard, would you be concerned? Neighbors voiced their specific concerns Monday.
Solar tech dos and don’ts: How to avoid solar trouble Investing in solar power can save you big bucks on your energy bill, but con artists and unlicensed sales reps can leave customers high and dry.
Voters react to Glades Commissioner not living in his district Glades County District 1 Commissioner, Tony Whidden, doesn’t live in his district; and voters are not happy.
FGCU FGCU softball returns to NCAA Tournament after ASUN title FGCU softball wins the ASUN Tournament title and are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.
NAPLES Naples police and fire rescue departments ask city council about hiring more staff The city of Naples Police and Fire-Rescue chiefs talked about the past, present, and future of their departments.
New Lee County teacher contract still doesn’t compete Last week, we told you how teachers and Lee County settled on contracts. Next, teachers will vote to approve the contract.
CAPE CORAL Well digging in Cape Coral soars amid water concerns A city’s water issue is coming to a head, and authorities said they are digging four times more than usual to keep the water flowing.
ESTERO Brush fire shuts down portion of Corkscrew Road in Estero Authorities are on the scene of a 15-acre brush fire in Estero, which is affecting traffic.
CAPE CORAL Human skull found in Cape Coral canal, forensic testing underway A human skull was found in a canal in Southwest Florida’s largest city, leading to an investigation and testing.
NORTH FORT MYERS Deputies searching for endangered North Fort Myers woman Deputies are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing woman from North Fort Myers who they believe could be endangered.
ESTERO Motorcyclist speaks out about road rage attack in Estero A man is in jail for ramming a motorcyclist with his SUV.
CAPE CORAL ‘I’m done with Cape Coral;’ Water shortage continues to frustrate residents Why are the people in Cape Coral having such a hard time getting any? The answer? The 2008 housing crisis. Help from a water treatment facility that never came.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Shaina, Chris, and Cristobal Shaina Petit-Homme thought she was going to Golisano Children’s Hospital for an appointment.
ESTERO One lane blocked due to crash on Corkscrew and TPI Rd. Estero Fire Rescue is on the scene of a car crash at Corkscrew Road and TPI Road.
FORT MYERS ‘We see about 15,000 patient visits a year’ Gulf Coast Humane Society plans to build new veterinary clinic At a workshop Monday afternoon, the Fort Myers city council approved the Gulf Coast Humane Society’s request for additional land for future expansion.
ESTERO Attorneys meeting with landowners over BERT fallout If a railroad-turned bike path was cutting through your backyard, would you be concerned? Neighbors voiced their specific concerns Monday.
Solar tech dos and don’ts: How to avoid solar trouble Investing in solar power can save you big bucks on your energy bill, but con artists and unlicensed sales reps can leave customers high and dry.
Voters react to Glades Commissioner not living in his district Glades County District 1 Commissioner, Tony Whidden, doesn’t live in his district; and voters are not happy.
FGCU FGCU softball returns to NCAA Tournament after ASUN title FGCU softball wins the ASUN Tournament title and are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.
NAPLES Naples police and fire rescue departments ask city council about hiring more staff The city of Naples Police and Fire-Rescue chiefs talked about the past, present, and future of their departments.
New Lee County teacher contract still doesn’t compete Last week, we told you how teachers and Lee County settled on contracts. Next, teachers will vote to approve the contract.
CAPE CORAL Well digging in Cape Coral soars amid water concerns A city’s water issue is coming to a head, and authorities said they are digging four times more than usual to keep the water flowing.
ESTERO Brush fire shuts down portion of Corkscrew Road in Estero Authorities are on the scene of a 15-acre brush fire in Estero, which is affecting traffic.
CAPE CORAL Human skull found in Cape Coral canal, forensic testing underway A human skull was found in a canal in Southwest Florida’s largest city, leading to an investigation and testing.
NORTH FORT MYERS Deputies searching for endangered North Fort Myers woman Deputies are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing woman from North Fort Myers who they believe could be endangered.
ESTERO Motorcyclist speaks out about road rage attack in Estero A man is in jail for ramming a motorcyclist with his SUV.
CAPE CORAL ‘I’m done with Cape Coral;’ Water shortage continues to frustrate residents Why are the people in Cape Coral having such a hard time getting any? The answer? The 2008 housing crisis. Help from a water treatment facility that never came.
Nicole Oulson testifies on Feb. 14, 2022. WTSP The role of a tossed bag of movie popcorn played a central part Monday as a trial opened for a retired Florida police captain who fatally shot a man in a theater eight years ago. Meanwhile, the victim’s widow, who was also shot during the incident, took the stand. The question isn’t whether Curtis Reeves shot and killed Chad Oulson at the theater on Jan. 13, 2014. It’s whether Reeves felt threatened enough by Oulson to justify firing his .380-caliber handgun after the two argued over Oulson’s cellphone use in the theater. To prosecutors, the triggering event in the argument was Oulson’s tossing of a bag of popcorn at Reeves – and that’s not enough to claim self-defense. “What the evidence will show you is that Chad Oulson was shot and killed over tossing popcorn,” Assistant State Attorney Scott Rosenwasser told jurors in an opening statement. “That’s no reason to kill another person.” The defense, however, contends that Reeves, then 71, was in declining health and feared the 43-year-old, larger Oulson would punch or otherwise assault him – and may have thrown his cellphone at the older man. Defense attorney Dino Michaels said Reeves also understood the risk and sensed danger from his 27 years with the Tampa Police Department. “This isn’t about popcorn,” Michaels told the jury. “You’re going to see there was an attack before the popcorn was thrown.” Reeves, now 79, faces a potential life sentence if convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The trial, expected to last about three weeks, is being heard by a jury of four men and two women with four alternates. Nicole Oulson, the wife of Chad Oulson, was struck in the hand by the same bullet that killed her husband. She testified Monday that the two men bickered over the cellphone dispute and at one point Chad Oulson stood up, causing her to put her left hand near his chest to guide him back to his seat. That’s when the shot was fired, she testified, nearly severing a finger. “I felt like my hand was blown off,” Nicole Oulson said. “He took a couple of steps and then collapsed. I knew he was way worse than me.” In the moments after the shooting, she said she tried to help her husband. “I see his eyes are just glazed over and I knew in that moment,” she testified, according to CBS affiliate WTSP. The case has been delayed for years as Reeves claimed he feared for his life and sought protection under the “stand your ground” law. A circuit judge ruled against him, but Reeves appealed. Lawmakers changed the law to shift the burden of proof to prosecutors, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the changes didn’t affect cases retroactively. Reeves has been living at home under house arrest with a GPS monitor since his release from jail on bond in July 2014, WTSP reported. The shooting happened after Reeves and Oulson and their wives went to a matinee showing of the Mark Wahlberg film “Lone Survivor” at a theater complex in Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa. Oulson was using his cellphone during previews before the movie began, prosecutors say, in part to check on his young daughter at a local daycare. Reeves demanded that Oulson stop using the phone and was met with a curse-filled response, Michaels told the jury. “Chad Oulson was annoyed when Curtis Reeves tells him to put his phone away. He stays annoyed,” Michaels said. Nicole Oulson testified she did not hear any profanity from her husband in the exchange. “He said, ‘What’s your problem? The movie hasn’t even started yet,'” she said, quoting her husband. Reeves went to theater management about Oulson’s phone use, returned to his seat and that’s when the argument resumed, the popcorn was tossed and Reeves shot Oulson in the chest, according to trial evidence. Much of the confrontation was captured on grainy theater camera video, but it has no sound. Dozens of witnesses have been listed for trial but it’s not clear how many will actually testify. Rosenwasser, the prosecutor, said the evidence will prove that Reeves was incensed by Oulson’s cellphone use and couldn’t let it go. “He appeared to be agitated and angry,” Rosenwasser said. “This was an intentional and purposeful shooting.”