CAPE CORAL Neighbors stuck with previous homeowners’ bill A Cape Coral woman says the city is trying to make her pay for someone else’s mistake after she received a utility bill meant for the home’s previous owner.
NAPLES Teenager denied entrance to prom for wearing a suit Prom is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but one teen had her prom dreams ruined after wasn’t allowed in because of what she was wearing.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Precautionary boil water notice for small portion of Lee County Utilities customers Repair work is expected to be completed overnight and water service will be restored before early morning Wednesday.
NEAR DUNNELLON 8 dead, at least 40 hurt after bus transporting farm workers overturns At least eight people have been killed, and dozens of others have been hurt in a bus crash near Dunnellon after it was hit by a pickup truck.
LEHIGH ACRES Could tiny homes be coming to Lee County? Miniopolis Builders, a company with a vision to revolutionize affordable housing, is facing challenges in bringing their innovative concept to life in Lee County.
ARCADIA Fifteen-year-old beat up during basketball game A pick-up game of basketball at Desoto County High School turned into a physical beating for fifteen-year-old Jeremiah Ward.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte man found guilty for role in January 6 riots John Joseph Richter is now convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding.
Commissioners react to colleague living outside of his district The first Glades Commissioners meeting since Florida Department of Law Enforcement released their investigation findings happened on Tuesday.
NAPLES Former News-Press Food Critic writes powerful memoir, “The Mango Tree” For 15 years, Annabelle Tometich wrote under the famous byline Jean Le Beouf as a food critic for the News-Press. Now, she tells her personal story in her book, “The Mango Tree.”
SAN CARLOS BAY ‘It was incredible’ Couple has close encounter with shark while kayaking on San Carlos Bay Sandrine Fontaine and Arnaud Fontaine come to Southwest Florida twice a year from France, and they try to spend every day kayaking out on the water.
FORT MYERS AI: Friend or Foe for local businesses? Artificial intelligence, otherwise known as AI, has the power to maximize a product. Including local businesses like Vectra Digital.
Protest erupts before Glades Commissioners meeting Early on Tuesday morning, a group of people stood outside of the Glades County Commissioners meeting protesting Commissioner Whidden.
GOLDEN GATE Deputies investigating stabbing at home in Golden Gate Deputies are outside of a house for a stabbing investigation. Collier County deputies said there is one person hurt.
Is there an arsonist on the loose in Lehigh Acres? Fire investigators are looking into a series of suspicious fires in Lehigh Acres that have them wondering if there is an arsonist on the loose.
Collier commissioners push plan to allow rental of guesthouses in Urban Estates The 4-1 vote, which includes a review after one year and a Code Enforcement report, involves homesteaded properties in an area of North Naples west of Collier Boulevard.
CAPE CORAL Neighbors stuck with previous homeowners’ bill A Cape Coral woman says the city is trying to make her pay for someone else’s mistake after she received a utility bill meant for the home’s previous owner.
NAPLES Teenager denied entrance to prom for wearing a suit Prom is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but one teen had her prom dreams ruined after wasn’t allowed in because of what she was wearing.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Precautionary boil water notice for small portion of Lee County Utilities customers Repair work is expected to be completed overnight and water service will be restored before early morning Wednesday.
NEAR DUNNELLON 8 dead, at least 40 hurt after bus transporting farm workers overturns At least eight people have been killed, and dozens of others have been hurt in a bus crash near Dunnellon after it was hit by a pickup truck.
LEHIGH ACRES Could tiny homes be coming to Lee County? Miniopolis Builders, a company with a vision to revolutionize affordable housing, is facing challenges in bringing their innovative concept to life in Lee County.
ARCADIA Fifteen-year-old beat up during basketball game A pick-up game of basketball at Desoto County High School turned into a physical beating for fifteen-year-old Jeremiah Ward.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte man found guilty for role in January 6 riots John Joseph Richter is now convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding.
Commissioners react to colleague living outside of his district The first Glades Commissioners meeting since Florida Department of Law Enforcement released their investigation findings happened on Tuesday.
NAPLES Former News-Press Food Critic writes powerful memoir, “The Mango Tree” For 15 years, Annabelle Tometich wrote under the famous byline Jean Le Beouf as a food critic for the News-Press. Now, she tells her personal story in her book, “The Mango Tree.”
SAN CARLOS BAY ‘It was incredible’ Couple has close encounter with shark while kayaking on San Carlos Bay Sandrine Fontaine and Arnaud Fontaine come to Southwest Florida twice a year from France, and they try to spend every day kayaking out on the water.
FORT MYERS AI: Friend or Foe for local businesses? Artificial intelligence, otherwise known as AI, has the power to maximize a product. Including local businesses like Vectra Digital.
Protest erupts before Glades Commissioners meeting Early on Tuesday morning, a group of people stood outside of the Glades County Commissioners meeting protesting Commissioner Whidden.
GOLDEN GATE Deputies investigating stabbing at home in Golden Gate Deputies are outside of a house for a stabbing investigation. Collier County deputies said there is one person hurt.
Is there an arsonist on the loose in Lehigh Acres? Fire investigators are looking into a series of suspicious fires in Lehigh Acres that have them wondering if there is an arsonist on the loose.
Collier commissioners push plan to allow rental of guesthouses in Urban Estates The 4-1 vote, which includes a review after one year and a Code Enforcement report, involves homesteaded properties in an area of North Naples west of Collier Boulevard.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed the media after a meeting with the federal state governors on measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (Michele Tantussi/Pool via AP) Germany’s leaders on Wednesday announced plans to end most of the country’s coronavirus restrictions by March 20, a decision that coincided with moves by neighboring Austria and Switzerland to drop many of their curbs sooner. A three-step plan was endorsed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country’s 16 state governors as official figures show Germany’s COVID-19 infection rate beginning to drift downward. “The peak has now probably been reached,” Scholz said, adding that “a constantly improved situation” can be expected in the coming weeks. The easing is to start with scrapping rules that prevented people without proof of vaccination or recovery from visiting nonessential stores and the lifting of limits on private gatherings of vaccinated people. Beginning on March 4, requirements to enter restaurants and bars will be relaxed, with a negative test sufficing rather than, as in many areas at present, proof of vaccination or recovery plus a test or a booster shot. Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen, albeit with entry restrictions. And “all far-reaching protective measures” are to be dropped on March 20 “if the situation in hospitals allows,” according to Wednesday’s decision. An obligation to allow people to work from home will be dropped as well. But Scholz said that mask-wearing and distancing requirements will remain in place. Germany saw infections caused by the highly contagious omicron variant surge later than in several other European countries. Officials have attributed this to the restrictions that have been in place since December. But other countries, including neighboring Denmark, also have moved faster to lift restrictions, and there have been growing calls for Germany to follow suit. Earlier Wednesday, Austria announced that it will drop most of its restrictions on March 5 and Switzerland said most of its curbs will go this week. Germany’s national disease control center has reported several days of slight drops in the country’s infection rate, though it remains far above pre-omicron levels. As Germany moves toward easing its latest restrictions, prospects of a vaccine mandate for all adults appear to be receding. Scholz came out in favor of such a mandate just before he became chancellor in December, but his three-party coalition is divided on the issue and he left it to parliament to come up with proposals. At present, it’s unclear when lawmakers will vote on legislation and what if any kind of mandate would muster a majority. Scholz pressed for lawmakers to find a solution. “We must not forget the next fall and winter, and so it is still right not just to advocate vaccination but to prepare the legislative measures for a general vaccine mandate,” he said. “It will be necessary when the weather gets colder, when the days get darker and when infections could increase again.” Even already-approved legislation requiring health workers to present proof of vaccination or recovery by mid-March has run into difficulties, although Germany’s highest court last week refused to temporarily block its implementation.