Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster childrenCity of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
A white Florida police officer with a history of excessive force is charged with aggravated battery during his arrest of a Black man accused of trespassing outside a grocery store. West Palm Beach Officer Nicholas Lordi turned himself in at the county’s main jail on Tuesday night and bonded out on Wednesday morning, officials said. He’s accused of punching John Monroque multiple times and breaking his nose outside a West Palm Beach store on Nov. 1, 2019, six months before the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis caused a national outcry against excessive force by police. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report says Lordi and Officer Jamesloo Charles responded to the trespassing call. As Charles checked the 65-year-old man’s identification, Lordi pushed his head onto the hood of the cruiser, the report said. A struggle then ensued as the officers tried to handcuff Monroque. They ended up on the ground, with Lordi lying on his back while holding Monroque in a headlock, the report said. Lordi then punched him with his left fist and Monroque did not hit back, the investigation revealed. The man was then rolled onto his stomach and Lordi sat on top of him, delivering more blows to Monroque’s head, the report said. A bystander tried to intervene but was moved out of the way by Officer Charles, who then placed Monroque in handcuffs. Monroque, who did move for nearly a minute, later told FDLE investigators that he was unconscious, the report said. Then the struggle resumed, and Lordi knelt on Monroque’s head, using his right knee, for 14 seconds, according to an affidavit. He had told the man to “stop spitting” as he laid handcuffed on the ground. Monroque was treated at a hospital for a “closed fracture of (his) nasal bones,” the report said. He then spent 20 days in jail. The case against him was dismissed a year later. Lordi said in a deposition in 2020 that Monroque was “disrespectful” and was “fighting, pulling away, and not listening to commands.” The officer told investigators that Monroque had tried to grab the second officer’s gun magazine and they “had to use force.” He said he had delivered a few “softening strikes” to the man’s face. A West Palm Beach police statement says the department immediately launched a use-of-force investigation and asked FDLE to investigate once additional evidence was found. The FDLE report said surveillance video contradicts some of Lordi’s statements. The agency concluded that Lordi “used force in excess of what was necessary to mitigate the incident” and “intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement” to the victim. “I feel good now. It’s justice,” Monroque said at a news conference on Wednesday, adding that he forgives Lordi. Michael Salnick, an attorney for Lordi, told WPTV he had no comment. Sue-Ann Robinson, an attorney for Monroque, told reporters that Lordi has an “extensive history of complaints and excessive force.” The South Florida SunSentinel reported that internal affairs records show the officer had been disciplined for his conduct toward the public, failing to obey laws and directives, and violating the department’s code of conduct and ethics. As of March 2020, he had been involved in 15 use-of-force incidents since 2015. It was not clear whether the second officer was disciplined for his involvement in the Monroque arrest.