Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County communityDr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors in Collier County The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors in Collier County The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
James Tennant (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office) A Southwest Florida sex offender faces charges after being arrested while working at a fair. Deputies say James Tennant gave a different name to pass a background check to work at the Lee County Fair. On a day at the fair, you’d expect to find families, food and fun, not a fair worker who is a sex offender with a fake identity in a place full of kids. “I am really not happy about that. I mean, if you were going to do something and be around children and families and staff, that is not a good thing,” said Wayne Bowling of Alva. “What is he doing there?” said Michael Canon from Venice. “He should not be working there.” A Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report says Tennant used a fake name, James Martino, to avoid background checks and score a job at the Lee County Fair. On Tuesday, deputies got a tip and arrested Tennant for failing to register as a sex offender. It turns out Tennant has done this before and was caught working at carnivals in Lake County and Manatee County without registering as a sex offender. “These people shouldn’t be allowed to just change their name and be around families and little kids and so on and so forth,” Bowling said. “I think they should be doing a lot more background checks.” The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says they did run a background check on Tennant, but because he was using a different name, he went undetected. WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko said background checks should be a must to work in places like the fair. “They want to protect themselves, and they want to protect their customers,” said Kolko. “Don’t want these people working in this type of environment where there’s a lot of kids certainly a danger and a problem for everybody involved.” “He was working at a game where you throw the dart and pop the balloon and win a prize. He was working for another company that rents that space from Reithoffer Shows,” said Mike Peak, president of the board of the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair. Rick Reithoffer, with Reithoffer Shows, said he runs background checks himself on all of his employees. For the independent companies who rent space from him, he collects the names of their staff and hands them over to LCSO to do the background checks. James Tennant worked for one of those independent companies and said his name was James Martino. “Where this guy kind of slipped the system was he gave us a false name using a false identity. We turned it in and ran background checks but I think the sheriff’s department actually came up with the fact that it was something unkosher about the ID,” said Reithoffer. That was only after the sheriff’s office got a tip. Those in charge of the fair said they are glad Tennant is off their fairgrounds. “We were naturally very upset about it. We are out here to have a good time and everybody that comes to the fair, we want to make sure that they’re safe and that they’re here to have a good time so we don’t anyone like that on our grounds,” said Reithoffer. Tennant faces five years in prison, five years probation and a $5,000 fine for failing to register as a sex offender.