Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees sceneWest End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The Biden administration will provide immigration relief to tens of thousands of Afghans in the U.S., shielding them from deportation due to the deteriorating security and economic conditions in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last year, people familiar with the plan told CBS News Wednesday. After determining that Afghanistan is too dangerous to send deportees there, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas plans to allow Afghans in the U.S. to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would protect them from deportation and allow them to work legally for 18 months, the sources said. The move, which is expected to be formally announced by Mayorkas later on Wednesday, is particularly significant for more than 76,000 Afghans who were evacuated and resettled by the U.S. after the chaotic American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The evacuees entered the U.S. under a two-year humanitarian classification known as parole, not as traditional refugees, leaving tens of thousands of them without a legal avenue to obtain permanent residency and at risk of facing deportation if their asylum claims are rejected. Under U.S. immigration law, the DHS secretary can offer TPS to immigrants in the U.S. if it is determined that their home countries are unable to safely accept deportees because of armed conflict, natural disasters, an epidemic or other “extraordinary” emergencies. The TPS program for Afghanistan will be limited to eligible Afghans who were in the U.S. as of this week, rendering new arrivals ineligible for the relief. TPS has other eligibility requirements and does not apply to people convicted of certain crimes. As part of broader efforts to limit humanitarian immigration programs, the Trump administration tried to end TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the U.S., arguing that the authority is supposed to be used on a limited basis. However, federal courts halted those plans. The Biden administration has used the TPS authority more liberally, expanding the program’s eligibility to an estimated 500,000 people in the U.S., including Venezuelans, Haitians, South Sudanese and Ukrainians, who were offered the protection a week after Russia invaded Ukraine late last month. As part of the largest resettlement operation since the 1970s, the U.S. set up an inter-agency system to vet, process and resettle Afghans who were found to be in danger of being persecuted by the hardline Taliban regime, including those who aided American forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The first stage of the resettlement operation was completed last month, when the U.S. relocated all evacuees from temporary processing hubs it established at domestic military sites. One-third of Afghan evacuees have settled in Texas, California and Virginia, internal government figures show. Parole allowed the Biden administration to quickly bring Afghan evacuees to the U.S., but the temporary immigration process does not allow beneficiaries to obtain permanent residency or green cards. U.S. officials have determined that nearly 37,000 Afghan evacuees are eligible for permanent residency through the Special Immigrant Visa program because they or their immediate family members aided the American war effort in Afghanistan, according to a December Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report. But the report said another 36,000 evacuees don’t have a legal pathway to secure permanent residency, leaving them in legal limbo unless Congress legalizes them or they request and win U.S. asylum. Despite vocal calls from refugee advocates, however, Congress has not passed an Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide green cards to eligible evacuees, placing them on a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of nine national resettlement agencies, applauded the TPS designation, saying it recognizes that Afghans could be harmed if returned to their homeland. But she urged Congress to make evacuated Afghans eligible for green cards. “Our nation’s moral obligation to Afghans can’t end with this designation. We need to provide the stability that only a pathway to permanent residence can provide,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah told CBS News. “That’s why we’ve been advocating to Congress to deliver lasting safety through the Afghan Adjustment Act.”