Harbor Belle residents in Punta Gorda on day 7 with no power after HeleneLee County Sheriff implementing new bus stop signs to improve safety
HARLEM HEIGHTS How were Harlem Heights residents affected by Helene? A community filled with water nearly two years ago is dry two years later, even after the storm surge of Helene, and now residents told us why.
PUNTA GORDA Harbor Belle residents in Punta Gorda on day 7 with no power after Helene Hurricane Helene’s impact on an RV park in Punta Gorda has left the community in the sweltering heat with nowhere else to turn.
Lee County Sheriff implementing new bus stop signs to improve safety The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has installed three bus stop signs throughout Lee County. Â
NORTH PORT What’s next for the Rapkins? Family sues Heritage Insurance A family is paying for a mess they didn’t ask for or create.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood neighborhood drying out ahead of potential heavy rain Debris on front lawns, homes gutted, and roofs in need of repair. People in one Englewood community say they are not ready for another bout of rain, let alone another tropical storm.
New AirTag tracking law goes into effect This week, a new state law went into effect, cracking down on tracking devices like AirTags and increasing criminal penalties for people who track others without their consent.
Detecting breast cancer with a wearable patch This year, more than 350,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed. Early detection increases survival rates up to 98%
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office remembers K-9 Scar The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office remembers the life of one of their K9s, Scar.
Hurricane Helene cleanup hotline If you need help cleaning up damage from Hurricane Helene, local volunteers have your back.
PUNTA GORDA New property damage tagging system in Charlotte County after Helene A new tagging system is in place in Charlotte County after Hurricane Helene to communicate property damage assessments more effectively.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for October 2, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for October 2, 2024.
Naples City Council awards $23.4M for pier rebuild The 136-year-old Naples Pier will undergo a seventh transformation after City Council unanimously approved a nearly $23.46 million construction contract to rebuild the pier after Hurricane Ian destroyed it two years ago.
Collier women arrested for possession of fentanyl Two women have been arrested for possession of fentanyl during a routine traffic stop by deputies.
WASHINGTON (AP) Some of the most notable quotes from the JD Vance-Tim Walz vice presidential debate The first and only vice presidential debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz featured an often orderly, policy-focused and even civil dialogue between the two men seeking to serve as the next president’s second in command.
FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee Bridge exit ramp closure The southbound exit loop ramp from the Caloosahatchee Bridge will be closed for the next four weeks for planned construction work.
HARLEM HEIGHTS How were Harlem Heights residents affected by Helene? A community filled with water nearly two years ago is dry two years later, even after the storm surge of Helene, and now residents told us why.
PUNTA GORDA Harbor Belle residents in Punta Gorda on day 7 with no power after Helene Hurricane Helene’s impact on an RV park in Punta Gorda has left the community in the sweltering heat with nowhere else to turn.
Lee County Sheriff implementing new bus stop signs to improve safety The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has installed three bus stop signs throughout Lee County. Â
NORTH PORT What’s next for the Rapkins? Family sues Heritage Insurance A family is paying for a mess they didn’t ask for or create.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood neighborhood drying out ahead of potential heavy rain Debris on front lawns, homes gutted, and roofs in need of repair. People in one Englewood community say they are not ready for another bout of rain, let alone another tropical storm.
New AirTag tracking law goes into effect This week, a new state law went into effect, cracking down on tracking devices like AirTags and increasing criminal penalties for people who track others without their consent.
Detecting breast cancer with a wearable patch This year, more than 350,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed. Early detection increases survival rates up to 98%
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office remembers K-9 Scar The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office remembers the life of one of their K9s, Scar.
Hurricane Helene cleanup hotline If you need help cleaning up damage from Hurricane Helene, local volunteers have your back.
PUNTA GORDA New property damage tagging system in Charlotte County after Helene A new tagging system is in place in Charlotte County after Hurricane Helene to communicate property damage assessments more effectively.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for October 2, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for October 2, 2024.
Naples City Council awards $23.4M for pier rebuild The 136-year-old Naples Pier will undergo a seventh transformation after City Council unanimously approved a nearly $23.46 million construction contract to rebuild the pier after Hurricane Ian destroyed it two years ago.
Collier women arrested for possession of fentanyl Two women have been arrested for possession of fentanyl during a routine traffic stop by deputies.
WASHINGTON (AP) Some of the most notable quotes from the JD Vance-Tim Walz vice presidential debate The first and only vice presidential debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz featured an often orderly, policy-focused and even civil dialogue between the two men seeking to serve as the next president’s second in command.
FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee Bridge exit ramp closure The southbound exit loop ramp from the Caloosahatchee Bridge will be closed for the next four weeks for planned construction work.
FILE- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies before the Senate Banking Committee hearing, on March 3, 2022 on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate Banking Committee approved Powell’s nomination to a second four-year term as chair of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, ust hours after the Fed began what will be a difficult effort to combat inflation. (Tom Williams/Pool Photo via AP) Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the Federal Reserve would raise its benchmark short-term interest rate faster than expected, and high enough to restrain growth and hiring, if it decides that this would be necessary to slow rampaging inflation. At their meeting last week, Fed officials raised their key rate from near zero to a range of 0.25% to 0.5% and forecast that they would carry out six more quarter-point hikes this year. Powell said that if necessary, the Fed would be open to raising rates by a more aggressive half-point at multiple meetings and to push rates into “restrictive” territory that would limit growth. The Fed hasn’t increased its benchmark rate by a half-point since May 2000. “We will take the necessary steps to ensure a return to price stability,” he said in a speech to an economics conference. “In particular, if we conclude that it is appropriate to move more aggressively by raising the federal funds rate by more than (a quarter-point) at a meeting or meetings, we will do so.” The Fed is under pressure from widespread criticism that it has reacted too slowly to a price spike that has catapulted inflation to four-decade highs. At their meeting last week, Fed officials forecast that they would raise rates four additional times in 2023 and that inflation would slow to 2.7% by the end of that year. At the same time, the policymakers projected that the economy would remain resilient enough to keep growing and that the unemployment rate would fall from its current level of 3.8% to 3.5%, matching a 50-year low reached before the pandemic. Some economists argue that such a painless outcome — what they refer to as a “soft landing” — is unrealistic, given the challenges the economy faces, including the potential for deeper economic disruptions resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war has already raised the cost of oil, wheat, nickel and other vital commodities. But Powell asserted that the Fed has achieved such soft landings before. “I believe that the historical record provides some grounds for optimism,” he said “Soft, or at least soft-ish, landings have been relatively common in U.S. monetary history.” Powell’s remarks followed a flurry of comments from officials concerning Fed policy since last week’s meeting, all pointing in a hawkish direction. (“Hawks” typically support higher interest rates to stave off inflation, while “doves” generally prefer lower rates to bolster hiring). Also on Monday, Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said that controlling inflation “is the top concern that I have for 2022.” Bostic also said he expects the Fed will raise rates a total of six times this year, and twice more in 2023. That is a more dovish approach than most of his colleagues. But he emphasized that this was mostly because of the extreme uncertainty currently surrounding the economy. If more rate hikes were necessary to slow inflation, he would support them, he said. “We’ve been in an emergency posture for a long time,” Bostic said. “We’re past that now from an economic perspective. We need to quickly get to neutral,” he said, referring to a level of interest rates that neither encourages nor slows economic growth.