ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
This rendering provided by Lifang Vision Technology in May 2022 shows designs for the planned renovation of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which on Oct. 27, 2018, was the scene of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. On Tuesday, May 3, 2022 organizers released the new design plans by architect Daniel Libeskind, whose previous works include Jewish museums, Holocaust memorials and the master plan for World Trade Center after 9/11. (Lifang Vision Technology via AP) The caretakers of the Tree of Life synagogue intend to transform the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history and expand its mission. Newly released design plans show a revitalized complex housing a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism — unified symbolically and physically with a dramatic skylight running the length of the structure. Organizers are also announcing plans Tuesday for a new Tree of Life nonprofit organization that would work with the similarly named congregation, oversee the building complex and offer education, museum exhibits and programming to counter hatred aimed at Jews and other groups. The synagogue building —- located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the heart of Jewish Pittsburgh — has been vacant since Oct. 27, 2018. A gunman, who awaits trial on capital federal charges for what prosecutors say was a hate-motivated attack, killed 11 worshipers from Tree of Life and two other congregations — Dor Hadash and New Light — that shared the building. The new design is by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, whose previous works include Jewish museums, Holocaust memorials and the master plan for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center after 9/11. Organizers said they don’t have a cost estimate or a timetable yet for the construction project. And many of the details for the interior, including the design of a memorial, are still being determined. The organizers are raising funds locally and nationally. But they see Tuesday’s announcements as a big stride. “We’re eager to be back in our spiritual home,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the attack and rabbi of Tree of Life / Or L’Simcha Congregation, as it is formally known. The plans call for retaining the synagogue’s large, main sanctuary, which was unused on the day of the attack. Other parts of the complex would be razed, including a separate chapel where most of the killings occurred, though its historic stained-glass windows would be preserved. A new addition — framed by dramatically angled exterior walls, a hallmark of previous Libeskind projects — would incorporate the museum, a memorial to the victims and space for education and other programs. Unifying the complex — at about 45,000 square feet in all — would be a skylight that spans the entire length of the roof, according to Libeskind’s design. The “Path of Light,” as Libeskind titles it, would begin in the historic sanctuary and widen, ray-like, across the programming area toward a new, more secure entrance. “The light is not only physical light, it’s also spiritual light,” he said. Libeskind said he met with congregants and survivors of those killed as he prepared the design. He kept in mind the long history of the congregation — which was founded in 1864 and dedicated its current sanctuary a century later — as well as its present reality. “The building has to be a response to the needs of the community, but it is also a response after the attacks,” he said. “This is no longer the Tree of Life before the attacks. It’s a different space.” The attacks targeted “Jews praying in a synagogue,” he said, and the design had to reflect the building’s new purpose. “It’s also about America, it’s about American democracy,” Libeskind added. Libeskind said the project “means something very deep to me” as the child of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the U.S. with his parents after facing communist-era antisemitism in Poland. “We were able to be Jews in America,” he recalled. “That was like another promised land. Who would have ever thought America would be a country where Jews would be targeted for being Jews?” He said his family was even helped by the same Jewish refugee-aid organization the alleged gunman ranted against online. All three congregations targeted in the attacks have been worshipping at nearby synagogues since then. While Dor Hadash and New Light plan to stay in their new locations for the foreseeable future, Tree of Life members look forward to returning, Myers said. “It’s an incredibly beautiful building,” he said. “However, what’s also important is what emanates from that. It provides a foundation for what we want to do.” Diane Rosenthal, whose brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal were among those slain at Tree of Life, said they “would want this place to be rebuilt in some shape and form.” The two men, who had intellectual disabilities, were faithful attendees and bonded closely with the congregants, she said. “This was their home,” she said. “They felt safe there. … I’d like this to be a safe place again.” Rosenthal is helping plan the memorial. While no designs are under consideration yet, “What we’ve all agreed upon is we want something that is tasteful, that represents the lives we lost there,” she said. The new nonprofit organization overseeing the complex and educational programs will merge with The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, which had already announced plans to move into the renovated complex. Programming would include exhibits telling the story of past and present manifestations of antisemitism, including the Holocaust and the 2018 attacks, along with programming on ways to counter antisemitism and other identity-based hate. Barbara Shapira, chair of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, said the 2018 attacks caused her “to want to do something to stand up against these acts of hate that are becoming more prevalent in our world.”