Premier Mobile Health Services adds 6th Lee County location in Fort MyersFDOT to hold news conference regarding Caloosahatchee Bridge project
FORT MYERS Premier Mobile Health Services adds 6th Lee County location in Fort Myers The Premier Mobile Health Services has added its sixth Lee County mobile clinic location in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS FDOT to hold news conference regarding Caloosahatchee Bridge project The Florida Department of Transportation is set to hold a news conference regarding the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge project.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Auburn running back Brian Battie on ventilator after weekend shooting in Florida, coach says Auburn running back Brian Battie has been hospitalized following a weekend shooting in Sarasota, Florida, where his brother was killed and three others injured.
nokomis Port Charlotte man killed in park shooting in Sarasota The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting that involved a man from Port Charlotte on Sunday.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Cooler and less humid morning ahead of a hot afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking dry conditions with high Tuesday afternoon temperatures and isolated showers developing inland.
WINK NEWS Miracle Monday: A home away from home An expecting couple received an unexpected surprise as a family welcomed twins into the world—two months early.
FORT MYERS The future of the Fort Myers yacht basin The Fort Myers yacht basin is lacking in the “yacht” part right now, or any boat for that matter. It’s been that way since Hurricane Ian hit.
VENICE BEACH Diving duo makes prehistoric discovery Half a mile off Venice Beach, deep below the surface of the water, two divers, Blair Morrow and Alex Lundberg, found a sign of prehistoric times buried in the sand.
Commissioner reacts to state attorney ruling in death of Christopher Jordan On Monday, the detective who fired the fatal shot that killed Christopher Jordan in his Fort Myers home went back to work.
PORT CHARLOTTE Is Sunseeker Resort losing money? It’s a place designed to bring in people and a lot of money to Charlotte County. The Sunseeker Resort opened on December 15 and features 785 rooms, 20 different food and beverage places, and 60,000 square feet of convention space.
NORTH PORT North and SB lanes shut down near Mile Marker 195 due to brush fire North Port Fire Rescue said to expect significant delays. They recommended drivers take an alternate route.
FORT MYERS Roundabout incoming for Winkler and Challenger intersection A new roundabout is coming to the City of Fort Myers at the intersection of Challenger Boulevard and Winkler Avenue.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach church selling two acres of land Pastor Sean Critser’s congregation voted unanimously on Sunday to sell the front two acres of the church’s property for $4 million.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Boaters at a loss with boat ramp closed There have been no boats coming out of the Punta Rassa boat ramp since 2022, after Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida.
Realtor stops thief trying to steal and sell land Imagine someone pretends to be you and sells your home or land right from underneath you. Deed or property fraud happens more often than you think.
FORT MYERS Premier Mobile Health Services adds 6th Lee County location in Fort Myers The Premier Mobile Health Services has added its sixth Lee County mobile clinic location in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS FDOT to hold news conference regarding Caloosahatchee Bridge project The Florida Department of Transportation is set to hold a news conference regarding the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge project.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Auburn running back Brian Battie on ventilator after weekend shooting in Florida, coach says Auburn running back Brian Battie has been hospitalized following a weekend shooting in Sarasota, Florida, where his brother was killed and three others injured.
nokomis Port Charlotte man killed in park shooting in Sarasota The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting that involved a man from Port Charlotte on Sunday.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Cooler and less humid morning ahead of a hot afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking dry conditions with high Tuesday afternoon temperatures and isolated showers developing inland.
WINK NEWS Miracle Monday: A home away from home An expecting couple received an unexpected surprise as a family welcomed twins into the world—two months early.
FORT MYERS The future of the Fort Myers yacht basin The Fort Myers yacht basin is lacking in the “yacht” part right now, or any boat for that matter. It’s been that way since Hurricane Ian hit.
VENICE BEACH Diving duo makes prehistoric discovery Half a mile off Venice Beach, deep below the surface of the water, two divers, Blair Morrow and Alex Lundberg, found a sign of prehistoric times buried in the sand.
Commissioner reacts to state attorney ruling in death of Christopher Jordan On Monday, the detective who fired the fatal shot that killed Christopher Jordan in his Fort Myers home went back to work.
PORT CHARLOTTE Is Sunseeker Resort losing money? It’s a place designed to bring in people and a lot of money to Charlotte County. The Sunseeker Resort opened on December 15 and features 785 rooms, 20 different food and beverage places, and 60,000 square feet of convention space.
NORTH PORT North and SB lanes shut down near Mile Marker 195 due to brush fire North Port Fire Rescue said to expect significant delays. They recommended drivers take an alternate route.
FORT MYERS Roundabout incoming for Winkler and Challenger intersection A new roundabout is coming to the City of Fort Myers at the intersection of Challenger Boulevard and Winkler Avenue.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach church selling two acres of land Pastor Sean Critser’s congregation voted unanimously on Sunday to sell the front two acres of the church’s property for $4 million.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Boaters at a loss with boat ramp closed There have been no boats coming out of the Punta Rassa boat ramp since 2022, after Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida.
Realtor stops thief trying to steal and sell land Imagine someone pretends to be you and sells your home or land right from underneath you. Deed or property fraud happens more often than you think.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz and capital defense attorney Casey Secor speak during a break in jury selection in the penalty phase of Cruz’s trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Secor was back in court after the proceedings were delayed Monday due to his illness and quarantine. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Rare normalcy returned to jury selection for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s penalty trial Tuesday, one day after his public defenders threatened to withdraw over the judge’s insistence that they proceed without a key member who had COVID-19. Potential jurors were asked their thoughts about the death penalty and whether they could be fair to Cruz and the prosecution, exactly as planned — frequently not the case so far in this trial. All five members of his defense team were present, including Casey Secor, a South Carolina death penalty specialist whose absence Monday because of illness set off long and heated arguments between Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer and Melisa McNeill, his lead attorney. Those included a threat by McNeill that her team would not participate if Scherer proceeded without Secor present, a warning by Scherer for McNeill to consult the Florida Bar about what sanctions she would face if that happened and a motion by McNeill for Scherer to remove herself from the case, saying the judge is biased against Cruz. Scherer rejected that motion. Still undecided is a motion by the defense to delay the trial because of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 dead. McNeill’s team argues that the shooting has again raised emotions in Broward County and makes it impossible for him to get a fair trial currently. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to murdering 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. The 12 jurors and eight alternates eventually selected will decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole. Monday’s fighting was just the latest in a series of conflicts and oddities that have plagued jury selection and turned it into a slog since it began two months ago. One day, the sheriff’s deputies who guard the courtroom thought some potential jurors were about to attack Cruz and pulled him to safety as they quickly removed the threatening panelists. On another, Scherer had to dismiss a group of potential jurors because one wore a T-shirt referencing the shooting that supported the victims and survivors. The selection was also delayed two weeks when McNeill contracted COVID-19. When jury selection began April 4, it was expected to take about a month but it is now apparent it won’t be completed before early July, at best. It is being conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, 1,800 potential jurors were simply asked if they could serve for a four-month trial. That pared the pool to 400. Now in Phase 2, the potential jurors are being brought back in groups of about 10, two to four per day, to be asked if they could vote for either possible verdict, death or life, based solely on the evidence presented. Those who say they have already decided Cruz should die or are opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances are dismissed. Of about 165 screened so far, 50 have been moved to Phase 3. Scherer wants a pool of 150 for that process. Whenever that phase starts, the jurors will be asked more specific and personal questions. Each side can then try to convince Scherer that certain candidates are biased against their side and ask her to dismiss them. They will each also have at least 10 peremptory challenges where they can dismiss a potential juror for any reason except race or gender. When a jury is finally seated, they will have to decide whether the aggravating factors such as Cruz’s multiple victims, his planning, the terror he created and the cruelty he showed outweigh such mitigating circumstances as his long history of mental and emotional problems, his possible sexual abuse and the death of his parents. For him to get death, the jurors must unanimously agree. If one or more vote for life, that will be his sentence.