Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
FILE – With the U.S. Capitol in the background, a person waves a rainbow flag as they participant in a rally in support of the LGBTQIA+ community at Freedom Plaza, Saturday, June 12, 2021, in Washington. The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday, July, 19, 2022, to protect same-sex and interracial marriages amid concerns that the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade abortion access could jeopardize other rights criticized by many conservative Americans. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) The House on Tuesday passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect marriage equality by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and providing federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples. The bill passed 267-157, with 47 Republicans joining every Democrat voting in favor of the bill. Congressional Democrats mounted the legislative response this week to a concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that Supreme Court decisions involving access to contraception and same-sex marriage should be reconsidered, with lawmakers holding votes on a pair of bills that aim to address concerns that more rights could be rolled back. While the Supreme Court struck down sections of DOMA in U.S. v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, the law still remains on the books. The lower chamber will also take up later this week the Right to Contraception Act, which if passed would create a statutory right for people to access birth control and protect a range of contraceptive methods, as well as ensure health care providers have a right to provide contraception services to patients. “House Democrats are not waiting for elections to protect our rights and freedom. We’re fighting NOW to keep abortion and birth control legal and stop corporate price gouging,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted Monday. “We won’t let Republicans crush our rights and pad corporate pockets on our watch.” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, said most Republicans will likely oppose the bill involving contraception, but he predicted ahead of the vote that GOP lawmakers will be split on the same-sex marriage proposal. Both measures are still expected to clear the Democratic-led House and join a pair of bills designed to protect abortion access that passed the House last week and are awaiting action in the Senate. But with Republicans and Democrats each controlling 50 seats in the upper chamber, the path to winning approval in the Senate is a difficult one. Support from at least 10 Senate Republicans is needed for any bill to advance. While the two measures involving abortion — one would enshrine the right to an abortion into federal law, and the other would ban states from interfering with a woman’s right to travel for the procedure — have little chance of becoming law, it’s unclear whether the bills protecting same-sex marriage and access to contraception will meet the same fate. One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, is a backer of the marriage equality measure, and GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would like to see contraception and same-sex marriage rights protected under federal law. Other Republicans, too, have indicated they’ll support the measure since its passage by the House: Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is co-sponsoring the Senate’s version of the measure, his office said, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he “probably will” vote to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage into federal law. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to state his position on the bill. “When you look at the House vote and you look at just the shifting sentiment about this issue across the country, I think this is an issue that many Americans regardless of your political affiliation feel has been resolved,” Portman told reporters, adding the bill is an “important message.” Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, told reporters Monday he believed the two bills poised for House action this week would garner the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. “Notice how quiet the Republicans were when the same-sex marriage issue finally emerged during the Obama administration,” he said Monday. “They get it. They’re on the wrong side of history.” In remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he wants to bring the marriage equality bill to the floor and has spoken with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, about talking with Republicans about their support. Both bills, meanwhile, are supported by the White House, which urged passage by the House. “The right to marriage confers vital legal protections, dignity, and full participation in our society,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement of the marriage equality bill. “No person should face discrimination because of who they are or whom they love, and every married couple in the United States deserves the security of knowing that their marriage will be defended and respected.” On the Right to Contraception Act, the budget office said, “Access to contraception is essential to ensuring all people have control over personal decisions about their own health, lives, and families. After the overruling of Roe, which rested on the fundamental right to privacy in matters of health, bodily autonomy, and family, it has never been more important to protect and expand access to family planning services.” The action from the House is Democrats’ answer to the concurring opinion written by Thomas in the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning the constitutional right to an abortion established under Roe v. Wade. In his opinion, which no other justice joined, Thomas said the Supreme Court should reconsider landmark decisions that recognized rights regarding contraception and same-sex relationships: The 1965 ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which said married couples have the right to use contraception without government interference; the 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which established the right to same-sex intimacy; and Obergefell, the 2015 ruling recognizing the right to same-sex marriage. “In the future, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell,” Thomas wrote. But the court’s majority opinion in the abortion dispute, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, made clear that rights regarding contraception and same-sex relationships were not under threat from the Supreme Court. “The court emphasizes that this decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote. “Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.” Still, Democratic Reps. Kathy Manning of North Carolina and David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who are behind the birth control access and marriage equality bills respectively, warned that the rights are coming under attack in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Roe. “Let me be clear: We are working to protect women’s right to control their lives. Our opponents are working to take women’s rights away,” Manning told reporters Tuesday. “I look forward to passing this bill to protect women’s rights across this country.” Jack Turman, Ellis Kim and Zak Hudak contributed to this report.