Punta Gorda man actively searches for missing service dogArmy veteran to honor fallen soldiers during Veterans Day weekend
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man actively searches for missing service dog A Punta Gorda man who lost almost everything following hurricanes Milton and Helene is now searching for his missing service dog.
Army veteran to honor fallen soldiers during Veterans Day weekend A local retired Army staff sergeant was one of just four selected to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate will not receive vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette.
Ron DeSantis: An unexpected winner in Florida’s 2024 elections There were a lot of winners on election night, but the biggest winner was a man who wasn’t even on the ballot: Ron Desantis.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers attorney named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year Fort Myers attorney Joe North has been named one of the Gulf Shore Life’s Men of the Year.
Veterans Day to impact weekend traffic in SWFL Veterans Day is on Monday; however, traffic impacts due to road closures are expected to be felt as soon as Saturday.
Enrollment opens for ranchers to join Florida Panther Ecosystem pilot program The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is launching the Florida Panther Payment for Ecosystem Services pilot program for ranchers.
New experimental treatment for Parkinson’s may help alleviate tremors Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder impacting millions of Americans; however, a new treatment may help alleviate some of its symptoms.
WASHINGTON (AP) Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states including Florida Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women, and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.
FORT MYERS 10th annual Fair at Fenway to make its return to JetBlue Park A familiar favorite is set to make a return to Southwest Florida as the 10th annual Fair at Fenway in JetBlue Park.
2 Punta Gorda women face grand jury indictments for death involving meth Two Punta Gorda women have been accused of distributing meth causing death after being indicted by the Charlotte County Grand Jury.
CAPE CORAL Worker transported in Cape Coral after suffering ‘medical episode’ in bucket truck A worker on the lift of a bucket truck had to be transported to the hospital after suffering some sort of “medical episode” while in the lift said police.
FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof deadline approaching soon in Charlotte County The deadline for FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof is rapidly approaching for Charlotte County residents affected by Hurricane Milton.
FDA proposes to remove ingredient in medications The Food & Drug Administration proposes removing one ingredient after new data shows it is less effective than listed.
Riviera Bar and Grill reopens within days of hurricanes Helene, Milton A gargantuan effort from owners and staff allowed the Riviera Bar and Grill to reopen less than a week after two hurricanes flooded the Punta Gorda waterfront restaurant that has been around since the 1950s.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man actively searches for missing service dog A Punta Gorda man who lost almost everything following hurricanes Milton and Helene is now searching for his missing service dog.
Army veteran to honor fallen soldiers during Veterans Day weekend A local retired Army staff sergeant was one of just four selected to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate will not receive vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette.
Ron DeSantis: An unexpected winner in Florida’s 2024 elections There were a lot of winners on election night, but the biggest winner was a man who wasn’t even on the ballot: Ron Desantis.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers attorney named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year Fort Myers attorney Joe North has been named one of the Gulf Shore Life’s Men of the Year.
Veterans Day to impact weekend traffic in SWFL Veterans Day is on Monday; however, traffic impacts due to road closures are expected to be felt as soon as Saturday.
Enrollment opens for ranchers to join Florida Panther Ecosystem pilot program The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is launching the Florida Panther Payment for Ecosystem Services pilot program for ranchers.
New experimental treatment for Parkinson’s may help alleviate tremors Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder impacting millions of Americans; however, a new treatment may help alleviate some of its symptoms.
WASHINGTON (AP) Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states including Florida Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women, and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.
FORT MYERS 10th annual Fair at Fenway to make its return to JetBlue Park A familiar favorite is set to make a return to Southwest Florida as the 10th annual Fair at Fenway in JetBlue Park.
2 Punta Gorda women face grand jury indictments for death involving meth Two Punta Gorda women have been accused of distributing meth causing death after being indicted by the Charlotte County Grand Jury.
CAPE CORAL Worker transported in Cape Coral after suffering ‘medical episode’ in bucket truck A worker on the lift of a bucket truck had to be transported to the hospital after suffering some sort of “medical episode” while in the lift said police.
FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof deadline approaching soon in Charlotte County The deadline for FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof is rapidly approaching for Charlotte County residents affected by Hurricane Milton.
FDA proposes to remove ingredient in medications The Food & Drug Administration proposes removing one ingredient after new data shows it is less effective than listed.
Riviera Bar and Grill reopens within days of hurricanes Helene, Milton A gargantuan effort from owners and staff allowed the Riviera Bar and Grill to reopen less than a week after two hurricanes flooded the Punta Gorda waterfront restaurant that has been around since the 1950s.
Niki Escobar and her son Jireh. (Credir: Niki Escobar) A mother and her four-month-old baby were rescued from their home during Hurricane Ian. Niki Escobar, also known as First Lady Niki, is a radio DJ for Fly 98.5, a product of the Fort Myers Broadcast Center, and wanted to tell the story of how she and her newborn were saved. It was a scary couple of days for Escobar as she did everything she could to make sure her baby was safe during the storm. On a normal morning, Escobar is at the station, playing music, sharing information, and taking care of her listeners. When she goes home, she takes care of her family. “This little dude is almost five months, and he’s given us more excitement than any of them combined, which is how we are living life. So he is just something special,” said Escobar. Escobar’s son Jireh was born premature, with multiple holes in his heart, and with down syndrome. “My baby, he had had some issues leading up to Ian. He had a doctor’s appointment, we took him on Sunday because he was having some problems. We took him that Sunday, then the following Tuesday, he was to have a doctor’s appointment, but, in the midst of everything going on, AKA Ian, that got canceled. So we never made it to the doctor,” Escobar said. By the time Ian’s winds tore through the Dunbar community where Escobar lives, Jireh’s health declined. “We hear things falling and moving and plywood trying to come off our windows and stuff like that. So with him, trying to keep him comfortable because of the congestion and he’s coughing, and he had moments that he felt like he couldn’t breathe, and his chest was squeezing down what felt like flat as a pancake,” said Escobar. Escobar sat down, processed the situation, and cried out to God. “Laying my hands on his chest and praying, like God just let us make it through this moment. Let us make it through until we can get help.” She called 911 during the height of the storm, and hours later, EMS picked Escobar and Jireh up and took them to Health Park. “EMS, they realized his oxygen levels were so low, like 92, something like that, so really low for a little baby of that size. He was in pretty bad shape,” said Escobar. Escobar and Jireh spent nearly 24 hours at Health Park, where there was no food or water. “Even with the lack, the care, I didn’t feel there was a lack of care or inability for them to completely do their job.” The staff at Health Park did what they could for Jireh with what they had, but with storm damage, the hospital had to be evacuated. Escobar and Jireh were flown to Johns Hopkins in St Petersburg. “In a helicopter, yeah. I imagined the first time in a helicopter would be romantic with my husband watching the sun come up, but not quite. It was with my son, the other guy that steals my heart.” Doctors diagnosed Jireh with RSV, or Respiratory syncytial virus, which causes an upper respiratory infection and can be deadly. It wasn’t for little Jireh, though. After six days, he got to go home.