‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidationHomeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
The Space Launch System rocket atop pad 39B Thursday, after weathering high winds and driving rain from Hurricane Nicole. Engineers are assessing possible impacts and readiness to launch the rocket on its maiden flight next Wednesday. CBS NEWS NASA’s $4.1 billion Artemis moon rocket, exposed to the elements atop its Kennedy Space Center launch pad, was rocked by high winds and driving rain early Thursday as Tropical Storm Nicole roared ashore as a Category 1 hurricane just south of the spaceport. With blastoff on a long-delayed maiden flight on tap next week, sensors at pad 39B recorded gusts as high as 100 mph atop a 467-foot-tall lightning tower near the rocket. But winds at the 60-foot-level, which are part of the booster’s structural certification, peaked at 82 mph, just below the 85 mph limit. The observed winds were “within the rocket’s capability,” said Jim Free, manager of exploration systems at NASA headquarters. “We anticipate clearing the vehicle for those conditions shortly.” “Our team is conducting initial visual check outs of the rocket, spacecraft and ground system equipment with the cameras at the launch pad,” he tweeted. “Camera inspections show very minor damage such as loose caulk and tears in weather coverings. The team will conduct additional on-site walk down inspections of the vehicle soon.” In any case, the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket appeared to weather the storm with no obvious signs of trouble, held solidly in place by a sturdy stabilizer extending from its mobile launch gantry, along with eight massive bolts, four at the base of each of its two solid-fuel boosters, that hold the rocket down before liftoff. The space center was closed Wednesday and only a small rideout team stayed on site overnight. Workers were not expected to gain access to the launch pad to complete detailed inspections until late Thursday at the earliest. In the meantime, engineers reviewed telemetry from various sensors, including strain gauges on the hold-down bolts and stabilizer to determine the forces acting on the huge rocket. “The SLS rocket is designed to withstand 85-mph winds at the 60-foot level with structural margin,” NASA said in a November 8 blog post. Data on a NASA web page showing wind speeds at various points on and around pad 39B showed gusts exceeding 85 mph, including the 100-mph reading. Still, it wasn’t immediately clear how those readings fit into NASA’s safety guidelines. A wind gauge on the roof of the CBS News bureau 4.2 miles from the pad registered gusts as high as 87 mph. The Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful ever built for NASA, with a ground-shaking 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff from four shuttle-era main engines and two extended strap-on solid-fuel boosters. The goal of the Artemis 1 mission is to boost an unpiloted Orion crew capsule on a 25-day flight around the moon, ending with a high-speed reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. If the flight goes well, NASA hopes to launch four astronauts around the moon in 2024, followed by the first in a series of landings starting in 2025 or 2026. NASA had hoped to launch the Artemis 1 mission on Monday, but last week, managers opted to delay the flight two days to give the team time to make preparations for Nicole. If no major problems are found in the wake of Nicole, and if senior managers decide to press ahead, countdown clocks will start ticking at 1:54 a.m. EST Monday, setting up a launch attempt at 1:04 a.m. Wednesday. Backup opportunities are available on November 19, at 1:45 a.m., and on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, at 10:10 a.m. Hurricane Nicole was the latest bump on what has turned out to be an exceptionally rocky road to launch. The SLS rocket was first rolled to the pad for an initial fueling test last March and has now made seven trips to and from the Vehicle Assembly Building while engineers dealt with multiple fuel leaks and unrelated glitches. Before its most recent trip to the pad, senior managers said they knew a subtropical storm was developing in the Caribbean. But forecasters told them there was only a 30% chance it would develop into a named storm and that if it came ashore near the space center, gusts likely would not exceed 40 knots. As Nicole strengthened and moved toward Florida, managers opted not to roll the Artemis rocket back to the protection of the Vehicle Assembly Building. “With the unexpected change to the forecast, returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building was deemed to be too risky in high winds,” Free said. “The team decided the launch pad was the safest place for the rocket to weather the storm.”