Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in SeptemberDump truck knocks down power wires over Deleon Street, causing hours-long closure
WASHINGTON (AP) Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in September President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks.
FORT MYERS Dump truck knocks down power wires over Deleon Street, causing hours-long closure A dump truck knocked down power wires on Deleon Street, forcing a road closure and causing temporary outages in the surrounding area in Fort Myers.
GOLDEN GATE Woman arrested for stabbing boyfriend in the buttocks in Golden Gate Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend several times in his behind.
clearwater Gov. DeSantis cancels news conference in Clearwater due to weather Due to severe weather in Northern Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis had to cancel a news conference in Clearwater.
Tableside American-Romanian restaurant launches in North Naples Tableside Restaurant opened in the 2,225-square-foot space that most recently was Alpine Restaurant for more than 10 years and, initially, was Bajio Mexican Grill in the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt on the corner of Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads.
WINK NEWS Man accused of causing bus crash that killed 8 held without bond; 6 victims identified The man accused of causing a bus crash that killed eight people and injured 40 others in Marion County is being held without bond.
Charlotte tourism revenue to help fund Waterfest To help launch the event in prior years, the county gave in-kind funding of $50,000, thinking that eventually it would be self-sustaining.
WINK NEWS Tractor-trailer overturned on I-75N, traffic moved off-shoulder A tractor-trailer has overturned on I-75 North near mile marker 135, closing all lanes of traffic in Lee County.
PRAGUE (AP) Slovakian prime minister in life-threatening condition after being shot, his Facebook profile says Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event.
MARCO ISLAND Scheduled bridge work on Marco Island to reduce lanes An evaluation on a bridge will impact Marco Island’s traffic beginning Thursday, closing down one lane.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) Punxsutawney Phil’s babies are named Shadow and Sunny. Just don’t call them the heirs apparent Punxsutawney Phil’s offspring now have names that just might help the famed weather-forecasting groundhog to predict when spring will begin.
lehigh acres Vehicle crash involving deputy car in Lehigh Acres A vehicle crash involving a Lee County deputy and another car has occurred in Lehigh Acres.
the weather authority Hot and breezy with scattered rain and storms this afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and humid Wednesday morning with isolated storms expected for the afternoon.
WINK NEWS Deadline arrives for Hurricane Ian assistance through LeeCares Wednesday is the final day for Lee Cares Hurricane Housing Recovery Program applications.
WASHINGTON (AP) Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in September President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks.
FORT MYERS Dump truck knocks down power wires over Deleon Street, causing hours-long closure A dump truck knocked down power wires on Deleon Street, forcing a road closure and causing temporary outages in the surrounding area in Fort Myers.
GOLDEN GATE Woman arrested for stabbing boyfriend in the buttocks in Golden Gate Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend several times in his behind.
clearwater Gov. DeSantis cancels news conference in Clearwater due to weather Due to severe weather in Northern Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis had to cancel a news conference in Clearwater.
Tableside American-Romanian restaurant launches in North Naples Tableside Restaurant opened in the 2,225-square-foot space that most recently was Alpine Restaurant for more than 10 years and, initially, was Bajio Mexican Grill in the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt on the corner of Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads.
WINK NEWS Man accused of causing bus crash that killed 8 held without bond; 6 victims identified The man accused of causing a bus crash that killed eight people and injured 40 others in Marion County is being held without bond.
Charlotte tourism revenue to help fund Waterfest To help launch the event in prior years, the county gave in-kind funding of $50,000, thinking that eventually it would be self-sustaining.
WINK NEWS Tractor-trailer overturned on I-75N, traffic moved off-shoulder A tractor-trailer has overturned on I-75 North near mile marker 135, closing all lanes of traffic in Lee County.
PRAGUE (AP) Slovakian prime minister in life-threatening condition after being shot, his Facebook profile says Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event.
MARCO ISLAND Scheduled bridge work on Marco Island to reduce lanes An evaluation on a bridge will impact Marco Island’s traffic beginning Thursday, closing down one lane.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) Punxsutawney Phil’s babies are named Shadow and Sunny. Just don’t call them the heirs apparent Punxsutawney Phil’s offspring now have names that just might help the famed weather-forecasting groundhog to predict when spring will begin.
lehigh acres Vehicle crash involving deputy car in Lehigh Acres A vehicle crash involving a Lee County deputy and another car has occurred in Lehigh Acres.
the weather authority Hot and breezy with scattered rain and storms this afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and humid Wednesday morning with isolated storms expected for the afternoon.
WINK NEWS Deadline arrives for Hurricane Ian assistance through LeeCares Wednesday is the final day for Lee Cares Hurricane Housing Recovery Program applications.
FILE – Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey, walk in the July 4th parade, July 4, 2023, in Merrimack, N.H. DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha, File) Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic. DeSantis, in an interview Wednesday on the podcast of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, did not address accusations that the video was homophobic but said the intent was “identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream where he was having men compete against women in his beauty pageants.” “I think that’s totally fair game because he’s now campaigning, saying the opposite, that he doesn’t think that you should have men competing in women’s things like athletics,” DeSantis said.His presidential campaign shared the video on Twitter last week, on the last day of June’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying, “To wrap up ‘Pride Month,’ let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it.” The video was posted amid a growing conservative campaign against LGBTQ rights and celebrations. It highlighted some of Trump’s past statements supporting LGBTQ people, including saying he’d be OK with transgender women competing one day in the Miss Universe pageant, which Trump owned at the time of those remarks. It also featured dark images of DeSantis with lightning coming out of his eyes, headlines that said he signed a “draconian anti-trans bathroom bill” and images of muscular shirtless men and clips of Christian Bale in the 2000 movie “American Psycho,” in which he plays a serial killer. After the video was shared by the DeSantis War Room Twitter account on Friday, it drew immediate criticism. The Log Cabin Republicans, an organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives, called the video “divisive and desperate” and said it “ventured into homophobic territory.” Republican Richard Grenell, who served as Trump’s national intelligence director and was the first openly gay Cabinet member in any administration, said the video was “undeniably homophobic.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a Democrat who is openly gay, criticized the video during an interview on CNN on Sunday. “I’m going to leave aside the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up shirtless bodybuilders, and just get to a bigger issue that is on my mind whenever I see this stuff in the policy space, which is, again, who are you trying to help? Who are you trying to make better off?” Buttigieg said. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, responded to the governor’s comments using a version of a derisive nickname Trump has been using for DeSantis, saying simply: “A desperate DeSanctus campaign, with a flailing candidate, in its last throes of relevancy.” DeSantis’ campaign on Thursday declined to comment further or respond to the criticism. The video comes as some conservatives have formed an increasingly vocal and hostile campaign against LGBTQ+ rights — from the backlash to corporations that have shown support for LGBTQ+ people to attempts to ban rainbow Pride flag displays, restrict drag shows, ban gender-affirming care for minors and restrict transgender athletes from competitive sports. The movement has become a central point in the GOP presidential contest, with DeSantis in particular highlighting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation he’s signed and criticizing President Joe Biden for displaying the Pride flag at the White House. Trump has pledged that, if elected to the White House again, he would sign executive orders that cut U.S. tax funding for schools pushing “transgender insanity” and health care providers offering gender-affirming care for minors. Trump and DeSantis both frequently attack the participation of transgender women in women’s sports and label gender-affirming care for minors as “mutilation.”