“We’re Pine Island proud”, Pine Island artist paint power polesNaples Airport presented with 4 site options in eastern Collier County
PINE ISLAND “We’re Pine Island proud”, Pine Island artist paint power poles Relaunching after 20 years, Pine Island artist have been painting power poles up and down Stringfellow Road in efforts to bring back color and vibrancy after Hurricane Ian.
Naples Airport presented with 4 site options in eastern Collier County Environmental Science Associates conducted an exploratory study and met with landowners interested in selling land. ESA whittled that to a list of four sites for a general airport.
Expert: Buying or renting depends on your situation Shelton Weeks, Lucas professor of real estate and director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance, is asked a lot by students whether they should rent or buy.
Attorneys offer update on Bonita Estero Rail Trail project The proposed project hit a milestone in February when the Trust for Public Land secured a purchase and sale agreement for $82 million with the Seminole Gulf Railway on a 14.9-mile segment stretching from Alico Road to Collier County for conversion to a hiking and biking trail.
NAPLES Woman arrested for stealing over $150K from Naples Ballet The Naples Police Department arrested a woman for allegedly stealing over $150,000 from the Naples Ballet, a non-profit organization.
NORTH FORT MYERS Duo accused of stealing from North Fort Myers store Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on two people accused of stealing from a North Fort Myers store.
WINK NEWS Lee Commissioners award over $41.6M for rehabilitation of affordable housing units The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award more than $41.6 million in Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery funds.
New York (AP) Defense rests without Trump testifying in hush money case The defense rests its case without ex-President Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money case. Closing arguments are expected next Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE Immokalee girls robotics team competes at VEX Worlds The Immokalee High School girls robotics team got to compete and learn at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Police Department launches drone program The Cape Coral Police Department has officially launched its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program.
BUCKINGHAM Airplane crashes after veering off runway at Buckingham Airport An airplane veered off the Buckingham Airport runway during takeoff, according to the FAA incident report, leaving it damaged.
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 discusses plan to close Caloosahatchee Bridge for construction The Florida Department of Transportation held a news conference regarding the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge to speed up a construction project on the bridge.
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.
PINE ISLAND “We’re Pine Island proud”, Pine Island artist paint power poles Relaunching after 20 years, Pine Island artist have been painting power poles up and down Stringfellow Road in efforts to bring back color and vibrancy after Hurricane Ian.
Naples Airport presented with 4 site options in eastern Collier County Environmental Science Associates conducted an exploratory study and met with landowners interested in selling land. ESA whittled that to a list of four sites for a general airport.
Expert: Buying or renting depends on your situation Shelton Weeks, Lucas professor of real estate and director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance, is asked a lot by students whether they should rent or buy.
Attorneys offer update on Bonita Estero Rail Trail project The proposed project hit a milestone in February when the Trust for Public Land secured a purchase and sale agreement for $82 million with the Seminole Gulf Railway on a 14.9-mile segment stretching from Alico Road to Collier County for conversion to a hiking and biking trail.
NAPLES Woman arrested for stealing over $150K from Naples Ballet The Naples Police Department arrested a woman for allegedly stealing over $150,000 from the Naples Ballet, a non-profit organization.
NORTH FORT MYERS Duo accused of stealing from North Fort Myers store Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on two people accused of stealing from a North Fort Myers store.
WINK NEWS Lee Commissioners award over $41.6M for rehabilitation of affordable housing units The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award more than $41.6 million in Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery funds.
New York (AP) Defense rests without Trump testifying in hush money case The defense rests its case without ex-President Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money case. Closing arguments are expected next Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE Immokalee girls robotics team competes at VEX Worlds The Immokalee High School girls robotics team got to compete and learn at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Police Department launches drone program The Cape Coral Police Department has officially launched its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program.
BUCKINGHAM Airplane crashes after veering off runway at Buckingham Airport An airplane veered off the Buckingham Airport runway during takeoff, according to the FAA incident report, leaving it damaged.
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 discusses plan to close Caloosahatchee Bridge for construction The Florida Department of Transportation held a news conference regarding the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge to speed up a construction project on the bridge.
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.
President Joe Biden walks along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) A federal judge in California on Tuesday ruled against the Biden administration’s recently implemented restrictions on asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying a policy that officials have partially credited for a sharp drop in migrant crossings violates the country’s legal obligations to those fleeing violence. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Oakland concluded that the regulation violates U.S. asylum law, which since 1980 has allowed migrants on American soil to request humanitarian protection as a way to halt the government’s efforts to deport them, regardless of how they entered the country. Tigar blocked a similar, though more restrictive, Trump administration effort to bar asylum claims along the southern border. That lawsuit was also filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which has said the Biden policy endangers refugees. While he declared the Biden administration’s rules illegal, Tigar suspended his ruling for two weeks to give the Justice Department time to seek relief from a higher court. The case could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Still, Tuesday’s ruling is a significant defeat for the Biden administration and its strategy to reduce illegal crossings along the southern border, where officials have reported record levels of migrant apprehensions over the past two years. The regulation, enacted in May, disqualifies migrants from asylum if they cross the U.S. southern border without legal permission and without first seeking humanitarian refuge in another country, like Mexico, on their journey north. The rule exempts certain migrants, including unaccompanied children, those who obtain permission to enter the U.S. at a legal port of entry, and asylum-seekers fleeing “imminent” harm. Those unable to qualify for one of the exemptions could be swiftly deported from the U.S., banished for five years and faced with criminal prosecution if they try to reenter the country unlawfully. During its first weeks of implementation, the restriction has been mainly applied to migrant adults. The judge’s ruling In his ruling Tuesday, Tigar said the rule is too restrictive because it considers factors that Congress did not explicitly authorize, such as whether migrants used a lawful migration program before seeking asylum. He also determined that some of the exemptions to the asylum restriction are “unavailable to many noncitizens.” “The Court concludes that the Rule is contrary to law because it presumes ineligible for asylum noncitizens who enter between ports of entry, using a manner of entry that Congress expressly intended should not affect access to asylum,” he wrote. “The Rule is also contrary to law because it presumes ineligible for asylum noncitizens who fail to apply for protection in a transit country, despite Congress’s clear intent that such a factor should only limit access to asylum where the transit country actually presents a safe option,” Tigar added. Advocates for migrants applauded Tuesday’s decision. “The ruling is a victory, but each day the Biden administration prolongs the fight over its illegal ban, many people fleeing persecution and seeking safe harbor for their families are instead left in grave danger,” said Katrina Eiland, the ACLU attorney who argued the case. Biden administration officials have said the asylum restriction is partly responsible for a dramatic decrease in migration along the southern border since officials discontinued the Title 42 pandemic-linked measure on May 11. Title 42 allowed U.S. border officials to summarily expel migrants on public health grounds, but did not impose the civil and criminal penalties of regular deportations under U.S. immigration law. In June, the number of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol after crossing into the U.S. unlawfully plunged to roughly 100,000, a 42% drop from May, and the lowest tally since the start of the Biden administration, according to government statistics first reported by CBS News last week. The Biden administration has also attributed the lower levels of unauthorized migration to its unprecedented efforts to expand opportunities for migrants to enter the U.S. with the government’s permission, including through an app that allows asylum-seekers in Mexico to request an appointment to be processed at ports of entry. More than 38,000 migrants were allowed into the U.S. along border ports of entry in June after securing an appointment through the app, known as CBP One, an all-time high, government data show. The Biden administration is also allowing up to 30,000 migrants from crisis-stricken Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the U.S. directly on a monthly basis if they have American sponsors. That program is being challenged in another federal court by Republican state officials who argue it bypasses Congress’ role in dictating legal immigration levels. While U.S. law allows migrants on U.S. soil to claim asylum, the legal threshold to win asylum, and a chance to become a permanent resident, is high. Applicants must prove that they were persecuted — or have a well-founded fear of persecution — in their home country due to certain factors, such as their political views, race or religion.