FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
Cimarron, the Florida Panther at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary. CREDIT: Paul Dolan For the fourth time in two weeks, a dead endangered Florida panther was reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. According to FWC’s Panther Pulse, a 10-year-old male Florida panther, identified as FP255, was struck by a vehicle on County Road 850, about a half-mile south of State Road 82 in Lee County. This is the fourth dead Florida panther FWC has reported in 2024. In 2023, FWC reported the fourth dead panther on May 26. The previous three deaths occurred in Hendry County, FP255 is the first reported death in Lee County in 2024. This is also the first reported death in Lee County since Aug. 23, 2022, when the panther was also struck by a vehicle. RELATED: Fifth endangered Florida panther struck by vehicle in November; deadliest month of 2023 RELATED: Third endangered Florida panther death reported in 8 days “Moving forward, the greatest hurdle to recovery for the Florida panther remains the conservation of sufficient habitat to allow the population to increase in size and expand beyond south Florida,” says FWC. “Our genetic management success with panthers also should prove useful to other conservation projects worldwide that deal with small, inbred, isolated populations.” According to FWC, some of the biggest threats facing Florida panthers are the conservation of sufficient habitats, vehicles, and genetic viability. Still image of a female Florida panther captured on FWC video surveillance in Charlotte County. Experts believe she likely lives in the are; although, it is uncommon for Florida panthers to be spotted north of the Caloosahatchee River. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Since 2020, there have been 20 dead panthers discovered in the month of January. The most reported deaths occurred in 2020, when FWC reported six deaths. Following Monday’s reported death, 27 reported panther deaths in a row can be attributed to vehicle collisions. Vehicle strikes account for 57 of the last 60 reported panther deaths dating back to early 2021. “Young males in search of their own territories have been documented in other parts of Florida, but most of the breeding population remains restricted to south Florida, below the Caloosahatchee River,” says FWC. FP255 is the oldest panther death reported by FWC since Sept. 28, 2021, when a panther between 10 and 12 years old was the victim of another vehicle collision. Interestingly, that panther was also struck in Lee County, and neither was far from State Road 82. A lost panther kitten being reunited with her mother by FWC biologists in Naples. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Typically, FWC reports between 22 and 27 panther deaths annually. However, in 2023, FWC reported 13 total deaths. Nevertheless, it’s unclear if this is an ominous sign or if it is meaningful at all. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Florida panther was officially listed as endangered in 1967. “A common misconception held by some people is the 1995 genetic restoration with Texas pumas has eliminated the “pure” Florida panther,” says FWC. “However, before becoming artificially isolated through unregulated hunting and habitat loss, the Florida panther interbred with the eastern cougar to the north and Texas puma to the west. This mixing of genes is what kept all the panther populations healthy, including the original pre-Columbian Florida panther.” CREDIT: LSCO FWC reports there are between 120 and 230 adult panthers remaining in the population. The state animal of Florida has seen far grimmer circumstances in the past. The species, teetering on extinction, was estimated to be ten panthers at one point says U.S. Fish & Wildlife. FWC says, “If you see a sick, injured or dead Florida panther, or if you experience a panther depredation, you can report online or call 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922). Cell phone users can also call #FWC, or send a text to Tip@MyFWC.com.” Click here to learn more about Florida panthers from FWC. Click here to learn how you can help protect the species from Panther Crossing. Click here to learn about living with Florida panthers.