2 men charged in unrelated crimes for deaths related to fentanylPickup truck crashes into Cape Coral apartment building
2 men charged in unrelated crimes for deaths related to fentanyl Two men in Charlotte County have been arrested for separate fentanyl-related charges that led to two deaths.
CAPE CORAL Pickup truck crashes into Cape Coral apartment building A pickup truck crashed into a Cape Coral apartment building after what police believe was a head-on collision with another vehicle.
Tim Aten Knows: More new tenants coming to local retail centers Something big is in the works for the long-vacant former Sweetbay Supermarket in Green Tree Center in North Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs house catches on fire 3 times in less than 24 hours A house in Bonita Springs has caught on fire three times in less than 24 hours.
SWFL High School Football Scoreboard Week 12 The regular season finale of high school football in SWFL brings district champions crowned and playoff spots fortified. .
Trash pile on San Carlos Island continues to grow Residents of San Carlos Island have grown tired as garbage and debris from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton piles up.
Law enforcement presence at Alfie Oakes’ North Naples home and Immokalee packing house Several federal and state law enforcement agencies were at Alfie Oakes’ home and packing house for an investigation that remains undisclosed.
MATLACHA Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s reopens after six weeks Popular Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s has reopened just six weeks after enduring damage from back-to-back storms.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Accused Dollar General thief arrested A man accused of robbing a Dollar General store is behind bars.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate seeks vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette by just 77 votes or 1.58% of the vote.
FORT MYERS Lee County considers adding second fixed-base operator to RSW The Lee County Port Authority is officially moving forward with negotiations for a new fixed-base operator at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral roofing business owes $2M to IRS after guilty plea The owner of a Cape Coral roofing business owes the Internal Revenue Service over $2 million after pleading guilty to fraud charges.
FDA approves new shoulder implant From high school seniors to senior citizens, more than 100,000 people will need a shoulder replacement each year.
Private Sky sues future competitor at RSW Private Sky Aviation Services will be getting future competition from a company with trillions of dollars in assets.
2 men charged in unrelated crimes for deaths related to fentanyl Two men in Charlotte County have been arrested for separate fentanyl-related charges that led to two deaths.
CAPE CORAL Pickup truck crashes into Cape Coral apartment building A pickup truck crashed into a Cape Coral apartment building after what police believe was a head-on collision with another vehicle.
Tim Aten Knows: More new tenants coming to local retail centers Something big is in the works for the long-vacant former Sweetbay Supermarket in Green Tree Center in North Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs house catches on fire 3 times in less than 24 hours A house in Bonita Springs has caught on fire three times in less than 24 hours.
SWFL High School Football Scoreboard Week 12 The regular season finale of high school football in SWFL brings district champions crowned and playoff spots fortified. .
Trash pile on San Carlos Island continues to grow Residents of San Carlos Island have grown tired as garbage and debris from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton piles up.
Law enforcement presence at Alfie Oakes’ North Naples home and Immokalee packing house Several federal and state law enforcement agencies were at Alfie Oakes’ home and packing house for an investigation that remains undisclosed.
MATLACHA Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s reopens after six weeks Popular Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s has reopened just six weeks after enduring damage from back-to-back storms.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Accused Dollar General thief arrested A man accused of robbing a Dollar General store is behind bars.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate seeks vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette by just 77 votes or 1.58% of the vote.
FORT MYERS Lee County considers adding second fixed-base operator to RSW The Lee County Port Authority is officially moving forward with negotiations for a new fixed-base operator at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral roofing business owes $2M to IRS after guilty plea The owner of a Cape Coral roofing business owes the Internal Revenue Service over $2 million after pleading guilty to fraud charges.
FDA approves new shoulder implant From high school seniors to senior citizens, more than 100,000 people will need a shoulder replacement each year.
Private Sky sues future competitor at RSW Private Sky Aviation Services will be getting future competition from a company with trillions of dollars in assets.
Credit: WINK The iconic phrase “Take me out to the ballgame” has lost meaning as baseball attendance and television ratings have noticeably dropped in recent years. With passion waning for the American tradition, how will it financially impact spring training in Southwest Florida? Jessamy Finet and Erin Nanstad have visited Lee County from Boston for 25 years to watch the spring training. “We come for baseball, we enjoy it,” said Finet. “We enjoy the weather, we get our drink on, we go see people that we’ve met for the past 20 years.” Unfortunately, baseball in Lee County hasn’t had a clean offseason in five years. The events of COVID-19, Hurricane Ian, and a major league baseball lockout have thrown a curveball at the spring training experience, impacting Lee County in the process. Attendees at Jet Blue Park. Credit: WINK Jeff Mielke, Executive Director of Sports Development, says that despite the recent obstacles, the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, the two teams that call Lee County home, are still receiving first-place support. “It’s a testament to these strong fan bases that they both represent because they’re always in the top two to five of the Grapefruit League in attendance,” said Mielke. Data gathered from Major League Baseball shows that spring training attendance has decreased across the last 10 years, with the Red Sox and Twins seeing dips in Lee County. Despite the statistics, Lee County Officials claim that the tourism impact and the money generated from the two fanbases are financially successful. The latest economic study of 2018 reveals nearly $69 million in revenue generated by spring training. “They’ve been here a long time, the fans love our destination, they’re buying second homes here, there are a lot of folks who have annualized this occurrence, and it’s ingrained in their family experiences,” said Mielke. Finet and Nanstad have had first-hand experience as their 4-day trip 25 years ago has grown into a 16-day vacation. While spring training has sustained a significant presence in Lee County, the same cannot be said for Charlotte County. The Tampa Bay Rays is the only other team that holds its spring training in Southwest Florida; however, attendance has not reached more than 5,000 people since 2016. The most recent financial impact report from Charlotte County in 2022 shows the team generated almost $7 million. The interconnectedness between Lee County and the professional baseball teams has stemmed from the early 1990s. Mielke has pointed out the deep-rooted relationship between scholarships provided by the teams and local schools, with six-figure donations made after the impacts of Hurricane Ian. “They’re not just here in February and March. They have a presence in our community. They’re doing good things beyond the baseball field,” said Mielke. “The public and private partnerships between the three of us are. I don’t know of another destination that has that.” The Twins lease in Lee County runs through 2042, and the Red Sox’s lease is set to end in 2038.