Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor BoulevardFamily of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
Florida panther standing outside of a wildlife crossing. CREDIT: florida-panther-east-collier.jpg, fStop Foundation, Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved – Used by Permission, https://www.fws.gov/banner/florida-panther-east-collierjpg For the fourth time since the start of 2020, wildlife officials recorded two endangered Florida panther deaths on the same day. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Panther Pulse, a 4-year-old female Florida panther reportedly died after getting hit by a vehicle on Oil Well Road in Collier County. Cimarron, the Florida Panther at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary. CREDIT: Paul Dolan It’s rare that Panther Pulse reports same-day mortalities. Below is a list of every same-day Florida panther mortalities since the start of 2020. Nov. 12, 2023 Sept. 28, 2021 – three same-day mortalities April 1, 2021 Feb. 19, 2020 Officials say the 4-year-old panther was struck by a vehicle on Oil Well Road a little less than a mile west of Oil Well Grade in Collier County. This marks the seventh time in 2024 that authorities have discovered a dead Florida panther after a vehicle struck it, bringing the confirmed death toll of the endangered animal to nine for the year. Male panther at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by FWS, 2018. “Vehicle collisions are the primary cause of death for Florida panthers,” FWC says in a press release. “The FWC encourages motorists to slow down and observe all posted speed limits, especially in panther zones, which are in place in several counties across South Florida and coincide with areas where panthers are known to cross. These panther speed zones help ensure the survival of the endangered Florida panther and protect motorists from personal injury.” RELATED: Train strikes endangered Florida panther in Glades County, fifth death of 2024 RELATED: 12 endangered Florida panther deaths in 5 months, latest on Alligator Alley Also, on Monday, wildlife officials discovered a second dead Florida panther. This was a 2-year-old male panther reportedly struck on Highway 70, about four miles west of Southwest County Road 721, in Glades County. In the last two months, wildlife officials have discovered five dead Florida panthers. On Feb. 1, a panther was discovered after getting struck by a train in Glades County. Then on March 8, another was found in the Picayune Strand State Forest. The third was discovered on Alligator Alley near the Broward and Collier County line, also struck by a vehicle. A female panther and her kitten, seen one month after being reunited in Naples by FWC biologists. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Monday’s discoveries were the second in Glades and Collier County. In years past, the majority of dead panthers have been discovered in Collier County. However, Hendry County accounts for the most in 2024 with three discoveries. Vehicle collisions are the most common way FWC discovers dead panthers. RELATED: Florida Panther Conservation: Protecting the State Animal of Florida “Early measures to reduce panther deaths from vehicle collisions included lowering the speed limit at night in critical stretches of highways, widening road shoulders to increase visibility, experimenting with special reflectors intended to make animals wary as headlight beams were reflected in their direction, public information campaigns and rumble strips,” says the FWC website. In 2023, all 13 reported deaths were the result of vehicle collisions. In 2022, 25 of the 27 discovered deaths were due to Florida panthers getting struck by a vehicle, while the other two were from unknown causes. In 2021, 21 of the 27 deaths were the result of a panther getting struck by a vehicle. Vehicle strike statistics for Florida panthers. CREDIT: FWC That means dating back to the start of 2021, 66 of the last 76 documented dead panthers by wildlife officials were the result of vehicle strikes. “The most effective but also the most expensive measure was adding wildlife crossings to highways,” says the FWC website. Panther Crossing is a Naples Zoo campaign that is designed to make roads a safer place for the state animal of Florida. Athena, the endangered Florida panther at Naples Zoo. CREDIT: PAUL DOLAN Panther crossing signs on the road remind drivers to slow down. While driving in a panther zone at night, drivers should slow down from 60 to 45 mph. The Florida panther has been on the Endangered Species List since 1967. Officials report just over 200 are left in the wild. “The subspecies is so critically endangered that it is vulnerable to just about every major threat,” says the National Wildlife Federation. Florida panther. CREDIT: NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION To report dead or injured panthers, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on a cell phone.