Fire devastates Lehigh Acres church, community works to help rebuildLCSO Deputies save man from burning home
LEHIGH ACRES Fire devastates Lehigh Acres church, community works to help rebuild The investigation into what ignited the devastating fire that tore through this Lehigh Acres church continues. On Monday night, neighbors remembered the landmark that had meant so much to the community.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO Deputies save man from burning home A dramatic rescue unfolded in North Fort Myers as deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office saved a disabled man from a burning home.
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
LEHIGH ACRES Fire devastates Lehigh Acres church, community works to help rebuild The investigation into what ignited the devastating fire that tore through this Lehigh Acres church continues. On Monday night, neighbors remembered the landmark that had meant so much to the community.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO Deputies save man from burning home A dramatic rescue unfolded in North Fort Myers as deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office saved a disabled man from a burning home.
Stalking charges dropped against Bonita jeweler who had accusations against Marceno A man at the center of accusations against the Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno won’t be charged in a separate case.
SANIBEL Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.
ENGLEWOOD Lemon Bay High’s programs drive 98% graduation rate Lemon Bay High School in Englewood boasts an impressive 98% graduation rate, surpassing the state’s nearly 90% rate.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot grad celebrates national title with Ohio State Former Bishop Verot safety Leroy Roker wins the national championship with Ohio State.
DORAL House Republicans focus on Trump agenda at annual retreat in Doral U.S. House Republicans have gathered at Trump National Doral for their annual retreat, known as the “Issues Conference.”
GAINESVILLE UF Title IX investigation into Todd Golden closed Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball head coach is closed after the university found “no evidence” of a Title IX violation.
New surgical robot helps patients recover faster Robot-assisted surgeries are transforming the operating room by turning major operations into smaller, less invasive procedures.
TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers cancel special session called by Gov. DeSantis There was some chaos and defiance earlier this morning as a special session got underway in Tallahassee.
Sugarshack Downtown music venue goes live in Bonita Springs Following a series of private invitation-only events, the live music venue with a full-service restaurant and bars launches to the general public Jan. 31 across Old 41 Road from the city’s Riverside Park bandshell. A grand opening celebration is planned in early February.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Eagle Specialty Coffee open in Cape Coral The two coffee shops are almost identical in size, shape and layout. Both rely on drive-thru windows for more than half their business. Both are located off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, and both are part of relatively small companies when compared to the behemoth that’s located roughly halfway between them.
Jury selection begins for Charlotte County teen accused of murdering his mother Jury selection begins for the 17-year-old accused of killing his mother, who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
PUNTA GORDA Quarter auction to benefit Sgt. Elio Diaz in Punta Gorda There will be a quarterly auction in Punta Gorda to benefit Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz, who died last year while conducting a traffic stop.
Charlotte deputies searching for armed suspect on the run The hunt is on for a suspect who fled from Charlotte County deputies when they went to arrest him on a Sarasota warrant on Sunday.
Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light. Collier County is going to install blue lights to help flag red-light runners at problem intersections. At the Nov. 12 meeting, the board of commissioners approved $160,000 to install red-light indicators (blue lights) at multiple intersections chosen in coordination with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office data. They will start to be installed in the upcoming months and should be all installed by March. Below is a full list of where the lights are going, plus relevant data: One of the intersections on the list is Logan Boulevard and Immokalee Road. There was a fatality here back in September from a semi-truck driver who ran a red light. The driver was charged after killing a mom. This incident brought up the urgency to do something in Collier County. The blue lights differ from red light cameras as they do not issue citations; instead, they alert law enforcement to violations, so there are no cameras. For example, if a CCSO deputy was sitting right on the side of the road, they’d be staring at the blue light. When the traffic signal turns red, the blue light comes on. Then, any cars that keep going, could get pulled over and ticketed. “The main thing here is safety. We want to create safety. We want to reduce the amount of crashes and fatal crashes in our county,” David Mercado from the CCSO Traffic Unit said. The initiative aims to enhance safety by making drivers aware of red-light violations and reducing crashes. The selection of intersections was based on crash data, and the program is expected to improve traffic safety significantly. “We selected 20 intersections where the most prominent for vehicle crashes based on crash data,” Officer Mercado said. Collier County Commissioner Burton Saunders was a huge advocated for these blue lights. He said he hopes they will enhance law enforcement and give them a more effective tool to catch people. “It makes it easier for the law enforcement officer to see the red light runner. It makes it possible to have only one vehicle at an intersection to do that, and so we double our enforcement capability by simply installing these blue lights,” Saunders said. There are no red light cameras in Collier County. Back in 2012, they were all removed after public backlash. “The data doesn’t really show that the red-light cameras are that effective in stopping red light runners,” Saunders said. “It’s only a blue light, so this is not a camera. There will be no cameras installed, only lights. So, the community gets rest safe knowing that they will not be getting citations on the mail to the register owner because of the blue lights,” Officer Mercado said. The county has already ordered the lights. The hope is to have all 20 of them installed by March 2025. If you do run a red light, you’ll get a $261 dollar fine and three points on your license. If you get 12 points in 12 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days. The cities of Naples and Fort Myers already have blue lights.