Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s DayFort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
Known for its game-changing orthopedic repair options, Naples-based Arthrex has done it again. This time, they are teaming up on a procedure with HSS at NCH, the Hospital for Special Surgery, which is just now getting up and running in Naples. A new technique is helping a promising young athlete, one who’s already overcome a lot. At 17 years old, Sonia Kiritsa is a model of determination. A refugee from Ukraine, she fled to the United States following the Russian invasion. She hit the ground running here as a star point guard in high school. “I’m spending like 3, 4, 5 hours a day on a basketball court, and every time I try to get some shots, 100 to 200, so I feel very confident in practice, and I think it makes me feel great on the court,” Kiritsa said. However, during the first game of the season, something just snapped. “I ran on the fast break, and I slipped, and my knee went inside, so I fell,” Kiritsa said. The result was a torn ACL, the ligament that stabilizes the knee. Kiritsa had surgery using donor tissue from her quadricep to reconstruct the ACL. The operation was layered using a cutting-edge technique. Especially for athletes who put their bodies to the test, there’s always concern about reinjuring the ACL, but thanks to Arthrex, a new procedure may reduce that risk by up to 80%. Dr. Pat Smith, an orthopedic surgeon at NCH, said, “Taking care of athletes, we would see these high numbers of re-injuries or re-tears, and that is not good because a second surgery for ACL reconstruction, what we call revision surgery, never does as well as a successful primary or first-time ACL surgery.” Smith is the director of research at HSS. With years of experience in ACL surgery, he used the Arthrex internal brace on Kiritsa. “We call it the seat belt for the ACL. We’ve seen less re-tears, which is huge for our patients to get back to sport more confidently,” Smith said. We asked him to show us how it works. “It’s basically a strong suture that we deliberately put in just a bit loose to protect the ACL,” Smith said. The strands provide a safety net to support the tendon when it’s most vulnerable, which is critical during early-stage healing. “This idea of augmenting or protecting it is something that makes a lot of sense,” Smith said. A month out from surgery, Kiritsa is sitting on the bench. Her practice now is rehab. “I’m spending a lot of energy on this to be back on the court,” Kiritsa said. “She tackles this rehab just like she tackles basketball, so she’s a hard-working individual, and she’s going to do very well with this,” Smith said. Given her determination, Kiritsa is playing the long game, which is someday joining the WNBA. This internal brace doesn’t shorten healing time. It’s still six to nine months. Smith has extensive research and experience with this technique. Following similar patients, he’s never had a re-injury.