Erika Jackson

Doctors have been recommending that people wear masks, practice social distancing and wash their hands to make sure they keep themselves safe. But it doesn’t just affect them, it affects the entire community. And those recommendations have been helping. “We’re seeing a lot more people recover at home, which is a good thing,” said Joseph […]

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about whether you can carry your gun while wearing a face mask. We looked at the legalities of carrying concealed weapons while wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic in Florida Monday. A representative with Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told us it’s allowed as long as those with permits […]

The annual fireworks at Laishley Park — shot down. The freedom swim in Charlotte Harbor — sinks. People in Charlotte County are preparing for a nontraditional Independence Day. “With this coronavirus thing going on, everything is pretty much going crazy,” said Carlos Roman of Charlotte County. Instead of dropping cash at the bar, Roman is […]

Punta Gorda City Council members decided Wednesday to wait a week before making any decisions on whether to mandate masks. If the city moves forward with a mask mandate, it would only be enforceable indoors. The council will revisit the issue at their July 8 meeting. “The fire has been burning for three months, we […]

The debate in Southwest Florida grows as many municipalities in the region discuss mandating masks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. City of Sanibel became the first municipality in the region to mandate masks be worn in public. Meanwhile, there’s no mask mandate anywhere else in Southwest Florida. Tuesday, we asked community members […]

The breeze blows the trees along Punta Gorda’s Harborwalk, but the harbor walkers are nowhere to be found. A few blocks away at the Celtic Ray Irish pub, Dick and Louise Nelson have the outdoor patio nearly to themselves. “We used to eat indoors but the valuable place to us right now is the outdoors,” […]

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is taking a closer look at its policies amid nationwide calls for reform in law enforcement. We sat down with Sheriff Bill Prummell recently to speak about the way CCSO conducts itself in the communities it serves. “My number one priority of course is for the safety and security of the […]

A Punta Gorda Isles man is facing charges after two women said he shouted racial slurs at them and spit in one’s face. The encounter happened when the women were picking mangoes. They said Donald Mueller stopped his car, yelled a slew of obscenities, then let his spit fly. “When he screamed at me ‘Black […]

Neighbors are concerned about a burrowing owl’s nest in Cape Coral that’s right near a construction site. One woman says she has seen the nest tampered with, but the builder has a permit. Step by step, Lori Sepulveda takes in the beauty of her Cape Coral neighborhood, oftentimes spotting burrowing owls. “I enjoyed seeing them […]

The Florida bonneted bat, found only in the Sunshine State, is on the verge of extinction. It’s the state’s largest bat species. And, without our help, the mosquito-eating flyer will die off. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants to designate the bat’s home in Charlotte and Collier counties as critical habitat. We looked at […]