Taylor Smith

For the first time in over a month, restaurants allowed people to dine in and sit outside while following Phase 1 guidelines. Retailers welcomed people in their stores for the first time in weeks. And people say it’s giving them a sense of normalcy. On 5th Avenue in downtown Naples Monday night, businesses and restaurants […]

St. Matthews House donated meals to over 2,000 families this past week. Next week it must move from its current service location. The nonprofit’s thrift store is on the same site of the food distribution area, and the store won’t be able to open. So it needed a new place to get meals to people. […]

Collier County Commissioner Penny Taylor wants to allow restaurants to expand their outdoor seating into the parking lot. Taylor shared her thoughts about reopening restaurant during a Friday meeting in East Naples. She says she’s frustrated local businesses are suffering. We spoke to Taylor after the meeting in the parking lot of Three60 Market. She […]

Some restaurants say customer use of food delivery apps is hurting their bottom line. Apps such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Postmates are convenient, but, depending on the company, they could take anywhere from 10% to 40% of the profit from restaurants customers order from through the apps. And, during the COVID-19 outbreak, restaurant owners […]

You could tell people were happy to be back at the beach to put their feet in the sand the ocean. Beachgoers were social distancing and hope everyone can continue follow the rules. Surfing, frisbee, suntanning, you name it. All those activities were taking place Thursday, as Collier County beaches opened up for the first […]

Renters and homeowners in Collier County who need financial assistance can apply for part of $1.4 million to help them get back on their feet. The county teamed up with the United Way of Collier and the Keys to receive the money and help those affected most by the pandemic. Michelle Mejia works at Trattoria […]

What does summer camp look like during social distancing? Collier County said they hope to open theirs on June 8, saying there are hundreds of students already registered.  To keep campers and staff safe from the coronavirus, they want to developer camper and counselor protocols and establish daily screenings at camps. Some parents say they […]

The economy has taken a big hit because of the coronavirus pandemic, but local professionals in a major industry are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Southwest Florida real estate agents are starting to notice signs that activity is on the upswing and their sales are improving. “Was off to a successful […]

CVS Health announced it will soon be able to test people for the coronavirus at many of its pharmacies during the president’s Monday White House briefing held in the Rose Garden. CVS wants tests at 1,000 of its locations nationwide. Walgreens is also jumping in to help. In a matter of days CVS will offer […]

NCH has confirmed Friday the purchase of high-tech equipment by Ortho Clinical Diagnostics called the VITROS XT 7600. The machine will give the ability to do large quantities of coronavirus antibody testing. The equipment is expected to be operational in late May and have the ability to ultimately process more than 1,000 samples a day […]