1 dead after head-on crash on I-75 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a crash left one dead on I-75.
FORT MYERS BEACH Final day of Island Hopper Fest held despite effects from Helene The last day of the 10th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Festival was held on Fort Myers Beach Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sen. Rick Scott visits Fort Myers Beach in the wake of Helene Sen. Rick Scott traveled to Fort Myers Beach to survey the damage following Helene.
Distribution center provides aid for those affected by Helene Charlotte County received a bit of relief Sunday after being hit by Helene.
Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out The U.S. Southeast grappled Sunday with rising death tolls, a lack of vital supplies in isolated, flood-stricken areas and the widespread loss of homes and property while the devastating toll of Hurricane Helene became more clear and officials warned of a lengthy and difficult rebuild.
FEMA assistance available for some affected by Hurricane Helene Florida homeowners and renters in counties with uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance.
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
1 dead after head-on crash on I-75 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a crash left one dead on I-75.
FORT MYERS BEACH Final day of Island Hopper Fest held despite effects from Helene The last day of the 10th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Festival was held on Fort Myers Beach Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sen. Rick Scott visits Fort Myers Beach in the wake of Helene Sen. Rick Scott traveled to Fort Myers Beach to survey the damage following Helene.
Distribution center provides aid for those affected by Helene Charlotte County received a bit of relief Sunday after being hit by Helene.
Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out The U.S. Southeast grappled Sunday with rising death tolls, a lack of vital supplies in isolated, flood-stricken areas and the widespread loss of homes and property while the devastating toll of Hurricane Helene became more clear and officials warned of a lengthy and difficult rebuild.
FEMA assistance available for some affected by Hurricane Helene Florida homeowners and renters in counties with uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance.
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
NOTE: No COVID-19 vaccine is currently available to the general public on request. Health experts are meeting to review the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, which could get FDA approval as soon as Friday. A government advisory panel has endorsed the biotechnology company’s COVID-19 vaccine. Once it’s approved, the vaccine will be going to the biggest health system in Southwest Florida, but Lee Health was initially left off the list, which came as a surprise. “The Moderna will likely be 181 hospitals across the state of Florida,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly. The health system told us the confusion was a miscommunication. Lee Health is confident the COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered next week as expected. “This is something that’s exciting,” DeSantis said. “We feel good.” Lee Health said the state will deliver the vaccines in time for the system to start vaccinating staff members at Gulf Coast Medical Center and Cape Coral hospitals next week. Employees at its remaining hospitals will need to go to one of those locations to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Dr. Luis Aponte told us that is news to him. “There’s been no reports as of right now,” Aponte said. Lee Health explained that’s because it’s still waiting on more information, including what vaccine the state will give it — Pfizer or Moderna. Either way, Aponte is hopeful. “We’re on the front line,” Aponte said. “Personally, me and a lot of my colleagues are excited to get vaccinated, give our family some protection and sort of go back to a little bit of normalcy again.” He said he knows the initial confusion was not intentional. “I think they have good intentions to like get everybody on the staff vaccinated,” Aponte said.
Spring training is set to start at the same place people line up daily for rapid coronavirus tests. There is much still to be figured out about how CenturyLink Sports Complex in Lee County will combine COVID-19 testing with baseball. The sports complex is home to the Minnesota Twins’ spring training facility, Hammond Stadium. With baseball weeks away, there is a look about whether things will shift because of the test site. Lines of people have been present at the rapid test site every day during the pandemic. Commissioner Brian Hamman floated the idea of also using the site as a vaccination location when it becomes a possibility. That’s still months away, but so is spring training. The parking lot near the entrance of the complex on Six Mile Cypress Parkway is usually packed with cars for people who go to get tested. It raises the question about whether there would be enough space to handle a baseball game at the same time. And will the Twins be OK with sharing parking space and parts of the facility with the test site? The Twins won’t answer that question right now. Florida Division of Emergency Management oversees the COVID-19 site. A spokesperson told us the state is working on a plan to make both testing and baseball happen. What is confusing for baseball fans is they can buy tickets to spring training games right now. But buyer beware: The Twins aren’t selling tickets yet. It’s websites such as StubHub that are. Major League Baseball hasn’t said if or when spring training will open and whether fans will be allowed to watch the games. If the Twins do play ball at CenturyLink Sports Complex, this would not be the first time a stadium doubles as a test site. Hard Rock Stadium and Raymond James Stadium — homes to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — also share their facilities with the division of emergency management.
A Collier County community wants to get rid of flocks of ducks hanging around the neighborhood, and how they plan to do it is dividing residents. “Out and out killing is wrong and inhumane,” said Geri Ruhl, who lives in Island Walk. “This particular bird is a nuisance, an annoyance,” said Bill Kupersmith, another resident. The Island Walk homeowner’s association board is considering spending $6,000 to trap and kill the Muscovy ducks that call the neighborhood home. They voted in favor of it but may reconsider after an uproar from residents. “It is a very dark and disturbing thing that this board has done. It actually makes me ashamed to be a resident of Island Walk to think that they would do this,” said Ken Tardio. Kristine Grenier agrees. “It makes me so angry. It’s wrong on so many levels, it’s wrong. You know it’s immoral, it’s unsustainable, it’s poor leadership.” Dick Norwood said at a board meeting Wednesday that those against it are just a vocal minority. “Muscovy ducks are considered nuisance birds not native to Florida. They are destructive to gardens and landscaping; they nest in any available spot and leave droppings.” Board members say they have support, as many people no longer want to look out their windows and see the invasive ducks. “The massive number of ducks is rather extreme in here,” one board member said during the meeting. Island Walk leaders expect to make a decision in a few weeks. Until then, “this crowd is pretty adamant about wildlife and the preservation thereof,” said Gary Morhouse. The general manager of Island Walk says they’re speaking to a wildlife biologist to find other options for dealing with the ducks, but the trap-and-kill plan is still on the table.
Unsure of what to get friends or family? Gift cards could be a good option and you can sometimes get them on sale. There are a few ways to get a little extra for your buck or to avoid paying full price for gift cards. A lot of it has to do with where you shop. One place to grab them is wholesale clubs. Costco, for example, is selling two $50 gift cards for $80 for restaurants that include Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Ford’s Garage. Look at your credit card benefits. Discover will not only let you redeem your rewards for a gift card but will add up to 30% in value. Some restaurants and retailers will offer bonus cards based on how much you send. For example, at Outback, if you spend $100, you’ll get a $10 card for free. “You can always check by logging into your credit card account and looking at what deals are offered. They’re often prominently displayed on the home screen once you log-in,” said Sara Rathner with Nerdwallet. Keep in mind that you might want to spend any gift cards you receive sooner rather than later since the economy is still a little uncertain.
The city of Cape Coral has big plans for Pine Island Road, a heavily traveled artery that connects the city to I-75 before ending on Pine Island. More than $300 million in projects on the thoroughfare will be coming online soon, said Cape Coral Economic Development Manager Ricardo Noguera. That includes two shopping plazas and a new hotel, a first for the northern part of Cape Coral. “It’s going to really support the northeastern part of town, especially the northern (part) where we do not have any hotels north of the south Cape,” Noguera said. Noguera said over 30,000 vehicles travel Pine Island Road every day and that brings a huge customer base for businesses along that corridor, which makes the roadway ripe for development. “As the corridor continues to grow, we’re going to see more cluster development and more employers coming to this area to create employment opportunities for the 200,000-plus people who live in the Cape,” Noguera said. About nine projects are slated to open on Pine Island Road in 2021. They include shopping spaces, restaurants and apartments. At the Springs at Cape Coral, a new apartment community, managers Taylor Pack and Megan Mares said tenants will be moving in by the end of the month. The community, on Yellow Creek Loop, won’t fully open until June. “Our first building is almost completely occupied,” Mares said. Also set to open next year is Encompass Health’s 80-bed rehab hospital. Meanwhile, construction will begin on a new grocery store in the spring. Noguera said he expects more light industrial warehouse spaces to pop up as well as more medical offices and mixed-use space. “I see more light industrial warehouse flex space coming, I see more medical offices coming, I see mixed-use development coming.” Cape Coral resident Nancy Garcia said she remembers, back in the 60s, when Pine Island Road was nothing but dirt. She said she is excited about the new development – but not the traffic. “Mondays and Fridays, the backup starts at about 3 o’clock and it starts way down on Tamiami,” Garcia said. “You reach the point where you wonder if you’re ever going to get where you’re going.” Garcia said she tries to avoid Pine Island Road often. Noguera said the new developments will also come with new traffic mediation measures. Regardless, for Cape Coral resident Barbara Bucko, having so many businesses close by is convenient. “I went to Lowe’s and I went to Michael’s and now I’m at Publix … all on one side,” she said. “We need it.”
The holidays are a time of joy but can also be very stressful, especially during a pandemic. What are some things you can do to keep your stress levels down and your spirit up? We asked an expert, who says old rules for recharging and relaxing don’t apply this year. “The losses – and these are both big and small. Many of us are forgoing traditional get-togethers and rituals as families. And so those are important losses. And there are bigger losses in terms of families who may have lost a loved one or someone who’s sick,” said Dr. Archana Basu, instructor in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. From travel restrictions to guidelines around gatherings, families are being forced to make tough decisions. “This year is going to be particularly stressing because our family is in the medical field back in Michigan, our daughter-in-law. So it’s a little tough for us to get together. And we have grandchildren, so we’re going to have to take precautions,” said David Uhl of Cape Coral. “My family is in Atlanta, and I’m not going because of COVID, because the family just wants to stay separate right now,” said Terri Greenberg of Lehigh Acres. Basu says that those decisions can be draining. “A lot of decision fatigue. People have had to make a lot of tough choices around whether or not to travel, whom to see, how to celebrate, whether to celebrate.” But there are ways to bring back the joy. Basu says you should narrow down exactly why you enjoy certain traditions and use that to create new ones safely. “We had a new granddaughter and we went and stood on the porch and my daughter-in-law and son held her up through the glass in the front door,” Uhl said. “We’re just communicating with family the best we can. And hopefully getting together in the beginning of the new year when things get better,” Greenberg said. Something else to keep in mind: what we eat and drink can impact our mental health. Keep an eye on your snacking and comfort food, and try to limit alcoholic drinks.
A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation for the vaccine from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The FDA advisers, in a 20-0 vote, agreed the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks for those 18 years old and up. The FDA’s green light for emergency use is expected quickly. Moderna would then begin shipping millions of doses, earmarked for health workers and nursing home residents, to boost the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history. The campaign kicked off earlier this week with the first vaccine OK’d in the U.S., developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Moderna’s shot showed similarly strong protection, providing 94% protection against COVID-19 in the company’s ongoing study of 30,000 people. After seven hours of debate over technical details of the company’s study and follow-up plans, nearly all panelists backed making the vaccine available to help fight the pandemic. One panel member abstained. “The evidence that has been studied in great detail on this vaccine highly outweighs any of the issues we’ve seen,” said Dr. Hayley Gans of Stanford University Medical Center. A second vaccine is urgently needed as coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths climb to new highs ahead of the holidays. The U.S. leads the world in virus totals, with more than 1.6 million confirmed cases and nearly 309,000 reported deaths. Moderna’s vaccine uses the same groundbreaking technology as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. Most traditional vaccines use dead or weakened virus, but both of the new vaccines use snippets of COVID-19’s genetic code to train the immune system to detect and fight the virus. Both require two doses, several weeks apart. Thursday’s review came days after reports of apparent allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in two Alaska health workers. One person had a severe reaction, including shortness of breath, the other had less serious side effects, including lightheadedness. While the two vaccines use the same technology, they’re not identical, cautioned Moderna chief medical officer Dr. Tal Zaks. In particular, some of the lipids, or fats, used to coat the two vaccines are different. “I would not necessarily assume” that any reactions would be the same, he said. The FDA found no severe allergic reactions in Moderna’s data but flagged a slightly higher rate of less serious side effects – rash, hives, itching – among participants who got the vaccine, compared with those receiving a dummy shot. There were also three cases of Bell’s palsy, which temporarily paralyzes facial muscles, among vaccine recipients, compared with just one among those getting a dummy shot. The FDA review said the role of the shot in the vaccine group “cannot be ruled out.” An unanswered question is whether the vaccine also prevents people from symptomless infection – but Moderna found a hint that it may. Study participants had their noses swabbed prior to the second dose of either vaccine or placebo. At that one timepoint, swabs from 14 vaccine recipients and 38 placebo recipients showed evidence of asymptomatic infection, said Moderna’s Dr. Jacqueline Miller. After the FDA acts, U.S. officials plan to move out an initial shipment of nearly 6 million Moderna doses. The vaccine needs to be stored at regular freezer temperatures, but not the ultra-cold required for Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. Hundreds of millions of additional shots will be needed to eventually vaccinate the general public, which isn’t expected until the spring or summer. The government’s Operation Warp Speed program has orders for 200 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine. That’s on top of 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Officials are negotiating to purchase more doses of that vaccine. Like the first vaccine, Moderna’s vaccine will remain experimental as the company continues a two-year study needed to answer key questions, including how long protection lasts. One of the trickiest issues panelists debated was how to keep study volunteers who received a dummy shot from dropping out to get the real shot once it’s authorized. Their participation is critical in order to have a comparison for long-term safety and effectiveness. Moderna proposed immediately alerting all those volunteers of their status and offering them the vaccine. The company said more than 25% of its participants are health workers and some are already leaving to get the first vaccine. But an invited expert from Stanford University urged Moderna to adopt Pfizer’s approach. Pfizer plans to gradually vaccinate people in its placebo group based on when they would have normally had access to the vaccine, as priority groups are established. But most panelists acknowledged it will be hard to keep volunteers from leaving the Moderna study if they have to wait to get the vaccine. “The reality may make that too difficult to do,” said Dr. Steven Pergam of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The only COVID-19 death in the 30,000 volunteers was in a placebo recipient, a 54-year-old man whose only risk factor was diabetes. Knowing there could be more severe coronavirus in placebo recipients as the pandemic continues “weighs heavily on me,” said Moderna’s Miller.
Are any of your passwords 123456? If you said yes, you are one of more than 2.5 million people using the country’s most common password. Whether you use numbers, letters, or a combination thereof, cybersecurity expert Carrie Kerskie, with Kerskie Group, says you need to think unique, not easy to remember. “We see people having bad password habits and it’s just all out of convenience,” she explained. “We don’t want to have to remember these long-complicated ones, so out of convenience, people are defaulting to things like 1234 or simple ones and the bad guys are taking advantage of this.” They’re taking advantage because, with your password, they can access bank accounts, credit cards, emails and so much more. What’s another most used password? The address where you live. If we all know the danger, why do we go with easy? Kerskie said, “You know what it is, people can remember it, it’s simple, it’s easy.” Jeff Morris owns a cybersecurity company and understands the threat and the importance of good security. His advice: “You need to change things pretty quickly because it’s getting worse and worse and it’s coming from every direction in the whole world.” Kerskie also recommends using a password manager and when making your passwords, “Remember that longer is stronger.” Computer experts also say you should never store passwords on your laptop or mobile device. Here is a website where you can check to see if your email has been compromised: Have I Been Pwned? Make one of your New Year’s resolutions to change your passwords. RESOURCES Oregon FBI Tech Tuesday: Building a Digital Defense with Passwords CISA: Security Tip – Choosing and Protecting Passwords Top 200 most common passwords of the year 2020
An 8-year-old in need of a lifesaving transplant faces slim odds of finding a match. His family hopes there will be a Christmas miracle for him. There is an effort to help him find a donor. Jakobe “Kobe” Washington has leukemia, and he needs a bone marrow transplant. Kobe is Black, and African Americans seeking a bone marrow transplant have about a 23 percent chance of finding donors, compared to 41 percent for people who are Asian and Pacific Islander, 46 percent for Hispanic or Latino people and 77 percent for white people. According to Be The Match, “A patient’s ethnic background plays a large role in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, which is used to match patients with donors for bone marrow or cord blood transplants. Since HLA types are inherited, the best chance of finding a suitable donor may be with someone of a similar racial or ethnic background.” The statistics leave him and his family desperate to find someone. They hope someone who learns about his need will step up and see if they might be a match. When Imeria Price celebrated her son’s birthday in July, she sang with pride. Now, she fears she’ll never sing happy birthday to Jakobe again. Kobe’s family says he will die if he does not get a bone marrow transplant. “We can’t even begin to explain, you know, the feeling that we felt, you know, hearing that our perfect child, you know, was diagnosed with cancer,” Price said. Leukemia is the second leading child cancer killer behind brain cancer. Doctors diagnosed Kobe in August. He started chemotherapy right away, dancing his way through each treatment. “Through this process, he has kept his strength,” Price said. “He’s came into all of his treatments dancing and laughing, and he always was a kid who still looks healthy.” However, looks can be deceiving, and his doctors say the chemo is not working. They must find a bone marrow donor. “Now in this stage that we’re in right now with needing a donor, I have never, you know, heard him speak anything negative until now, and that terrifies me,” Price said. The low percentage of Black people registered to a make a bone marrow transplant is also something that continues to worry the family. “Having people donate to me is like having the gift of everything I need,” Kobe said. “That’s all I want for Christmas.” Be The Match is sponsoring a bone marrow registry drive from 10 a.m. to noon Christmas Eve at the Charlotte Sports Park. NOTE: According to Be The Match, doctors request donors between the ages of 18 to 44. Potential donors between 45 and 60 years old are also welcomed to join the registry, but the requested age group is selected by doctors 86% of the time. Anyone who wants to see if they could be a donor can show up, and participants won’t have to leave their cars. Technicians will swab your cheek, and in five minutes, you’re done. “Sharing Jakobe Washington’s story is so important because we need minorities and African Americans to join the registry,” said Debiann McIntosh, a community engagement specialist with Be The Match. “There are so many African American patients that are fighting for their chance to have a second Christmas at home with their family.” Anyone interested can text KOBE to 6-1-4-7-4 to join the bone marrow registry. If it’s not Kobe’s life you save, it could be someone else’s. “Please come out and just, just try to potentially save my son’s life,” Price said.
A 5-year-old girl raised enough money to buy toys for hundreds of kids in Southwest Florida. Without Chandler’s help, many children in the region wouldn’t have a Christmas this year. A 5-year-old using Facebook probably doesn’t sound like a good idea, but after what Chandler was able to accomplish, most would likely make an exception. “It was really incredible. We didn’t realize what an impact she was going to make, and this was all her,” Renee Ciccarello said. Ciccarello is Chandler’s proud mom. She never figured her daughter’s wish to help families in need this Christmas would attract the attention it did. People nationwide sent money to Chandler, so she could buy gifts for other children. Some also sent gifts for Chandler to give. “It just started to snowball effect, and when I did the final number and realized we were over $4,000, it was magical,” Ciccarello said. “It was how Christmas feels.” Chandler began her endeavor by asking her classmates to donate what they could. Now, more than 400 kids will find a gift under the tree. “She was able to help them and give the parents a peace of mind this Christmas and to warm their hearts,” Ciccarello said. “That’s just special.” Lourdes Forste with Catholic Charities told us Chandler answered their prayers. “That was what got us to where we could do everything this year,” Forste said. “Without that, we wouldn’t have enough. At the beginning, I was totally scared that we were not going to make it.” Chandler’s original goal was to buy bicycles for kids who wanted one, and we were told she was able to get a bike for every child who asked. A mom who spoke to us said she’s touched by what Chandler accomplished. “My kids will be receiving something for the first time from someone who helps families in need,” Isabel Romero said in Spanish before we translated to English.