Redeveloping plan to modify East Fort MyersDunbar High School works to beat the heat during spring practice
EAST FORT MYERS Redeveloping plan to modify East Fort Myers Southwest Florida is often called paradise, but some areas like East Fort Myers don’t live up to that. Now, the city is looking to change that.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High School works to beat the heat during spring practice Spring practice is heating up in more ways than one. High school teams are braving the elements right now.
Collier County Escaping an abusive partner – the ins and outs of injunctions for protection Survivors of domestic violence often seek an injunction, but for some, it may not be the best option to get out of a bad situation.
ESTERO Gulfshore Business honors 10 women for their contributions to business and Southwest Florida Lois Thome emceed a Gulfshore Business luncheon Thursday recognizing 10 local women for their contributions to SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES North Naples golf pro will have his sister caddy at PGA Championship Evan Bowser, the first assistant golf pro at LaPlaya Golf Club, will have his sister Elayna caddy for him at PGA Championship.
Person airlifted after crash on SR-31 near Bermont Road At least two people are hurt in another wreck on the roads on State Road 31 in Charlotte County.
Palm Beach Blvd. crash caused massive backups Two lanes are closed on Palm Beach Boulevard because of a crash near Orange River Boulevard.
Getting people back into their homes after storms For months, parts of our community have been involved in a back and forth with FEMA over the 25% flood insurance discount.
Lehigh Acres State Road 82: A road marked by tragedy and a plea for safety improvements State Road 82, specifically the stretch between Interstate 75 and Immokalee Road, is not just a highway; it’s a place marked by tragedy and danger.
Mixing meds can make a dangerous cocktail One thing doctors have to consider when prescribing meds is whether they will interact with any drugs the patient is currently taking.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on camera: thieves end dream of new family home in Lehigh Acres Thieves in the night destroyed a family’s dream of building a new home, and their acts were caught on camera.
PORT CHARLOTTE HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber, an independent, high-speed fiber-optic internet service, will be available to more than 31,000 homes in Port Charlotte, said the company’s president and CEO, Dan Kennedy.
FORT MYERS What changes do you want to see on Cleveland Avenue? A drive down Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers is a reminder of what used to be for many. Whether it’s the abandoned doctor’s offices, shopping plaza units or the old Sears; there’s room for improvement.
HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber has collaborated with Charlotte County’s engineering division, and the first Port Charlotte customers began to receive HyperFiber’s connection at the end of April.
FORT MYERS Cocaine found after K-9 ‘free-air sniff’ in Fort Myers Police arrested a man accused of trafficking more than 30 ounces of cocaine, after getting help from man’s best friend during a traffic stop.
EAST FORT MYERS Redeveloping plan to modify East Fort Myers Southwest Florida is often called paradise, but some areas like East Fort Myers don’t live up to that. Now, the city is looking to change that.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High School works to beat the heat during spring practice Spring practice is heating up in more ways than one. High school teams are braving the elements right now.
Collier County Escaping an abusive partner – the ins and outs of injunctions for protection Survivors of domestic violence often seek an injunction, but for some, it may not be the best option to get out of a bad situation.
ESTERO Gulfshore Business honors 10 women for their contributions to business and Southwest Florida Lois Thome emceed a Gulfshore Business luncheon Thursday recognizing 10 local women for their contributions to SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES North Naples golf pro will have his sister caddy at PGA Championship Evan Bowser, the first assistant golf pro at LaPlaya Golf Club, will have his sister Elayna caddy for him at PGA Championship.
Person airlifted after crash on SR-31 near Bermont Road At least two people are hurt in another wreck on the roads on State Road 31 in Charlotte County.
Palm Beach Blvd. crash caused massive backups Two lanes are closed on Palm Beach Boulevard because of a crash near Orange River Boulevard.
Getting people back into their homes after storms For months, parts of our community have been involved in a back and forth with FEMA over the 25% flood insurance discount.
Lehigh Acres State Road 82: A road marked by tragedy and a plea for safety improvements State Road 82, specifically the stretch between Interstate 75 and Immokalee Road, is not just a highway; it’s a place marked by tragedy and danger.
Mixing meds can make a dangerous cocktail One thing doctors have to consider when prescribing meds is whether they will interact with any drugs the patient is currently taking.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on camera: thieves end dream of new family home in Lehigh Acres Thieves in the night destroyed a family’s dream of building a new home, and their acts were caught on camera.
PORT CHARLOTTE HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber, an independent, high-speed fiber-optic internet service, will be available to more than 31,000 homes in Port Charlotte, said the company’s president and CEO, Dan Kennedy.
FORT MYERS What changes do you want to see on Cleveland Avenue? A drive down Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers is a reminder of what used to be for many. Whether it’s the abandoned doctor’s offices, shopping plaza units or the old Sears; there’s room for improvement.
HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber has collaborated with Charlotte County’s engineering division, and the first Port Charlotte customers began to receive HyperFiber’s connection at the end of April.
FORT MYERS Cocaine found after K-9 ‘free-air sniff’ in Fort Myers Police arrested a man accused of trafficking more than 30 ounces of cocaine, after getting help from man’s best friend during a traffic stop.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Capping their history-making week, the first female soldiers to complete the Army’s rigorous Ranger School are graduating Friday, putting a spotlight on the debate over opening all combat roles to women. First Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, are pinning on the black-and-gold Ranger tab at a graduation ceremony, along with 94 male soldiers, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the women Thursday to congratulate them for finishing the nine-week training program. Their success casts new attention on the obstacles that remain to women who aspire to join all-male combat units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment. Although Haver and Griest are now Ranger-qualified, no women are eligible for the elite regiment, although officials say it is among special operations units likely to eventually be opened to women. Griest, 26, is a military police officer and has served one tour in Afghanistan. Haver, 25, is a pilot of Apache helicopters. Both are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Of 19 women who began the Ranger course, Haver and Griest are the only two to finish so far; one is repeating a prior phase of training in hopes of graduating soon. The Army opened Ranger School to female soldiers for the first time this year as service leaders weighed opening more combat jobs to women. How far the military is willing to go toward ending gender restrictions will be evident soon. Carter said Thursday he will decide by December whether to accept any recommended exceptions to an order, signed by one of his predecessors, Leon Panetta, nearly three years ago that said all positions must be open to qualified women unless service leaders can justify keeping any closed. Any recommended exceptions are due to Carter in October. Griest told reporters Thursday she hopes her success shows that women “can deal with the same stresses and training that men can.” Some current and former military members feel strongly that the Pentagon is going too far to accommodate women. James Lechner, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and former Ranger, said he questions whether the Ranger course adequately tested the female candidates under combat-simulated conditions and whether it makes sense to open all combat units to women. “American women certainly serve with honor and distinction, provide some capabilities that males may not be able to provide,” Lechner said in a telephone interview. “But when you talk about your fighting units, your combat arms units, especially the infantry, … you don’t need to just have the minimum standards. You need to have as good as you possibly can get.” Janine Davidson, a defense policy analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Air Force cargo plane pilot, said the success of Griest and Haver and the prospect of the Army fully integrating women into its ground combat force is “policy catching up with reality,” given the extensive combat experience women had in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also reflects generational change, she said, which she has heard in conversations with high school students. “They actually are shocked when they learn that women aren’t already doing this kind of stuff – the idea that they themselves would not be allowed to do it,” Davidson told reporters Tuesday. Rangers call themselves “masters of special light infantry operations” such as seizing key terrain and infiltrating hostile territory by land, sea or air. They are an arm of Army Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. The Ranger School, which began during the Korean War as the “Ranger Training Command,” fails most who enter. For the period between 2010 and 2014, 58 percent of candidates washed out – most of those within the first four days, a phase that includes tests of physical stamina, a land navigation course, and a 12-mile foot march, according to the Ranger training website. Ranger history pre-dates to the Revolutionary War and includes prominent roles in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. In the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, Rangers famously scaled the sheer cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc overlooking Omaha Beach.