FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herselfSurrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
FILE: FedEx truck makes a delivery. (Credit: CBS News/FILE) FedEx and Amazon just went through a very public divorce. But that’s not the biggest problem for the iconic delivery company. The problem for FedEx and other delivery services is that the consumers who are making more online purchases expect to receive their items quicker than ever. And they’re generally not willing to pay for it. The Amazon business that FedEx recently lost was some of the least profitable business the company handles. Because of its free delivery policy for Prime members, Amazon demands very low-priced delivery service from carriers who want to get a piece of its massive and ever-growing volume of shipments. In fact, Amazon has never accounted for a large enough share of FedEx’s revenue to be listed as one of its major customers. And analysts believe Amazon depends far more on other services, including the US Postal Service and UPS. As it moves away from Amazon, FedEx is ramping up its residential delivery service, adding weekend delivery — an expensive change to make while losing such a high volume customer. But with the Postal Service now making Sunday deliveries, FedEx had to respond in kind, said Helane Becker, transportation analyst at Cowen. “When I started following FedEx 30 years ago, it was definitely the disruptor. Now they’re being disrupted,” she said. FedEx stopped carrying Amazon shipments as part of its express business in June, and Amazon ended its contract with FedEx Ground in August. FedEx Ground is the company’s lower priced service, which delivers to homes and businesses. Earlier this month, Amazon told its third-party sellers to stop using FedEx Ground for their Amazon Prime shipments, saying it was concerned about reliability. Other analysts aren’t sure FedEx’s new business model will be a good one. Getting packages delivered to homes is expensive, especially when online shoppers have come to expect the delivery at little or no cost. Seven analysts have downgraded their recommendations on FedEx stock in the last three months. Adding to analyst concerns are the steps Amazon has taken in recent years to start its own delivery service, buying vans and contracting with drivers directly to make deliveries, rather than giving packages to FedEx or other carriers. “The structural headwinds on eCommerce are starting to blow even harder,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Shanker, who has a neutral rating on FedEx stock but a cautious view on investments in the sector. “If Amazon does launch a full third-party delivery service, like we expect, then [pricing] and competitive pressures will be even more significant.” FedEx officials insist they will see a turnaround by the spring as the company benefits from investments it made in its seven-day service. But they were brutally honest about the company’s most recent results when talking to analysts Tuesday. CFO Alan Graf, described the drop in profits at FedEx as “horrific.” While Graf said FedEx fell short on some of the higher priced, heavier commercial shipments it had been expecting in the quarter, Fred Smith, the company’s founder and CEO, said customer response for FedEx’s weekend service is even better than expected. It handled 14 million packages just this last weekend. And even with the loss of the Amazon business in August, FedEx Ground revenue was up $173 million, or 3%, compared to a year ago. But Smith admitted they had underestimated the cost of expanding the service. “Starting up to six- and seven-day network was very expensive for us,” he said. “Clearly, we didn’t do the greatest job of forecasting our cost.” Becker, who has a buy recommendation on FedEx shares, believes the company can adjust and make a profit on the growing level of online purchases. She said it has responded to these kinds of changes in the past. “They started as an overnight letter company. But even before there was email, Fred correctly surmised that fax would overtake the overnight letter,” she said. “You have to admire the tenacity with which he’s continued to stay ahead of the curve.”