Low canals and dried-up wells: Why does Cape Coral keep building?Woman sees potentially suspicious charge on her account after parking at Fort Myers Beach
Miracle Moment: Kinsley Vitiello Three-year-old Kinsley Vitiello loves to play dolls and dance her heart out with her big sister Aubrey.
CAPE CORAL Low canals and dried-up wells: Why does Cape Coral keep building? In a city with more canals than Venice, Waterfront living isn’t hard to find.
FORT MYERS BEACH Woman sees potentially suspicious charge on her account after parking at Fort Myers Beach Jennifer parked in the parking lot across from Lynn Hall Memorial Park, paid with a QR code and went to visit friends for lunch.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers DL balancing spring practice and shot put regionals North Fort Myers defensive lineman James Johnson is balancing spring football practice and going for a regional title in the shot put.
IMMOKALEE Training day for Folds of Honor donors and special guests On Wednesday, high-ranking veterans of the navy seals and other special operations conducted six different training scenarios.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Non-profit makes teddy bears for families of fallen officers Having a loved one in law enforcement means there is always a fear that they may not come home.
CAPE CORAL People fighting to lower the cost of playing pickleball in Cape Coral The price of playing on these courts is putting people in a pickle. The Lake Kennedy Racquet Center has yet to open, but there are a lot of concerns.
NORTH FORT MYERS Parents say their children are still waiting for winnings after Lee County takes over SWFL AG Expo Children in the 4-H program who raise animals say they’re still waiting to receive the money they won in early March.
Southwest Florida Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 8, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 8, 2024.
San Carlos Park Man at center of WINK News investigation now charged with drugging, molesting child After a years long WINK investigation, Dwayne Staron was arrested and convicted of grand theft. Now he and his wife, Theresa Staron, are both behind bars.
FORT MYERS Police: Man caught at Clemente Park with AR pistol, ski mask and black latex gloves A 19-year-old man has been arrested after officers found an AR pistol, all-black clothing, a ski mask and black latex gloves in his backpack.
PUNTA GORDA FHP investigating hit-and-run with injuries after crash at mm 170 on I-75 Authorities are investigating a hit-and-run crash with injuries on Interstate 75 southbound at mile marker 170 in Punta Gorda.
ALVA Department of Health warns of blue-green algae in Alva canal If you live on Sebastian Court along the canal in Alva, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County wants you to remain cautious. A blue-green algae bloom has been spotted there.
SAN CARLOS PARK Couple accused of drugging and molesting girl make court appearance A San Carlos Park couple accused of drugging and molesting a girl while covering it up for two years appeared in court.
FORT MYERS Lee County Schools receives over $2M in Juul settlement The Lee County School District has received over $2 million in a settlement with Juul, and now, it’s putting that money to use.
Miracle Moment: Kinsley Vitiello Three-year-old Kinsley Vitiello loves to play dolls and dance her heart out with her big sister Aubrey.
CAPE CORAL Low canals and dried-up wells: Why does Cape Coral keep building? In a city with more canals than Venice, Waterfront living isn’t hard to find.
FORT MYERS BEACH Woman sees potentially suspicious charge on her account after parking at Fort Myers Beach Jennifer parked in the parking lot across from Lynn Hall Memorial Park, paid with a QR code and went to visit friends for lunch.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers DL balancing spring practice and shot put regionals North Fort Myers defensive lineman James Johnson is balancing spring football practice and going for a regional title in the shot put.
IMMOKALEE Training day for Folds of Honor donors and special guests On Wednesday, high-ranking veterans of the navy seals and other special operations conducted six different training scenarios.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Non-profit makes teddy bears for families of fallen officers Having a loved one in law enforcement means there is always a fear that they may not come home.
CAPE CORAL People fighting to lower the cost of playing pickleball in Cape Coral The price of playing on these courts is putting people in a pickle. The Lake Kennedy Racquet Center has yet to open, but there are a lot of concerns.
NORTH FORT MYERS Parents say their children are still waiting for winnings after Lee County takes over SWFL AG Expo Children in the 4-H program who raise animals say they’re still waiting to receive the money they won in early March.
Southwest Florida Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 8, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 8, 2024.
San Carlos Park Man at center of WINK News investigation now charged with drugging, molesting child After a years long WINK investigation, Dwayne Staron was arrested and convicted of grand theft. Now he and his wife, Theresa Staron, are both behind bars.
FORT MYERS Police: Man caught at Clemente Park with AR pistol, ski mask and black latex gloves A 19-year-old man has been arrested after officers found an AR pistol, all-black clothing, a ski mask and black latex gloves in his backpack.
PUNTA GORDA FHP investigating hit-and-run with injuries after crash at mm 170 on I-75 Authorities are investigating a hit-and-run crash with injuries on Interstate 75 southbound at mile marker 170 in Punta Gorda.
ALVA Department of Health warns of blue-green algae in Alva canal If you live on Sebastian Court along the canal in Alva, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County wants you to remain cautious. A blue-green algae bloom has been spotted there.
SAN CARLOS PARK Couple accused of drugging and molesting girl make court appearance A San Carlos Park couple accused of drugging and molesting a girl while covering it up for two years appeared in court.
FORT MYERS Lee County Schools receives over $2M in Juul settlement The Lee County School District has received over $2 million in a settlement with Juul, and now, it’s putting that money to use.
FILE – Vice President Joe Biden whispers “This is a big f—— deal,” to President Barack Obama after introducing Obama during the health care bill ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 23, 2010. Obama returns to the White House on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, for a moment he can savor: His signature Affordable Care Act is now part of the fabric of the American health care system and President Joe Biden is looking to extend its reach. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) With hugs, laughs and good-natured ribbing, Barack Obama on Tuesday returned to the White House for the first time in more than five years to savor the 12th anniversary of his signature health care law and give a boost to President Joe Biden’s efforts to expand it. The Affordable Care Act has survived repeated repeal attempts by Republicans. Biden, who was Obama’s No. 2 when “Obamacare” became law in March 2010, wants to extend the law’s reach to even more than the current millions. He gave all the credit for the original law to the former president. “It’s because of you,” Biden said after good-naturedly introducing himself as Obama’s vice president. Biden said the law “shows hope leads to change,” a play on Obama’s “hope and change” campaign slogan. Obama was last at the White House on Jan. 20, 2017, when he left to escort Donald Trump, the successor bent on overturning the law, to the Capitol to be inaugurated. You can watch a replay of the Biden and Obama press conference in the player below, or by clicking here. “It’s good to be back in the White House. It’s been awhile,” he said after Vice President Kamala Harris introduced him in the East Room. Obama opened by referring to Biden as “vice president” before acknowledging that was a “set up” joke and embracing his former No. 2. Obama said he and Biden accomplished “a lot” in their eight years but “nothing made me prouder than providing better health care and more protections to millions of people across this country.” “The ACA was an example of why you run for office in the first place,” Obama said, calling it the “high point of my time here.” Biden called the Affordable Care Act the most consequential legislation since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965, and insisted it must be expanded to more people. “We can do this. We should do this. We have to do this,” Biden said. He said the law has been called a lot of things, “but Obamacare is the most fitting.” Biden and Obama marked the 12th anniversary of the law, which back in 2010 the then-vice president had memorably whispered to Obama was a “big (expletive) deal” — words captured on an open microphone. At Tuesday’s event, Biden signed an executive order to close a “family glitch” in implementation of the 2010 law that his administration believes will help 200,000 more people gain affordable coverage. Before signing the order, Biden jokingly warned Obama. “Let me remind you, it’s a hot mic.” Obama warmed up the crowd with a few dead-pan jokes about how things around the White House had changed under Biden, leaning into the current occupant’s affinity for sunglasses and ice cream and his taste in pets. He quipped that Secret Service agents now have to wear aviator sunglasses, the White House mess has been replaced by a Baskin-Robbins and “there’s a cat running around.” “I guarantee you Bo and Sunny would have been very unhappy about it,” Obama added, referencing the his family’s dogs. As for “Obamacare,” the law’s staying power has been enhanced by three Supreme Court victories and the late Sen. John McCain’s emphatic thumbs-down vote that took the wind out of then-President Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace it. The law was such a bugaboo in 2010 that Democrats rarely invoked it as they went into a midterm election that turned out to be, in Obama’s own words, a “shellacking.” Now, Democrats are hoping the political equation will work to their advantage, and that a focus on shoring up the law can help them avoid a debacle at the polls this November. Harris, in her remarks, called on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and to make permanent subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that were included in Biden’s pandemic relief bill. Harris also called out 12 states that have not expanded eligibility for Medicaid. Obama referred to the health care law as a “starter home” that Americans can build upon, gradually reducing the 9% share of the population that remains uninsured. The rate was nearly 15% in 2013, before the coverage provisions of the law took effect. Between the health law’s Medicaid expansion and its health insurance markets, more than 30 million people are now estimated to be getting coverage. Biden opened up the health insurance markets to anyone seeking coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his coronavirus relief bill provided a significant, though temporary, increase in financial assistance. The result was a record 14.5 million people signing up for subsidized private coverage. People tripped up by the “family glitch” are dependents of workers who have an offer of employer coverage that the government interprets as being affordable. As a rule, people with affordable employer coverage are not eligible for taxpayer-subsidized ACA plans. But the issue with the current interpretation is that affordability is determined by the cost for employee-only coverage, and not more expensive family policies. Workers able to afford their own share may not be able to cover premiums for the entire family. So the family is cut out of ACA coverage. A Biden administration regulation addressing the issue recently cleared White House review. The intent of the original policy was to prevent people with employer coverage from going into the health law’s subsidized markets, but advocates say it has proven too restrictive. There are more fundamental issues for the two presidents to consider as well, both policy-wise and politically. Unless Democrats in Congress finally coalesce around a version of Biden’s social legislation, his enhanced financial assistance for millions purchasing ACA plans will expire at the end of this year. A return to higher premiums would likely trigger an increase in the number of uninsured people, a problem for them and a political embarrassment for Democrats committed to expanding coverage. The Biden legislation, which passed the House but sputtered in the Senate, also includes a mechanism for providing coverage to as many as 4 million uninsured low-income adults in states that have refused the health law’s Medicaid expansion. It would deliver on Biden’s campaign promise to build on existing government programs to move the U.S. closer to coverage for all.