Bigger bottles of wine hitting the shelves after DeSantis signs new billTwo 10-year-olds accused of exchanging gun for money on school grounds
FORT MYERS Unvaccinated kids entering schools in Southwest Florida at four-year high According to Florida Department of Health immunization data, 319 Kindergarten students cited a religious exemption for common childhood vaccines in Southwest Florida for the 2018/2019 school year. Children are required to be vaccinated against polio; measles, mumps and rubella; Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough; chickenpox; hepatitis B; and haemophilus influenzae type b unless they cite […]
SOUTH FORT MYERS Health, recovery focus of Congressman Rooney’s private meeting on algae Representative Francis Rooney is hosting a roundtable of federal, state and local leaders to discuss harmful algal blooms at Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday. Representatives from the CDC, EPA and NOAA will attend the event, which is not open to the public or press. “I am encouraged that these key agency officials are coming […]
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida fights for inclusion in closed-door water quality roundtable The federal government needs to catch up in helping Florida manage water and prevent harmful algal blooms. That’s the message Congressman Francis Rooney delivered on Capitol Hill this week. As he asks for billions of dollars in federal support, he’s catching flack back in his district for keeping the public out of an important roundtable […]
WINK NEWS Officials schedule private meeting for SWFL water crisis Federal, state and local legislators are coming together in Southwest Florida to fight the water crisis, but you’re not invited. Congressman Francis Rooney is hosting a roundtable discussion at Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday. Among the attendees: scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and the NOAA’s National Central for Coast Ocean Science, the […]
FORT MYERS Secret investigation into FMPD costs taxpayers at least $360K A federal investigation into the Fort Myers Police Department began after the City of Fort Myers hired the Freeh Group International Solutions to look for problems within the department. In early 2017, the Freeh Group released an audit report that included a recommendation to have an outside agency investigate potential misconduct at the police department. […]
FORT MYERS FDLE says no criminal investigation into Sheriff Marceno in paternity suit There will be no criminal investigation into the Lee County Sheriff over allegations he threatened the mother of his unborn child. Deanna Williams claims Sheriff Carmine Marceno threatened her if she wouldn’t have an abortion. After the suit was filed in November, we asked Williams if Marceno flat-out asked her to have an abortion. She […]
LOXAHATCHEE Natural cure to water quality crisis comes with uphill battle Driving through one of Florida’s man-made wetlands doesn’t feel like a man-made experience at all. It feels like a day in the Everglades, with similar plant and wildlife and tourists and recreation seekers from all over the world. The wetlands are known as stormwater treatment areas, or STAs, clean phosphorous out of water coming out […]
Roundup ruling gives promise to Southwest Florida plaintiffs A California jury unanimously ruled in favor of a 70-year old man suing the makers of the popular weed-killer, Roundup. Monsanto, which is owned by Bayer, is facing 11-thousand lawsuits around the country from people who claim the product caused or contributed to their non-Hodkins Lymphoma. Jeff Joffe, a dentist from Charlotte County, is among […]
FORT MYERS 2 Fort Myers police collected salary on leave since 2017 UPDATE: Fort Myers city manager Saed Kazemi sent a letter to the US Attorney in Tampa asking for information related to their ongoing investigation into the officers on leave. Read the letter. Since February 2017, Officer Jason Jackson and Captain Melvin Perry have been on paid administrative leave. Jackson and Perry were two of four […]
FORT MYERS Bruno insider describes sales tactics A former employee of Bruno Total Home Performance said the company trained air conditioning technicians to sell product whether or not the customer needed it. The company is under criminal and civil investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s office. “They don’t teach you to work on air conditioning systems and how to repair them, they […]