Emma Rodriguez

The night of June 1, Cape Coral native Michael White was brutally assaulted at University Village not far from FGCU in south Lee County. While waiting outside for an Uber, White said that a group of people in a vehicle began shouting homophobic slurs at him. He ignored it, but the driver exited the car, and began the assault. White's injuries were significant — a broken nose, a brain bleed, and multiple facial fractures. The assailant has not yet been identified.

Governor Ron DeSantis visited Southwest Florida Tuesday to share information about hurricane season and to provide funds for future possible disaster relief efforts.

Since 1950, the National Council on Aging — NCOA — has aimed to connect older Americans with free benefits and assistance. Currently, its focus is on helping people enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicare Savings Program, and financial heating and cooling assistance.

The Wonder Gardens and the City of Bonita Springs have solidified a 10-year partnership. The agreement will require the Wonder Gardens to pay $50,000 a year in rent, and give the City at least $3 million over the 10-year period.Neil Anderson, the CEO of the Wonder Gardens, believes it’s the beginning of a new period of growth for both parties.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a crash happens every 44 seconds in the state. With April being Distracted Driving Awareness month, Southwest Florida is becoming more aware of its crash and accident fatality problem. The area has already had 94 deaths between Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, Glades, and Hendry counties since Jan. 1.

In the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict, a group of FGCU students has taken a stand to support the people of Gaza. FGCU For Palestine was founded last October following the thousands of Palestinian deaths after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel’s Gaza settlements that killed over a thousand Israelis and took hundreds hostage.It started when a member of the Biden administration doubted the Palestinian death count released by the Gaza Ministry of Health. A few people started reading the names of the killed Palestinians on FGCU’s library lawn, but the death toll became too large to share every casualty.

There’s always a demand for good spirits and beer in southwest Florida. Punta Gorda native Keith Towles and his wife Mashelle have taken that demand and pushed their passion for craft beer and visiting breweries to the next level by opening a Voodoo Brewing Co. location close to home.The franchise had its grand opening Saturday.

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension is offering online workshops to teach the basics of planning, implementing and building a farm operation for newcomers venturing into agriculture. Instructors will deliver the workshops in English and Spanish.

FEMA opened applications for its Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program last week.The SAFER grant helps fire departments pay their firefighters in order to maintain industry standard staffing 24 hours a day. It offers $360 million directly to fire departments across the nation, and can be used only to pay personnel.Grants are awarded based on an organization’s financial need. Bayshore Fire Rescue, which mostly serves Northeast Lee County, has been a long-time recipient.

The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance has opened applications to live in a new affordable apartment building in Immokalee.The application window runs through March 7. Applications are available for pickup and submission at the B-Hive Flower Shop in Immokalee.