Michael Braun

Protests in Naples and Fort Myers collected around 2,000 people and a similar number gathered elsewhere in Southwest Florida to make their feelings known about the current political situation in Washington, D.C.

Most of the fireworks used for celebrating holidays such as the Fourth of July are made in China and subject to the 145 percent tariff on Chinese products levied by the Trump administration.Bruce Zoldan, president of Phantom Fireworks, one of the largest fireworks companies in the United States and based in Youngstown, Ohio, says that increased cost likely won't have an impact on celebrating the Fourth — this year.

A water shortage in Cape Coral and Lee County. Parched soil and worsening drought throughout Southwest Florida. Wildfires are expected next, and not small ones.The restrictions were put into place to protect the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer and drinking water supply in that area. The area affected is bound by NE Pine Island Road on the south, Neilson Road N on the west, NE 24th Avenue and Garden Boulevard on the east and the Gator Slough Canal on the north.

A local educator who received a swastika armband anonymously in the mail said he was "absolutely disgusted" by the item and, at first thought to toss it in the trash.Don Dunn, an eighth-grade teacher at Bonita Springs Charter, received the armband with a note that said, “You’ve been selected to join our exclusive group.” "I will tell you that I was absolutely disgusted when I opened it," Dunn said. "Hated the fact that my children were present. In the beginning, I just thought maybe I should throw this away and not say anything. But I thought about it, and to me, that would be maybe responding with fear, and I didn't want to do that."

In alignment with its mission of saving lives, the Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has partnered with SunCoast Blood Centers to implement a groundbreaking prehospital whole blood transfusion program. This initiative aims to provide life-saving blood transfusions to patients suffering from severe bleeding or traumatic injuries before they arrive at the hospital.

The normal rumble and hiss of big yellow school buses has fallen silent in Glades County for a good and environmentally sound reason — a new fleet of zero-emission, electric vehicles has been pressed into service.On Thursday, the Glades County School District celebrated the arrival of 13 new electric school buses, which replaced over half of the district's aging diesel fleet. The state-of-the-art buses offer students a cleaner, healthier transportation option and, for the first time, provide air-conditioned rides to the majority of district students.

The death of both eaglets at the North Fort Myers nest along Bayshore Drive is being linked to H5N1 avian flu, an investigation by the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has found.The eaglets, designated E24 and E25, started having seizures over the past few days. E24 died in the nest and E25 fell from the nest. Both remains were recovered by CROW.The avian flu diagnosis was announced at a press conference called by CROW officials Thursday morning to discuss the deaths.

A lawsuit against five people who allegedly violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fort Myers in 2022 will be dropped, lawyers representing the anti-abortion protestors confirmed Friday.Three of the five are among 23 convicted anti-abortion proponents who were pardoned by President Donald Trump Thursday.The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE ACT, prohibits using force, threats of force or physical obstruction against any person because they are seeking or providing reproductive health services.On Friday, President Trump issued an order for the Department of Justice limiting enforcement of the FACE Act. The order means those FACE Act prosecutions still on the legal docket — such as the Fort Myers case — will be dismissed.

Saldrone's award is part of a federal and state initiative to support infrastructure, habitat mapping, restoration projects, resource management, emergency response, and coastal resiliency and hazard studies. At 2,170 kilometers long, Florida’s coastline is second only to Alaska among U.S. states. Many parts of the Florida coast remain not surveyed, with existing nautical charts relying on outdated and low-resolution data.

Florida Power & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative are preparing for widespread outages as Milton comes closer to the west coast.FPL Spokesperson Mike Mazur (Mazer) says that the company is equipped for the large number of outages with a workforce of around 17,000 on standby.