Michael Braun

Wildlife on Sanibel now have a few more acres to romp around on safely thanks to the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge.The Society recently closed on a 21.5-acre parcel of land adjacent to Bay Drive thanks to a donation from the family Pine Rock Foundation of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The land will become part of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Summer, for many people, brings sun and fun ... for others though, it brings hunger.Nearly 178,000 people in Southwest Florida faced food insecurity in 2022 and nearly 41,000 of those were children, according to the most recent data available from Feeding America. Those numbers are up from the previous year and are expected to keep rising as the Southwest Florida population grows.In an effort to mitigate those statistics, GL Homes, one of Florida’s largest homebuilders, recently kicked off its 2024 “Summer of Service” with a “Pack the Pantry” event in support of the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

The annual observation at the Coral Ridge Funeral Home in Cape Coral includes many from all branches of the U.S. military.

Equal Ground is a Black-led community organization that monitors the Florida legislature and advocates for the Black community.

Christopher Bernier, who resigned in April ahead of the end of his tenure as Lee County school superintendent, has been named superintendent of Duval County schools.

The pain of recent periodic closures on the Caloosahatchee River Bridge due to a construction project is expected to be mitigated by a 10-week total shutdown of the U.S. 41 span that will begin May 31.

The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team sharpened skills this week in anticipation of the Eagles' regional World Series game Friday against the fourth-ranked University of Florida Gators.That game is scheduled at noon in Gainesville.Eagles coach David Deiros said the team's plan from Day One was plotted out — win-it-all.

Former Lee County School superintendent Christopher Bernier is one of two finalists to be Duval County school superintendent.The Jacksonville Florida Times-Union reported Tuesday that Bernier and another finalist would visit Jacksonville next week for job interviews and meetings with school staff and the public.

A 60-day demo and rebuild project by Lee Builders Care and Stevens Construction was in response to issues the Fort Myers family of Myrtle Dillard family faced; Myrtle Dillard was caring for her daughter and twin granddaughters, she also had health concerns and her husband, Joseph, had recently died.On the home issue, the forest green old house not only required extensive repairs, but also lacked necessary accessibility features, posing serious safety risks for Dillard, who relies on wheelchair access.On Tuesday, they not only got a new home, but a healthy does of hope to go with it.

Nearly 64 years after construction began on what was then described as "Negro housing," the low-income dwellings at Southward Village in Fort Myers' Dunbar neighborhood were demolished this week.On Wednesday morning, the workers began taking down the squat, light tropical-colored buildings. Information from the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers described the project as "a major step of progression for the Greater Dunbar Initiative."