Mike Walcher

The School District of Lee County released the first look at the preliminary designs for a renovated and remodeled Bonita Springs Elementary School on Friday. The project is scheduled to start in summer 2025 and finish before the start of school in August 2027.

Bonita Springs is supporting the Rails to Trails project, but not asking for millions of dollars from the state. At least not for now.The Bonita Springs City Council voted Wednesday night to let state law-makers know: The Bonita-Estero Rail Trail, or "BERT", is a priority.

Innocent Lives Foundation, ILF, recently held a fundraiser in Punta Gorda. The non-profit group hires experts to scour the internet, looking for child predators.

The Collaboratory in Fort Myers is receiving about $19.3 million to better prepare for future disasters, like Hurricane Ian. Much of the money from the Environmental Protection Agency will pay for four hubs to keep supplies and resources for victims of future disasters.

Big companies are snapping up land along the I-75 corridor, bringing a type of boomtown to Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties. Local leaders believe higher-paying jobs are coming to the area, easing the past dependence on tourism to drive the economy.

Hopewell Holdings LLC of Hong Kong said it is not the entity, nor the owner of a subsidiary, that recently bought the Sears site at Edison Mall in Fort Myers.

A company headquartered in Hong Kong has bought a piece of property at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers. That property includes the closed Sears store, which used to be a popular shopping spot. A Fort Myers council member said the Sears may be torn down to make way for multi-family housing.

Use of technology and growing more on less land are major keys to survival for the Florida agriculture industry.

A Southwest Florida rancher is getting a high honor: he's going into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. "When I got the call, it was extremely humbling," Jim Strickland said.

A change is coming to Bonita Springs city government. Mike Gibson won Tuesday's election as mayor, and is expected to take office in a couple of weeks.