CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County classrooms Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
State lawmakers want to hear your opinion on voting in Lee County Right now, everyone votes for or against all five of the Lee Commissioners, but they’re talking about changing the system so that each commissioner represents a specific part of the county.
FORT MYERS Migrants entering Florida under controversial parole program The House Committee on Homeland Security has released documents, which show a surge in migrants entering the United States through a parole program, sparking debate over immigration policies and border security.
North Collier firefighter beats cancer, educates others on safety He’s a father, son, friend and mentor, but for the last four years, he’s been in a battle for his life.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection to brother’s death in Cape Coral A man wanted for questioning in the death of his brother at his Cape Coral home has been arrested in Pennsylvania.
Candidates challenge Punta Gorda incumbents over land, building regulations A growing grassroots movement has united residents seeking to stem high density and restrict building heights, and three are challenging Punta Gorda City Council members who are up for reelection this year.
Hurricane season is one month away The outlook for the 2024 Hurricane Season is for it be active, potentially even hyperactive.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead after crash on SR 31 and Busbee Rd. in North Fort Myers At around noon Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a PT Cruiser and a car hauler collided on State Road 31 and Busbee Road, near the Lee/Charlotte County line.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting Lee County child A Florida man will spend the next 25 years in prison for molesting a child in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County classrooms Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
State lawmakers want to hear your opinion on voting in Lee County Right now, everyone votes for or against all five of the Lee Commissioners, but they’re talking about changing the system so that each commissioner represents a specific part of the county.
FORT MYERS Migrants entering Florida under controversial parole program The House Committee on Homeland Security has released documents, which show a surge in migrants entering the United States through a parole program, sparking debate over immigration policies and border security.
North Collier firefighter beats cancer, educates others on safety He’s a father, son, friend and mentor, but for the last four years, he’s been in a battle for his life.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection to brother’s death in Cape Coral A man wanted for questioning in the death of his brother at his Cape Coral home has been arrested in Pennsylvania.
Candidates challenge Punta Gorda incumbents over land, building regulations A growing grassroots movement has united residents seeking to stem high density and restrict building heights, and three are challenging Punta Gorda City Council members who are up for reelection this year.
Hurricane season is one month away The outlook for the 2024 Hurricane Season is for it be active, potentially even hyperactive.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead after crash on SR 31 and Busbee Rd. in North Fort Myers At around noon Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a PT Cruiser and a car hauler collided on State Road 31 and Busbee Road, near the Lee/Charlotte County line.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting Lee County child A Florida man will spend the next 25 years in prison for molesting a child in Lee County.
The United States Attorney’s Office has announced charges in a federal civil rights investigation of a Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy. U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg spoke during a press conference at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Fort Myers Monday afternoon. Watch full press conference below: Handberg revealed that his office is looking into allegations of police brutality caught on bodyworn camera of a deputy who pushed a handcuffed suspect so hard he fell and was knocked unconscious. “As captured on his body-worn camera, former deputy Williams placed the suspect in handcuffs and walked the man to the rear of his police vehicle to conduct a search,” Handberg explained. “Former deputy Williams’s supervisor was also on the scene, and the two had a conversation about the events leading to the suspect being placed in handcuffs.” Handberg said the suspect, who was handcuffed, attempted to interject himself into the conversation to speak to the now-former deputy. “In response to one of those times, former deputy Williams grabbed the man by the shoulders and threw him to the ground. Handcuffed, the victim was unable to brace himself for the fall,” Handberg said. “Former deputy Williams threw the man to the ground with sufficient force that he was rendered unconscious after his chin hit the asphalt.” Handberg then talked about the moments directly following what happened after former deputy Williams threw the victim to the ground. “As the body camera shows, former deputy Williams stood over the man as he lay motionless and yelled at him. Telling him that he was warned not to push against former deputy Williams,” said Handberg. A thorough investigation had been conducted by the FBI and the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, said the U.S. attorney. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office terminated Williams for multiple policy violations. While a federal grand jury was in Fort Myers last week, they returned a criminal indictment against the former deputy. “Charging him with two counts: one count, which is a civil rights violation, and a second count, which is a count for obstructing justice by falsifying a police report,” said Handberg. “He is facing up to 30 years in federal prison.” Hendry Sheriff Steve Whidden also spoke at the conference and noted that the department has been using body cameras for several years now. He also said that what he saw in the footage disturbed him. “I tell you what, when I watched the body camera, I was shocked,” he said, “and I was appalled.” Williams’ personnel file shows he has a checkered past in southwest Florida law enforcement. The file reveals Williams worked for the Fort Myers Police Department from 2016 to 2021. Williams was initially terminated from FMPD back in 2020, after failing to report when he found drugs, needles and a sleeping girl in the back of a vehicle when making a stop in January 2020. Less than a month later, the girl was killed when her mother blacked out behind the wheel while high. After FMPD’s union fought on his behalf, Williams’ charges were sustained but he was allowed to keep his job. He later resigned en lieu of termination. Williams’ time in Fort Myers is addressed in his personnel file with Hendry County. When asked his reason for leaving FMPD, Williams writes “irreconcilable differences.” On the next page of his application, when asked if he had ever resigned or left a job following misconduct or unsatisfactory performance, Williams wrote: “resigned from FMPD after many internal affairs investigations were [illegible] over a period of time to hold me back from career advancement.”