Collier County JROTC instructor fired for alleged sexual misconductRedeveloping plan to modify East Fort Myers
NAPLES Collier County JROTC instructor fired for alleged sexual misconduct A teenage girl claims her JROTC instructor made sexual comments, touched her, asked her on a date and told her to keep her mouth shut.
EAST FORT MYERS Redeveloping plan to modify East Fort Myers Southwest Florida is often called paradise, but some areas like East Fort Myers don’t live up to that. Now, the city is looking to change that.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High School works to beat the heat during spring practice Spring practice is heating up in more ways than one. High school teams are braving the elements right now.
Collier County Escaping an abusive partner – the ins and outs of injunctions for protection Survivors of domestic violence often seek an injunction, but for some, it may not be the best option to get out of a bad situation.
ESTERO Gulfshore Business honors 10 women for their contributions to business and Southwest Florida Lois Thome emceed a Gulfshore Business luncheon Thursday recognizing 10 local women for their contributions to SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES North Naples golf pro will have his sister caddy at PGA Championship Evan Bowser, the first assistant golf pro at LaPlaya Golf Club, will have his sister Elayna caddy for him at PGA Championship.
Person airlifted after crash on SR-31 near Bermont Road At least two people are hurt in another wreck on the roads on State Road 31 in Charlotte County.
Palm Beach Blvd. crash caused massive backups Two lanes are closed on Palm Beach Boulevard because of a crash near Orange River Boulevard.
Getting people back into their homes after storms For months, parts of our community have been involved in a back and forth with FEMA over the 25% flood insurance discount.
Lehigh Acres State Road 82: A road marked by tragedy and a plea for safety improvements State Road 82, specifically the stretch between Interstate 75 and Immokalee Road, is not just a highway; it’s a place marked by tragedy and danger.
Mixing meds can make a dangerous cocktail One thing doctors have to consider when prescribing meds is whether they will interact with any drugs the patient is currently taking.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on camera: thieves end dream of new family home in Lehigh Acres Thieves in the night destroyed a family’s dream of building a new home, and their acts were caught on camera.
PORT CHARLOTTE HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber, an independent, high-speed fiber-optic internet service, will be available to more than 31,000 homes in Port Charlotte, said the company’s president and CEO, Dan Kennedy.
FORT MYERS What changes do you want to see on Cleveland Avenue? A drive down Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers is a reminder of what used to be for many. Whether it’s the abandoned doctor’s offices, shopping plaza units or the old Sears; there’s room for improvement.
HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber has collaborated with Charlotte County’s engineering division, and the first Port Charlotte customers began to receive HyperFiber’s connection at the end of April.Â
NAPLES Collier County JROTC instructor fired for alleged sexual misconduct A teenage girl claims her JROTC instructor made sexual comments, touched her, asked her on a date and told her to keep her mouth shut.
EAST FORT MYERS Redeveloping plan to modify East Fort Myers Southwest Florida is often called paradise, but some areas like East Fort Myers don’t live up to that. Now, the city is looking to change that.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High School works to beat the heat during spring practice Spring practice is heating up in more ways than one. High school teams are braving the elements right now.
Collier County Escaping an abusive partner – the ins and outs of injunctions for protection Survivors of domestic violence often seek an injunction, but for some, it may not be the best option to get out of a bad situation.
ESTERO Gulfshore Business honors 10 women for their contributions to business and Southwest Florida Lois Thome emceed a Gulfshore Business luncheon Thursday recognizing 10 local women for their contributions to SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES North Naples golf pro will have his sister caddy at PGA Championship Evan Bowser, the first assistant golf pro at LaPlaya Golf Club, will have his sister Elayna caddy for him at PGA Championship.
Person airlifted after crash on SR-31 near Bermont Road At least two people are hurt in another wreck on the roads on State Road 31 in Charlotte County.
Palm Beach Blvd. crash caused massive backups Two lanes are closed on Palm Beach Boulevard because of a crash near Orange River Boulevard.
Getting people back into their homes after storms For months, parts of our community have been involved in a back and forth with FEMA over the 25% flood insurance discount.
Lehigh Acres State Road 82: A road marked by tragedy and a plea for safety improvements State Road 82, specifically the stretch between Interstate 75 and Immokalee Road, is not just a highway; it’s a place marked by tragedy and danger.
Mixing meds can make a dangerous cocktail One thing doctors have to consider when prescribing meds is whether they will interact with any drugs the patient is currently taking.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on camera: thieves end dream of new family home in Lehigh Acres Thieves in the night destroyed a family’s dream of building a new home, and their acts were caught on camera.
PORT CHARLOTTE HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber, an independent, high-speed fiber-optic internet service, will be available to more than 31,000 homes in Port Charlotte, said the company’s president and CEO, Dan Kennedy.
FORT MYERS What changes do you want to see on Cleveland Avenue? A drive down Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers is a reminder of what used to be for many. Whether it’s the abandoned doctor’s offices, shopping plaza units or the old Sears; there’s room for improvement.
HyperFiber internet service planned for Port Charlotte HyperFiber has collaborated with Charlotte County’s engineering division, and the first Port Charlotte customers began to receive HyperFiber’s connection at the end of April.Â
For many people, staying in a hotel may conjure up thoughts of vacation, luxury and even room service. But for others, it may unleash memories of a painful past: Florida accounted for over 5% of all human trafficking calls into the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2021. The second most-used venues for trafficking were illicit spas and massage businesses. The first? Hotels and motels. Hotels sued Our community is no exception. About two dozen Collier County hotels were sued in 2020, accused of allowing sex trafficking on their premises. WINK News anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen sat down with one survivor who was sex trafficked for years by people she knew and trusted. We will not identify her. Survivor story “It destroyed me. My first trafficker introduced me to the needle and shooting, so I started shooting meth,” she said. “That took me to places I never ever dreamed of, and I went down into a really deep black hole. I got to the point where I couldn’t make sense of my reality. I thought it was me. I thought that I was literally going insane. I was… I tried to take my life numerous times.” She spent time trapped in her own mind, in abusive, manipulative relationships, and she said, in hotels where nobody helped her. In the end, she saved herself. “Like some kind of weird survival came over me, and I somehow learned how to manipulate my manipulator. I ran for my life,” she added. It’s the law A 2019 Florida law says it’s not supposed to be up to the victim. Hotels should look out for trafficking. They’re required to put up anti-human trafficking signage, train employees to spot signs of trafficking and have a plan in place if it is discovered. If not, they face fines. Out of the 2023 Legislative session – a new law cracks down on hotels not following the rules – cutting the time to get back in compliance in half – and not allowing any second chances before fines. Linda Oberhaus is CEO of The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. She added, “Hotels and motels, they can save lives, and they can save victims years of trauma that they might otherwise experience.” Getting help Oberhaus went on to explain, “They can get very structured services with the staff, therapeutic services, life skills, anything they need to be able to work through the trauma that has occurred and have the skills they need to get back on their feet.” The trauma the survivor Rachel met is working through her experience with the help of the shelter. “I’m becoming stronger on the inside,” she said, “and, you know, that way, I don’t ever have to live my life like this again. There’s no going back for me.” Resources Below are anti-human trafficking and mental health resources available to Southwest Floridians at the national and local levels: The Shelter for Abused Women & Children: naplesshelter.org 1 (888) 373-7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline SMS: 233733 (Text “HELP” or “INFO”) Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Languages: English, Spanish and 200 more languages Website: http://humantraffickinghotline.org What is Human Trafficking? https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking Human Trafficking in Florida: https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/human-trafficking/ Path 2 Freedomhttps://www.path2freedom.org/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline1-800-273-8255suicidepreventionlifeline.org David Lawrence Center (Collier County)(239) 455-8500davidlawrencecenter.org National Alliance on Mental Illness – namicollier.org | namilee.org Local Support Groups: Anxiety and Depression Association of Americaadaa.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help)hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/mental-health-parity