Michael Braun

They came by the thousands in Southwest Florida, by the tens of thousands across the state and by the millions across the U.S. — for a variety of reasons both political and philosophical but bonded by fear and hope.Saturday was both a protest and a rally called No Kings Day, a reference to claims that President Donald Trump wanted to be a monarch over what has been a republic.

GL Homes conducted building of an unusual kind Monday — and ended up helping relieve hunger.The mission was for two teams combined from GL Homes communities in Lee and Collier counties to go can-to-can in the annual GL Homes CAN-tastic Competition.

Oral arguments are June 4 in a long-running case involving a Florida bar complaint before the Florida Supreme Court against former Fort Myers attorney Christopher Crowley alleging bar rules violations.The Florida bar's complaint is that Crowley, during the 2018 political campaign for state attorney of the 20th Judicial Circuit "publicly disparaged his opponent through various political campaign materials, advertisements, and social media postings" among other rules violations.

Habitat for Humanity celebrated Mother’s Day ahead of time this year with the blessing of a local mother’s future home in Lehigh Acres and honoring her homeownership journey as part of Habitat’s 15th annual Women Build program in Lee and Hendry counties.

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.