Mike Walcher

Florida's school supplies tax holiday runs now through Aug. 31.

Education

On time school buses? Lee says it's getting there

Mike Walcher

Safe Start appears to be off to a strong start. The Lee County School District said the new effort to bus students to school on time in the mornings, and back home again, on time, in the afternoons, is making a lot of progress.

The Community Redevelopment Agency in Fort Myers now is authorized to spend money to get help in planning the restoration of historic McCollum Hall. It was the culture center of the Dunbar community in the times of racial segregation.

Government & Politics

Fort Myers takes steps, again, to restore McCollum Hall

Mike Walcher

An agency of the City of Fort Myers is taking over the planning for how to restore McCollum Hall. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency, CRA, already is spending money to get help with ideas for the historic building.

Utility rates are going up in the City of Fort Myers. Drinking water will increase in cost five percent, starting October 1. And the city council has approved hikes for the next several years. And the council this week okayed increases in rates for reclaimed water as well.

Government & Politics

Get ready to pay more for City of Fort Myers utilities

Mike Walcher

If you get your water and sewer service from the City of Fort Myers, prepare to pay more, starting in two weeks.

New parking regulations on Boca Grande are causing a stir among some Charlotte County residents. The Charlotte County commissioners are asking Lee County to reconsider those regulations.

Government & Politics

Parking beef: Charlotte County asks Lee to change new Boca Grande regulations

Mike Walcher

Charlotte County is asking its neighbor to the south to change the new regulations on Boca Grande parking.

Owner Robert Leisure walks into what used to be the gift shop of the Getaway Marina on Fort Myers Beach on Thursday Sept. 29, one day after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County.

Top Story

Home damaged in Hurricane Ian? Lee County still can help

Mike Walcher

Lee County is reopening the application process to help people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ian.

Traffic on a two-lane stretch of Burnt Store Road in northwest Cape Coral. Lee County is moving faster with plans to make this stretch of a hurricane evacuation route, four lanes.

Government & Politics

Creative planning may be key to finding billions to help drivers get around Lee County

Mike Walcher

Four-point-three billion dollars. That's how much Lee County needs in the foreseeable future for people to be able to drive around without major traffic congestion at every turn. Road planners are approaching the needs puzzle creatively to try to find money and stretch dollars.

This is the main street in the little-known community of Harlem in Hendry County. The population is almost entirely Black. Harlem will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

Human Interest

Hendry County moves to help Harlem, a little-known community with lots of history

Mike Walcher

Hendry County is investing money to improve the look and preserve some of the history of a little-known community called Harlem. It's located about 60 miles east of Fort Myers, and not far from Clewiston, in the northeastern corner of Hendry. Harlem will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

An artist's rendering of one of the home styles that Lakefront Estates in Glades County hopes to start selling soon. The community is being marketed in part to Orthodox Jews who want to find affordable family homes. Plans call for Lakefront to have a synagogue and private Jewish school.

Housing

Yiddish spoken here? Glades County location may become home to a Jewish community

Mike Walcher

Investors have built model homes and say they're close to selling places in Glades County, on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee. And they're marketing heavily to Orthodox Jews looking for affordable homes. Lakefront Estates is planned for up to 1,000 single-family homes and 300 rental units.

Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office receive training in basic American Sign Language. It's an effort by the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center to improve communication and interaction between first responders and deaf people.

Human Interest

First responders get training on interacting with deaf people

Mike Walcher

The leading advocacy group for the deaf community in Southwest Florida, is stepping up efforts to help first responders interact with deaf people out on the street.

Cape Coral officials rescinded a mandatory boil water advisory due to E. coli found in the public drinking water system 18 hours after they imposed it

Government & Politics

Fort Myers acknowledges coliform bacteria was found in city water in November testing, explains why it did not raise alarms after positive tests

Mike Walcher

The city of Fort Myers is admitting that it did not follow procedures, after high amounts of coliform bacteria showed up in test samples last November.Some city representatives, however, said they didn't know.