Local:
Lee County Teachers Reach Agreement For Pay Raise
The teachers in Lee County have struck a deal with the school district gaining an over 11% pay increase. The Teacher’s Association of Lee County has had 11 meetings since last year to discuss the teachers’ needs and a change to their contracts. Both sides have been very focused on raising the teacher’s starting salaries and salary compression. According to NBC2, both sides came to an agreement on Monday, Oct. 2, and are currently waiting for approval from the teacher’s union and school board.“We got it done,” said the President of TALC, Kevin Daly. “Eleven sessions. It’s a couple more than it usually takes. But in the end, I think we got a pretty good deal.”
Lee County School Intendent Not Planning to Run for Position Again
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Christopher Bernier announced he doesn’t plan on running again for superintendent. The position will have to be filled by someone else, although Bernier does plan to keep leading the school district throughout his contract. In an email Thursday, Bernier stated that the decision “didn’t come lightly” and that he had made careful consideration. According to NBC2, “While I support the community’s decision based on the referendum vote in November of 2022, becoming an elected superintendent was never my aspiration,” Bernier wrote in the email.
Fort Myers Councilman Not Seeking Re-Election After 17 Years
Fort Myers Councilman Johnny Streets is not planning to become re-elected after his contract ends in 2024. Streets made the announcement Monday during a city council meeting, his reasoning being the current political environment is toxic at a national level. According to Wink News, many things are going on behind the scenes that Streets doesn’t want to be a part of. “You have to know when you need to do something else. Let my work speak for me. You have got a year to deal with me.” Streets said. His seat will be open for election in 2024 and he plans to find the right person to fill his position.
Lehigh Woman Arrested On Drug Charges, Newborn Found Deceased In Home
Lee County Deputies searched a home on suspicion of narcotics to discover a dead newborn in the household. Luciana Urbina, 32, has been charged with the trafficking of fentanyl after a search of her home on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m.. According to The News-Press, Judge Frank Porter approved a search warrant of the home for authorities to later find the unresponsive newborn as well as a plastic bag containing 39 grams of fentanyl. Urbina refused to speak to authorities about the items found in the house. She hasn’t been charged with homicide and the description of the baby’s death has not been stated to the public. Urbina remains on a $100,000 bond as of Thursday afternoon and awaits trial.
State:
Canadian Wildfires Cause Major Drop in SWFL Air Quality
The morning of Wednesday, Oct. 4 in Southwest Florida consisted of hazy skies and reduced air quality as smoke from Canada wafted over the area. According to NBC2, the wildfire has been burning for several months as the Northeastern windflow has been pushing the smoke 1,500 miles down to the Florida peninsula. For those suffering from respiratory issues, it’s advised to stay inside until the smoke clears. The smoke shouldn’t be sticking around for long, but as the wildfires continue this could be seen as a recurring issue.
White House Sued By Florida After New State Labor Laws Pass
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Florida Sued the Biden administration under accusations of threats to withhold $800 million of funding for transportation infrastructure. According to Reuters, Gov. Ron Desantis signed Senate Bill 256 which is supposed to prevent “unions representing transportation workers, teachers and other public sector employees from having dues deducted from paychecks, and would instead have employees pay dues to their unions.” Florida has stated that the White House is conditioning transportation funding on the state’s agreement to not enforce provisions that the Secretary of Labor believes undermine collective bargaining. Neither the Labor Department nor the Department of Transportation have given comments on the situation.
77-Year-Old Man Arrested After Planning to Sell Erectile Dysfunction Drugs to Retirement Community
Federal authorities have arrested a 77-year-old after he purchased $1,800 worth of erectile dysfunction drugs without having a prescription. He was planning to sell them throughout Central Florida to several retirement communities including “The Villages”. The man was arrested last month in The Villages which is home to 80,000 residents. According to NBC2, he has pleaded not guilty and plans to have his case dealt with by a magistrate judge instead of a jury. If found guilty, he can face up to a year of jail time and a fine of up to $10,000.The man was able to obtain these drugs through a mislabel in interstate commerce since he didn’t have a prescription.
11-year-old Floridian Faces Attempted Murder Charges After Shooting At Football Practice
A Central Florida football practice ended in a heated altercation after an 11-year-old boy shot at two 13-year-olds. The boy is facing one account of attempted second-degree murder after the incident. According to NBC2, Apopka Police Chief Mike McKinley said officers responded to a possible shooting at Field of Fame around 8:30 p.m.. The incident unfolded at a Pop Warner practice and began when food was slapped from the young boy’s hands according to Apopka Police. The argument over practice carried out to the parking lot where the 11-year-old boy then proceeded to go into his mother’s car to grab the gun. The boy fired on both victims striking one in the arm and the other in the torso. Both victims remain in the hospital in stable condition while the 11-year-old was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder.
National:
Charlotte Sena Saved From Kidnapping, Suspect Captured
Charlotte Sena, 9, has been returned to her home after disappearing from Moreau Lake State Park in New York. A suspect was taken into custody on the night of Monday, Oct. 2 after police found a ransom note left at the Sena household. Police reported spotting him at 4:20 a.m., slipping the note into the family’s mailbox which helped officers link back the fingerprints to the culprit. According to Fox News, after locating the suspect, they infiltrated the camper of 47-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr.. Charlotte was found in a cabinet within the camper and taken to a hospital to be reunited with her family and evaluated.
Kevin McCarthy Voted Out As House Speaker
After the vote at the House Of Representatives Tuesday, McCarthy is no longer going to be the House speaker and many are wondering what happens now. The vote to get rid of McCarthy was 216-210. According to the LA Times, one congressman even shouted out “what now?” a question many are having as he is the first speaker to be removed by a vote of the chamber. Patrick T. McHenry will currently replace McCarthy as a temporary solution until a new speaker is voted in. McCarthy does not plan to run for the position again.
Federal Government Tests Emergency Alert System
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, many received a blaring noise coming from their televisions and phones. This sound was actually the federal government’s testing of their emergency alert system. The alert system is a method the president can use to speak to the public on a wide range within 10 minutes. These alerts are mostly used within smaller areas such as to alert states in the range of hurricanes or natural disasters but, on Wednesday, it was used across the country. According to AP News, the director of FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, Antwane Johnson, created the test and estimated hundreds of millions of Americans received the alert. The test was conducted through radio, television, phones and other technology over a 30-minute span and was measured to be a success.
U.S. Border Wall to Expand According to Biden Plans
On Thursday, Oct. 5, President Biden’s administration announced the plan to add more sections of the border wall to help decrease record migrant crossings from Mexico. According to Reuters, with Donald Trump’s campaign focusing on the importance of building the wall, Biden has made statements saying, “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall” as well as a review of all resources that had already been committed. Biden’s administration has stated that these plans to build upon the wall do not go against his previous statements as they still had money from Trump’s 2019 term they needed to spend. “We have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money but it has not done so and we are compelled to follow the law,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
