NAPLES

Record-breaking Burmese python caught in Everglades (WFTV)NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. You could use a magnet, and in a similar way our male scout snakes are attracted to the biggest females around,” Bartoszek said. Bartoszek said removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disrupting the breeding cycle. Since the conservancy’s python program began in 2013, they’ve removed over 1,000 pythons from approximately 100 square miles (25,900 hectares) in southwest Florida. Over that stretch, necropsies have found dozens of white-tailed deer inside Burmese pythons.

A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. The female python weighed in at 215 pounds (98 kilograms), was nearly 18 feet long (5 meters) and had 122 developing eggs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a news release. The team used radio transmitters transplanted in male “scout" snakes to study python movements, breeding behaviors and habitat use, said Ian Bartoszek, wildlife biologist and environmental science project manager for the conservancy's program.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida discovered and captured the largest python yet found in the state, measuring 18 feet long and weighing 215 pounds, according to a Wednesday news release.

The baggage of your past doesn’t need to be so heavy.

Desirability and affordability mentioned as two factors for Sunshine State cities dropping year-over-year in U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Our readers share their opinions on a variety of topics

(Collier County Sheriff's Office)NAPLES, Fla. — This was not the way to celebrate your birthday. >> Read more trending newsA Florida man is accused of being drunk while at the beach Tuesday afternoon, screaming and throwing bottles at children, authorities said. According to police, a man reported Joye to authorities on Tuesday, claiming that he was yelling at his two children, WBBH-TV reported. The man claimed that Joye threatened his 4-year-old son for stealing his beach toys, the television station reported. Police said Joye also attempted to punch an officer, the television station reported.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a “No Patient Left Alone” bill into law Wednesday, establishing in-person hospital and nursing home visitation rights throughout the state regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

Italy Russia Ukraine War Ballet Olga Smirnova, left, and Anastasya Gurskaya, pose for a photograph in Naples, Monday, April 4, 2022. Naples’ San Carlo Theater billed the event “Stand with Ukraine — Ballet for Peace.”Despite that description, the prospect of Russian dancers dancing on the same stage with Ukrainians reportedly angered Ukraine’s consul in Naples. Among the stars in the event is prima ballerina Olga Smirnova, who quit the Bolshoi last month and is now dancing with the Dutch National Ballet. To do little things, the smallest things, what we can do for Ukraine,“ Smirnova told reporters in the theater ahead of the final rehearsal. That’s why we are here, that’s why we are dancing tonight.”Fellow prima ballerina Gurskaya said her performance is one way to help Ukraine.

A Ukrainian ballerina who fled the war in her homeland and a Russian ballerina who quit the Bolshoi Ballet over the Russian invasion rehearsed on a stage in Naples for a sold-out benefit performance Monday night to raise funds for the Red Cross

A Ukrainian ballerina who fled the war in her homeland and a Russian ballerina who quit the Bolshoi Ballet over the Russian invasion rehearsed on a stage in Naples for a sold-out benefit performance Monday night to raise funds for the Red Cross.

NAPLES, Fla. — Florida’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is cracking down on insurance fraud in an effort to protect Floridians. Patronis recently announced the arrest of Brian Webb and Brandon Jourdan of Webb Roofing & Construction LLC for allegedly operating a homeowner solicitation scheme for free roof replacements related to damage allegedly caused by Hurricane Irma. “There is no room for roofers that take advantage of Florida homeowners. If someone commits insurance fraud in Florida, they will be caught and they will pay the price,” Patronis said. “Scam roofing schemes are driving up insurance rates for every Florida family and plaguing our state.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Already the oldest winner in PGA Tour Champions history, Bernhard Langer completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday for his record fourth Chubb Classic title. The German star became the oldest tour winner in October at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia. Langer also won the event — in its 35th season, the longest-running PGA Tour Champions tournament in the same city — in 2011 at The Quarry and 2013 and 2016 at TwinEagles. The six-time Charles Schwab Cup seasons points champions also won wire-to-wire in 2013 and 2016. He won the Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour in the fall of 2020.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Bernhard Langer maintained a two-stroke lead Saturday in pursuit of a fourth Chubb Classic victory. Langer won the event — in its 35th season, the longest-running PGA Tour Champions tournament in the same city — in 2011 at The Quarry and 2013 and 2016 at TwinEagles. The two-time Masters champion has 42 victories on the 50-and-over tour and has won six Charles Schwab Cup season points titles. “It’s nice to have a two-shot lead, not a one-shot lead,” Langer said. He won the Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour in the fall of 2020.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Three-time champion Bernhard Langer shot his age Friday to take the first-round lead in the Chubb Classic. He has bettered his age once and matched it one other time on the tour. “It’s just fun shooting your age,” Langer said. “So, I’m just very, very happy to be able to play, coming back to playing and playing pain-free. He won the Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour in the fall of 2020.

During the pandemic, Majury gained over a million followers on the app, according to The New York Times. Rob Majury, Ava’s father and a retired police lieutenant, texted 18-year-old Justin informing him that she was a minor and to stop contacting his daughter. On July 10, 2021, while the Majury family were sleeping, Justin arrived at their Naples home armed with a shotgun. He shot the front door open but his gun jammed, giving Rob Majury time to chase Justin off the property. Police would later determine that under Florida’s “stand your ground” law, Rob Majury used justifiable deadly force in the incident.

Our readers share their opinions on a variety of topics

A Florida agency is investigating a Melania Trump charity event after organizers promised proceeds to a charity not registered in the state.

Archaeologists in southern Italy say they have discovered the ruins of a painted brick wall and ancient warrior helmets at a site that might have been a forerunner of a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.

It could feel like 28 degrees in West Palm Beach, according to forecasters.

"There is a boss and a sense of direction," an economist said about the Italian economy under Mario Draghi's leadership.

A winter storm that was expected to blast the southern U.S. with dangerously high winds Sunday did not disappoint, as some South Floridians witnessed and filmed infamous weather events likely uncommon to them: tornadoes.

A dangerous winter storm combining high winds and ice is blasting through parts of the U.S. Southeast.

Sponsor of bill in state's House of Representatives says he thinks it's a good idea, provided privacy can be maintained.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Body camera footage released by authorities showed a man screaming in pain and pleading for help just before a sheriff's deputy shot a Malayan tiger that had grabbed the man's arm at a Florida zoo. The man worked for a third-party cleaning service contracted to clean restrooms and the gift shop, the sheriff's office and the zoo said. The body camera video released Thursday by the sheriff's office appeared to show the tiger's jaw wrapped around the man's arm between his hand and elbow . "Please, please help me, please," the man screamed during a nearly 9-minute call with a sheriff's office dispatcher. According to the sheriff's office, the tiger had retreated back into its enclosure after being shot.

Body camera footage released by authorities showed a man screaming in pain and pleading for help just before a sheriff’s deputy shot a Malayan tiger that had grabbed the man’s arm at a Florida zoo.

Body camera footage released by authorities showed a man screaming in pain and pleading for help just before a sheriff's deputy shot a Malayan tiger that had grabbed the man's arm at a Florida zoo. The Collier County Sheriff's Office said the man was seriously injured Wednesday evening when he entered an unauthorized area near the tiger's enclosure at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. The man worked for a third-party cleaning service contracted to clean restrooms and the gift shop, the sheriff's office and the zoo said.

ROME — (AP) — Assunta “Pupetta” Maresca, the widow of a Naples organized crime boss who was convicted of gunning down her husband’s presumed killer for revenge, later challenged a powerful Camorra clan leader and inspired a movie about her life, has died. She was six months’ pregnant in 1955 when she wielded a Smith & Wesson in the vendetta slaying, part of a bloody turf war among rival crime clan bosses. A few months earlier, Maresca’s husband, Pasquale Simonetti, had been slain in the Naples’ crime clan feuding. While female leaders are rare in the Sicilian Mafia, women in the Camorra have played top roles. Prosecutors accused her of ordering the 1981 murder of a mobster who belonged to the powerful breakaway Camorra fold of Raffaele Cutolo.

NAPLES, Fla. — A cleaning service worker was attacked by a tiger at a southwest Florida zoo on Wednesday, authorities and zoo officials confirmed. The status of the tiger is unknown, the sheriff’s office said. A veterinarian sedated the tiger and will examine it when it is safe to do so, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office and agents from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were at the zoo speaking with witnesses, WINK-TV reported. The Naples Zoo is nationally accredited and includes rare animals such as lions, giraffes, monkeys, pythons, and bears, the Naples Daily News reported.

Hugo Maradona, the younger brother of Diego Maradona and a former soccer player, has died. Italian club Ascoli said he died Tuesday at his home in Monte di Procida, near Naples, of cardiac arrest. The younger Maradona was purchased by Napoli in 1987 on Diego’s urging and loaned to Ascoli.

Toll Brothers announces final opportunity to buy a new single-family home

MILAN — (AP) — A U.S. Navy support site in Naples, Italy, was on put lockdown Thursday after reports of gunfire on the premises. Base spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Comer said the Naples support site was put on lockdown around 6:25 p.m. (1725GMT) after “reports of audible gunfire.” The reports were still being verified. There were no reports of wounded and no suspect has been identified. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

US Naval officials say a support site in Naples, Italy, has been put on lockdown after reports of gunfire on the premises

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Marc Leishman holed out for eagle for the second straight day as he and Jason Day posted an 8-under 64 in the modified alternate shot format Saturday to build a three-shot lead in the QBE Shootout. Leishman made eagle on the 10th hole during the scramble in the first round. In modified alternate shot, both players hit tee shots and then they picked the best one and alternated shots from there. Leishman and Day had six birdies to go along with Leishman’s holed shot for eagle. All but one of the 12 teams posted scores in the 60s with the exception of Georgia alumni Brian Harman and Hudson Swafford, who had a 71 and were in last place.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — Jason Day and Marc Leishman had 12 birdies, two eagles and finished one shot short of the record for the scramble format, posting a 16-under 56 that gave the Australian duo a one-shot lead Friday in the QBE Shootout. Day is making his first start in the unofficial event hosted by Greg Norman since he teamed with Cameron Tringale to win in 2014. They were one shot ahead of Corey Conners and Graeme McDowell and the defending champions, Harris English and Matt Kuchar. The record for a scramble format — players pick the team's best shot and each plays from there, including putts — is 55. The second round will be modified alternate shot — both players tee off and they alternate shots the rest of the way — with fourballs for the final round Sunday.

The former White House press secretary promoted “Florida’s greatest Christmas party" with Trump, where a ticket costs $10,000 for one photo with the ex-president.

The Biden administration has taken action to restore federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways.

Officials say a former bookkeeper stole more than $800,000 from three southwest Florida companies, including a charity.

Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference in Naples.

Gov. Ron DeSantis held two press conferences today, in Collier and Sarasota counties, where he announced $5.8 million to fund a new technical college location in Collier County and $1.7 million to fund the installation of wastewater infrastructure in the city of North Port.

ROME — (AP) — A court in Naples has convicted the captain of an Italian commercial ship of abandonment-related charges for returning 101 migrants rescued at sea to Libya in 2018, in a ruling praised by human rights organizations. The verdict issued Wednesday by Naples judge Maria Luisa Miranda, first reported by Avvenire, was the first of its kind in Italy. It followed a 2012 verdict against Italy by the European Court of Human Rights after Italian military vessels sent back migrants to Tripoli in 2009. After being rescued, Augusta said, the migrants didn't protest when they were transferred onto a Libyan coast guard ship and taken back to Tripoli, the closest port. Riccardo Noury, spokesman for Amnesty International’s Italy office, said the sentence was important because it established for the first time in Italy that a commercial ship was “complicit in an international crime” by sending migrants back to Libya.

Italy Mayoral Elections Scrutineers count ballots after the closing of a polling station, in Rome, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The 5-Stars, currently Parliament's largest party, also failed to clinch a mayoral runoff slot in Turin, where one of their own had been mayor since 2016, with nearly 40% of the ballots counted. Salvini has ambitions to win the premiership of a center-right government he hopes will be formed after Italy's parliamentary election. But with wins in Milan, Naples and Bologna and spots in mayoral runoffs in Rome and Turin, “we showed that the center-right is beatable,” Letta told supporters. Key to winning the Rome mayoral runoff will be wooing support from Raggi's disappointed backers.

Italy's center-left forces, led by Democrats, are triumphing or clinching runoff slots in Milan and other big city mayoral elections, according to partial vote counts after two days of balloting.

Currency crime: A New York man is accused of mining cryptocurrency at the county officer where he serves as assistant of information technology. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A supervisor of information technology for a New York county is accused of mining cryptocurrency from government offices, costing the county government at least $6,000 in electricity bills, prosecutors said. Christopher Naples is accused of hiding 46 devices used for mining cryptocurrency in Suffolk County offices, costing the county thousands of dollars in electricity. Mining cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, is a complicated process that is at the heart of the difference between cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies, the Times reported. The newspaper noted earlier this month that the amount of electricity used on creating Bitcoin each year exceeds the amount used by Finland.

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — (AP) — An employee cost a New York county at least $6,000 in electricity bills by allegedly secretly installing dozens of machines at his workplace in a cryptocurrency scheme, authorities said Wednesday, announcing charges against him. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said Christopher Naples, who worked in the county clerk's office as a supervisor of information technology operations, is charged with counts including public corruption, grand larceny, and computer trespass. Sini said Naples, 42, who has worked for the county since 2000, had put 46 devices throughout the county center in Riverhead, New York, in locations like an unused electrical wall panel or underneath floorboards. Naples, of Mattituck, New York, is accused of using the devices to mine Bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency units are created by computers solving complex math equations, and the process can result in heavy electricity usage and high cooling costs.

A coalition of environmental groups is calling for this year’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow to be postponed.

ROME — (AP) — Border police at Rome's main airport on Sunday prevented a Naples tobacco shop owner suspected of running off with a customer’s winning game ticket from boarding a flight to the Canary Islands, Italian news reports said. The man didn't have the filched card worth 500,000 euros ($580,000) on himself, but he did have a plane ticket for Fuerteventura, one of the Spain's Canary Islands, the LaPresse news agency said. The man, who hasn’t been identified, was wanted for investigation of suspected theft. She asked a shop employee to verify the win. The employee then passed the card to one of the shop's owners for a final check, Italian news reports said.

ROME — (AP) — Italian police on Saturday were hunting for a Naples tobacco shop owner who allegedly ran off on a motor scooter with a customer’s “scratch and win” game card, which had clinched the top prize of 500,000 euros ($580,000), Italian news reports said. But when she scratched the second one, she saw to her amazement it was the big win, Italian media said. The customer handed it to a shop employee to doublecheck. Instead, news reports said, he held on to it, grabbed his helmet, hopped on the scooter and raced away with the game card, according to the reports. To prevent the alleged thief from cashing in, authorities at the Italian tax office which runs the "scratch and win" operation froze the entire block of numbers of cards that had been distributed to the tobacco shop.

Italy Venice Film Festival 2021 The Hand Of God Portraits Director Paolo Sorrentino poses for portraits at the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival at the Venice Lido, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, where he's presenting his latest movie 'E' stata la mano di Dio' (The hand of God). Sorrentino’s autobiographical “The Hand of God,” which premieres Thursday at the Venice Film Festival, recounts how his otherwise normal childhood in 1980s Naples was upended by the sudden, accidental death of his parents and how a certain athlete had an unintentional role in saving his life. But “The Hand of God” is the film Sorrentino felt he always had to make, and finally found the right moment after he turned 50 and the pandemic interrupted other projects. For the feature of his life, Sorrentino asked a member of his professional family, actor Toni Servillo, to play his father. “In my case, that is what happened.”After a period of loss, grief and uncertainty about finding his way, the young Sorrentino decided he wanted to make films.

ROME — (AP) — One of Italy's most wanted men, an alleged top drug trafficker suspected of having bought two stolen Van Gogh paintings on the black market, has been arrested in Dubai, Naples-based police said Thursday. Imperiale, 46, is being held in the United Arab Emirates while Italy’s justice ministry completes extradition procedures. “The wealth illicitly accumulated allowed him to buy on the black market two Van Gogh paintings of unquantifiable value,” police said. They referred to the 1882 “View of the Sea at Scheveningen” and a 1884-1885 work "Congregation leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,'' which had been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Italian financial police found the paintings wrapped in cotton sheets, stuffed into a box and hidden behind a wall in a bathroom.

Police say one of Italy's most wanted men has been arrested in Dubai.

ROME — (AP) — A reputed top Naples crime syndicate boss was arrested Saturday as she was about to board a flight to Spain. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese praised the arrest of Maria Licciardi, 70, by Carabinieri officers on orders of Naples prosecutors. Investigators have alleged that Licciardi ran extortion rackets as head of the Licciardi Camorra crime syndicate clan. “She didn't bat an eyelash when the officers blocked her and served the warrant signed by the Naples prosecutors' office,” ANSA said. Naples prosecutors, in a 2009 interview with The AP, described Licciardi as a true “madrina,'' or ”godmother," in the Camorra syndicate.

Officials say two teens found dead at a Florida park might have suffered from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning related to a modified exhaust system on their vehicle.

Italy G20 Environment Climate Energy German undersecretary of environment Jochen Flasbarth, left, is welcomed by Italian Minister for Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani as he arrives at Palazzo Reale in Naples, Italy, Thursday, July 22, 2021, to take part in a G20 meeting on environment, climate and energy. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta) (Salvatore Laporta)NAPLES, Italy — (AP) — With forest fires raging in the U.S. and Russia and floods devastating parts of Western Europe, environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 industrialized countries gathered Thursday for two days of talks ahead of November’s crucial climate change conference. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry was attending the Naples summit and had an early meeting with the host, Italian environment Minister Roberto Cingolani. Scientists say that while it’s hard to attribute specific storms to climate change, extreme weather of the kind that caused the flash floods will become more severe and frequent in a warming world. While many countries have pledged to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says emissions must be cut by at least 40% by the end of the decade to keep temperatures in check.

Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 industrialized countries are meeting in Naples ahead of November’s crucial U.N. climate change conference.

Beaches and sunshine beat out some other cities.

Why? Just why.

The Naples Police Department is looking for the person who was caught on video setting off fireworks in a public restroom.

Naples biologist Ian Bartoszek said it took a lot of sweat and a little blood to catch the two heaviest Burmese pythons on record in...

A black bear seen wandering in downtown Naples has eluded wildlife officials even as sightings of the animal continue.

Troopers say a 65-year-old man died while trying to teach his 34-year-old son to drive.

A man moving from Alabama to southwest Florida traveled hundreds of miles with an owl stuck in his truck’s grille.

NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — A man moving from Alabama to southwest Florida traveled hundreds of miles with an owl stuck in his truck's grill. Torie Gray said he saw a vehicle ahead of him swerve on Interstate 75 to avoid the great horned owl. Gray said he wasn't aware of the situation until he got to Naples, where he plans to live. Gray says he saw the damage to his vehicle and the owl inside, but he wasn't sure it was still alive. Gray called the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, which sent a volunteer to help dislodge the bird.

Police in Naples are looking for a woman they claim scammed over $100,000 in fraudulent offers of witchcraft services. The woman, who the victims seemed...

Naples police say they’re looking for a woman who offered witchcraft and spiritual services to victims as a way to get them to hand over massive amounts of cash.

Two Florida women and a Swiffer were no match for a baby gator that wandered into one of their homes Sunday morning.

Ron DeSantis is looking to make changes to Florida’s civics education curriculum. [TRENDING: How to celebrate St. Patty’s Day at theme parks | Florida’s texting-driving law rarely enforced | Massive manta ray photobombs surfer]“We’re releasing a $106 million proposal to make Florida the national leader in civics education,” DeSantis said. — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 17, 2021In making his pitch, the governor also took swipes at critical race theory. According to Purdue University, critical race theory scholarship shows how racism continues to be persuasive and why it denies individuals their constitutional rights. Ad“Let me be clear there is no room in our classrooms for things like critical race theory, teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money,” DeSantis said.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A 70-year-old Kissimmee man was hit and killed by a car while crossing U.S. 192 in Osceola County around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. FHP said a 31-year-old Naples man was heading westbound U.S. 192 in the center lane in the area of Simpson Road. Investigators said the 70-year-old man was attempting to cross U.S. 192. [TRENDING: Video shows SpaceX Starship exploding after landing | All Fla. teachers can get vaccine at CVS | Man gets 20 years for cutting off wife’s lover’s penis]AdTroopers said the Naples man was unable to avoid the pedestrian and hit him. The Kissimmee man was pronounced dead at the scene.

A view of a chariot, with its iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralized wooden remains, that was found in Civita Giuliana, north of Pompeii. Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site near Naples on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, announced the first-ever discovery of an intact ceremonial chariot, one of several important discoveries made in the same area outside the park following an investigation into an illegal dig. (Parco Archeologico di Pompei via AP)MILAN – Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site in Italy announced Saturday the discovery of an intact ceremonial chariot, one of several important discoveries made in the same area outside the park near Naples following an investigation into an illegal dig. While chariots for daily life or the transport of agricultural products have been previously found at Pompeii, officials said the new find is the first ceremonial chariot unearthed in its entirety. The villa was discovered after police came across the illegal tunnels in 2017, officials said.

NAPLES, Fla. – A Florida woman stabbed her sister with an EpiPen as the two were drinking together because she’s “allergic to drunks,” according to the Naples Police Department. Police said they responded to the home Joanna Zielinski shares with her sister around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 due to a 911 call hang up. When asked about the incident, police said Zielinski replied, “I’m allergic to drunks so I injected her with the EpiPen so she wouldn’t be drunk anymore. The EpiPen was prescribed to Zielinski but her sister doesn’t have any allergies, according to the report. Records show the victim said Zielinski has been violent toward her in the past and she wanted to press charges.

NAPLES, Fla. – Despite the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic, no one at a crowded grocery store in Naples was wearing a face mask. That’s because Alfie Oakes, the owner of Oakes Farms - Seed to Table Market, is not enforcing customers or employees to do so, News 6 partner WPLG reported. “Please do your research,” Oakes said, as he defies all scientific research. “Please do your critical thinking and research.”Collier County issued a face mask mandate. Ron DeSantis has not issued a face mask mandate.

Italian police officers stand by a copy of the Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) by Leonardo da Vinci, in Naples, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Italian police have recovered a copy of Leonardo da Vincis 16th century Salvator Mundi painting of Jesus Christ that was stolen from a Naples church without the priests even realizing it was gone. (Italian Police via AP)ROME – Italian police have recovered a 500-year-old copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century “Salvator Mundi” painting of Jesus Christ that was stolen from a Naples church during the pandemic without the priests even realizing it was gone. The painting is a copy of the “Salvator Mundi” (Savior of the World) by Leonardo that sold for a record $450 million at a Christie’s auction in 2017. It was restored prior to being exhibited in a 1983-1984 show “Leonardo and Leonardism in Naples and Rome."

Italians pay it forward by collecting donations for COVID tests Italians in Naples have found a way to help neighbors who can not afford to pay for COVID-19 tests and who have been struggling financially during the pandemic. Their generosity has helped more than 2,000 people receive coronavirus tests. CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay has the details.

An undated photo made available by the Pompeii Archeological park press office shows the thermopolium in the Pompeii archeological park, near Naples, Italy. A fast-food eatery discovered at Pompeii is now completely excavated, helping to reveal some favorite dishes of citizens of the ancient Roman city who liked to eat out. (Luigi Spina/Parco Archeologico di Pompei via AP)ROME – A fast-food eatery at Pompeii has been excavated, helping to reveal dishes that were popular for the citizens of the ancient Roman city who were partial to eating out. Successful restaurateurs know that a good location can be crucial, and the operator of this ancient fast-food seemed to have found a good spot. Those bones were apparently disturbed in the 17th century during clandestine excavations by thieves looking for valuables, Pompeii authorities said.

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of trying to street race in the Naples area blared the “Cops” TV show theme song from his speakers after he was pulled over, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said they had just finished up a call around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 41 North when they saw a red Ford Mustang and a silver Infiniti slow roll past them. Then, according to authorities, the passenger of the Mustang leaned out the window and yelled “20 roll on three,” which deputies said means to start racing at 20 mph. The drivers were going 80 mph to 95 mph in a 55 mph zone, a news release said. Aguilar Hernandez is accused of knowingly riding as a passenger and coordinating a race between vehicles.

NAPLES, Fla. – Yuki, a 13-year-old wolfdog that became an internet sensation because of his resemblance to a canine creature on the TV show “Game of Thrones,” has died, according to a Southwest Florida animal sanctuary. Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center in Collier County tweeted on Thursday that Yuki passed away from blood cancer. [TRENDING: Iota strengthens into hurricane | How to follow live coverage of SpaceX crewed launch | Fake DEA agent brings gun to Disney, deputies say]“We have some very sad news to share about our beloved wolfdog, Yuki. The Naples Daily News reported that the 13-year-old dog did not show for his medicine during morning rounds Thursday. His previous owner dropped him at an animal shelter when he was eight months old.

A woman stands outside her nativity scenes shop along San Gregorio Armeno street in Naples, in the Campania region, Italy, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. The regions of Campania and Tuscany were designated red zone on Friday, signaling the dire condition of a hospitals struggling with a surge of new admissions. Naples hospitals made headlines this week when a video that went viral showed an elderly man lying dead on the floor of an emergency room bathroom. Unlike in wealthier northern regions, the medical system in southern Italy is more fragile. Union representatives note that 16,000 health care workers were cut in the 10-year period.

NAPLES, Fla. – It doesn’t get more Florida than this, folks. While Tropical Storm Eta was wreaking havoc on parts of the state this week, causing widespread flooding, a gargantuan, prehistoric-looking alligator went for a nice stroll across Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples. The big boy’s leisurely prowl toward the pond was captured in a 15-second video that has since made headlines. I can’t even imagine what I would do if I saw one like that,” a man from Spring Hill wrote. Click here to subscribe to ClickOrlando.com’s Strange Florida newsletter, delivered every Friday.

NAPLES, Fla. – A Florida man is accused of altering voter registration records for Gov. Ron DeSantis to change his address, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Agents said the governor tried to vote at his assigned polling location Monday afternoon but was told that his registration address had been changed to Pretty Lane in West Palm Beach. Officials said they also believe Guevara accessed voter registration records for Sen. Rick Scott, Michael Jordan and LeBron James but made no changes to those records. Guevara is facing charges of unauthorized access of a computer and altering a voter registration without consent.

Ron DeSantisFlorida’s top elections official Wednesday said the state’s voter-registration systems are secure after a Naples man was accused of going online and using information from Wikipedia to change the voting address of Gov. Guevara is accused of using the Leon County supervisor of elections website to make the change.“Our systems are secure,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Every eligible Florida voter will have the ability to cast a ballot and every ballot will be counted. The changed address didn’t stop DeSantis from voting.The arrest came amid massive scrutiny of voting systems heading into Tuesday’s general election. Last week, federal officials acknowledged that foreign disinformation campaigns aimed at sowing confusion and distrust have targeted voters in Florida and elsewhere.

Italians are heading to the polls this weekend for regional elections, and to vote on changes to the constitution, in what is seen as a key test of public support for the government after the country was ravaged by the coronavirus. It's the regional elections — that will see 35% of Italy's electorate go to the polls — that are more unpredictable, according to experts. Four out of seven regions — Apulia, Marche, Tuscany and Campania — are currently governed by the center-left Partito Democratico (PD), the party currently in a national coalition government with the Five Star Movement (M5S) and junior partner, Italia Viva. The vote is currently too close to call, polls suggest. BNP Paribas' analysts noted that a loss for the PD could have repercussions on the leadership of the party.

The house of U.S. civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks, rebuilt by artist Ryan Mendoza, is on display in the courtyard of an 18th century Royal Palace, in Naples, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Its the latest stop for the house in a years-long saga that began when Parks niece saved the tiny two-story home from demolition in Detroit after the 2008 financial crisis. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

FILE - This Dec. 12, 2017 file photo shows the rebuilt house of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks in Berlin, Germany. In 2018, Brown University announced it would feature the house as part of a planned exhibition on the civil rights movement organized by its Center for Slavery and Justice. Earlier this year, Mendoza approached the Naples-based Morra Greco Foundation, where he had worked for a year in the 1990s. But now, “instead of being rejected by the walls of the royal palace, it’s embraced and protected by these walls,” he said. “Potentially thanks to the showing of the house in this way, America will allow the house to have a home.”___Winfield reported from Rome.

TD 19 is 55 miles southeast of Naples with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. Strengthening is expected when the center moves over the Gulf of Mexico, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm later today or tonight and gradually intensify Sunday and Monday. Tropical Storm Rene is 590 miles southeast of Bermuda. Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph as the storm moves northwest at 16 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph and some weakening is predicted to occur early next week.

Videos have been shared on social media of Italian citizens singing and dancing during a nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. The videos, from various cities and towns, show people singing from balconies and windows in an attempt to boost morale, with all non-essential shops and services still closed in the country. One widely shared video shows neighbors singing a patriotic folk song in Siena, a city in central Italy's Tuscany region. A video from Naples shows people singing a song reportedly called "Abbracciame," which translates as "hug me." The shutdown is weighing heavily on Italy's economy and Italian blue-chip stocks plunged by over 23% this week.

The Florida Department of Health announced late Tuesday eight new positive cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Florida. The new cases are, according to the state health department:A 68-year old male in Nassau County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials.

The Florida Department of Health announced late Tuesday eight new positive cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Florida. The new cases are, according to the state health department:A 68-year old male in Nassau County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials.

A 65-year-old man and a 75-year-old man also tested positive Friday, both in Broward County, home to Fort Lauderdale. The state’s health department said both men have been isolated until public health officials clear them. The governor said a female in her 50s who had traveled internationally also tested positive in Charlotte County. It is not clear whether state officials will implement any other drastic measures ahead of Florida's busy Spring Break season later this month. Ron DeSantis asked state lawmakers Friday for $25 million for health officials to use immediately in the state's response to coronavirus.

NAPLES, Fla. – Two dolphins have been found dead on Florida beaches within a week of each other, suffering from what biologists said are likely bullet or stab wounds. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found a dead dolphin on a Naples beach late last week. Within the same week, Emerald Coast Wildlife Experts said they found a dead dolphin with a bullet wound in its left side along Pensacola Beach. Biologists believe cases of cruelty like these can stem from people feeding wild dolphins. Harassing, hunting, killing and feeding wild dolphins, or attempting to do so, is illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

NAPLES, Fla. – A kayaker who went missing during a solo trip in the Florida Everglades was found alive after his cell phone washed up on a riverbank and authorities were able to recover data showing where he'd been. Miele embarked on a solo kayaking trip in Everglades National Park on Jan. 22 and was due back Jan. 29, officials said. He never returned, but a bag containing his wallet and phone washed up Sunday on the bank of the Lopez River. His most recent location had been recorded Friday, giving the sheriff's aviation unit a place to target its search. A helicopter crew eventually spotted Miele floating in the water face-up and wearing a life jacket several miles from where his belongings were found.

Wolves, New Guinea Singing Dogs, foxes, panthers, bobcats, even prairie dogs call Shy Wolf Sanctuary home. Shy Wolf Sanctuary lives behind the home of Nancy and Kent Smith and was once just a large yard that has since been converted into a haven. Shy Wolf runs on over 61,000 volunteer hours per year, 52,000 pounds of meat and solely on donations. The sanctuary plans to keep growing, securing permits to develop 50 off-site acres so they can house more rescues. If you want to learn more about Shy Wolf Sanctuary, read the stories of the sanctuary’s residents, schedule a visit or make a charitable donation, click here.

NAPLES, Fla. – A 12-year-old driver was fatally injured when her all-terrain vehicle flipped and landed on her, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Officials said Kaeli McCormick, of Naples, was critically injured Sunday in Collier County and hospitalized. She was pronounced dead Monday. It’s unclear what caused the ATV to overturn. Authorities said she wasn’t wearing a helmet.