CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A Cape Coral family fished out a newspaper machine that likely hasn’t been above water in years.

The Velez family has lived along SE 7th Street since 2019. When they moved in, they quickly discovered something sitting in the middle of the canal behind their house. 

“Always wondered what it could be,” said Kim Velez. “Never really figured out what it was. Thought it would be a concrete block or some side, like, a piece of a wall. That was probably our best guess.” 

But still, it’s just a guess and there’s no guessing when they would ever find the answer. That is…until Thursday.

A lack of rain has led to lower-than-usual canal levels in Cape Coral. Couple that with our summer Southwest Florida sunshine and they had a light shining on something they’ve never seen before. 

“We saw that, hey, there’s more to it. I think there’s some writing on it. And then, we were like, ‘there’s our chance’,” she said. “Now we can lift it out. My husband went into the canal, got an anchor, hooked it underneath the whole box and then pulled it towards our dock.” 

That was just the start of the battle that lasted for half of the day. 

“It was much heavier than we thought or had anticipated,” Velez said. “Once we lifted it out of the water and we could see that the sticker said News-Press.” 

Now, believe it or not, a newspaper box like this is pretty much an old-school way to get your newspaper. The News-Press told me they haven’t used these kinds of vending machines on the streets of Southwest Florida since 2018.

“That’s insane,” Velez said. “I didn’t think I would see one out on the streets if it wasn’t in a museum.” 

This newspaper box could be up to 15 years old, an antique if you will. Just a look at the price of a newspaper gives a glimpse into its age. 

“$0.75 for a newspaper daily and $1.50 for the Sunday newspaper,” Velez said. 

Today, the only thing you’re getting from this rusty old box is a stench that makes you thankful this website isn’t scratch and sniff. 

“Yucky,” she said. “Fishy. Sludgish.”

If you’re wondering why they’d go through all of this trouble, lugging this massive, stinky box through the yard and to the curb; it’s for a reason that’s fitting for the front page. 

“This is nature, our home. We should keep it clean,” Velez said.