Chaotic lake getting fence and securityWhat we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Pine Island Road is no stranger to crashes. On Saturday, Mary Lou Sharp lost her life when she got hit by a car while she was eating lunch at That BBQ Place, a roadside restaurant in Matlacha. Pine Island Road was built years ago before Southwest Florida took off, but it wasn’t built to sustain the amount of traffic it serves daily. Mary Lou isn’t the first to be killed on this road. In 2020, the Blue Dog Bar and Grill, right across the street from That BBQ Place, suffered property damage after a car veered off the road and hit the restaurant. That BBQ Place Owner John Petrus said people pay no attention to the 30 miles-per-hour speed limit. “Some of them think that they can drive down at 40 miles an hour to pass people turning into Blue Dog and yell and scream at us for putting signs out or putting cones out to keep them from doing it because we’ve inconvenienced them for four seconds,” Petrus said. Petrus was not the only one to express concerns. Several people WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean spoke to said the same thing. “I’ve invited the sheriff’s department to sit on my driveway. They have yet to take me up on that,” said Petrus, “I will block off my driveway.” Some people say that speeding is so bad that there is an increase in police presence. On Tuesday, WINK saw multiple police vehicles camped out, catching people for speeding. But many say they still feel the road is very dangerous and has been for years. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also said they get many reports of speeding on Pine Island Road. In addition to speeding, concerns are that drivers aren’t paying attention to pedestrians. WINK News reached out to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for data. They provided information related to the intersections of Burnt Store and Pine Island Rd, and Stringfellow and Pine Island Rd so far this year. Burnt Store/Pine Island Rd had 11 traffic stops (9 of this having tickets or warnings issued), no crashes. Stringfellow/Pine Island has had 12 traffic stops (all resulting in tickets or warnings), and no crashes listed. It will take time to pull data from the specific stretch of road in Matlacha, but WINK News will keep you updated. Cody Allen with Matlacha and Pine Island Fire tried to help on Saturday. He was working when he got the call that five people had been hit by a car. He saw the chaotic scene. “Anything of that nature and that mechanism, it’s going to be a highly emotionally charged scene,” Allen said. He grew up in Southwest Florida and has been called to Matlacha several times since working at the station. With all that foot traffic, there’s going to be an element of danger associated with it when you have people walking around highly trafficked area,” Allen said. Construction crews with Florida Department of Transportation have been working on the bridge and roadway. Only time will tell if it makes the road safer. Here is the project website: 451937-2 Pine Island Causeway and Bridge Reconstruction Project WINK News spoke with Janella Newsome from the Florida Department of Transportation. “We are making sure the barrels or the cones are quite visible. We will also make sure that our employees can be well seen as people are making their travel through,” Newsome said. “We’re doing everything that we possibly know to do to keep motorists safe and to also keep the traffic flowing in a safe manner. But we can’t do it alone.” She went on to say, “We’ve got to have the help of the drivers themselves. And so that means making sure that you stay alert and be vigilant right. Be aware of your surroundings, cars in front of you and back have you, be aware of the speed limit.” Unfortunately, there may not be a fix for Pine Island Road’s dangers. Stay alert when driving and walking around.