Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under wayAlamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Had Mark DeFriest just waited a couple of months to collect his inheritance, he never would have gone to prison. Had he just behaved while he was there, he would have been released more than 30 years ago. But the man dubbed Florida’s “prison Houdini” kept escaping instead of simply serving out a sentence for stealing the very mechanic tools his father left him in a will. His original four-year-sentence almost turned into a life sentence – until this week. Giving DeFriest, 54, a chance to be free after 35 years in prison, Florida’s parole commission voted Wednesday to move up his release date to March 2015 from 2085, when DeFriest would have been 124 years old. A documentary filmmaker calls it a case of a man who got trapped in a prison system that can’t handle people with mental health issues and said he hopes DeFriest’s example will inspire change. His lawyer calls the case a family matter that got out of hand. “I don’t think there was a crime committed,” said DeFriest’s attorney, John Middleton. After DeFriest’s father died, the 19-year-old didn’t wait for the will to be read before collecting the mechanic tools, using a key to get them from his father’s shed, Middleton said. His stepmother reported him to the police, and when they questioned him, he ran. It didn’t help that he had a gun, though he never pulled it. Things snowballed from there and during his first escape he climbed over razor wire and ran. In all, he had seven successful escapes in 13 attempts. He was also charged with stealing a car at gunpoint and breaking into a friend’s home after one escape. Each offense added more time to his sentence, and behavior problems gave the parole commission no reason to move up his release date. He has nearly 400 disciplinary reports on file, including 65 from 1983 alone. Middleton said that in one incident, DeFriest duplicated the master key at Florida State Prison, the toughest in the state’s system, and let out fellow inmates to roam around. Filmmaker Gabriel London, who has made a documentary called “The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest,” argues that DeFriest’s troubles stem from his mental health issues. London and Middleton believe DeFriest has autism, but also functions at a high level. They call him a genius and a savant. “He has a meticulous, disciplined, incredibly skilled mechanical mind that can pick up anything,” London said. After glancing at keys dangling from guards’ belts, London said DeFriest was able to memorize the patterns and fabricate his own key. But he also uses his skills to create intricate art out of materials like paper chip bag foil and Popsicle sticks. After a 1981 escape, Bay County prison authorities placed DeFriest in total darkness with no clothes, no blankets, no toilet paper and no human contact for 11 days. Middleton said DeFriest has been assaulted several times in prisons and at one point spent years without being allowed yard time. That’s why he kept trying to escape – not because he wasn’t willing to complete his sentence, the lawyer said. DeFriest has been kept in out-of-state prisons for his own protection since 1999 after witnessing guards beat another prisoner to death. State prison officials won’t disclose where he is and did not immediately comment on DeFriest’s case. While DeFriest still has time to serve for prison offenses in Alabama and California, Middleton is working to have the remaining sentences reduced or dropped. In a best case scenario, DeFriest will be free sometime next year. At worst, sometime in 2018, he said. DeFriest’s wife, Bonnie, married him while he was serving his sentence. She is lining up work for him using his mechanical skills. Middleton is confident he will succeed outside of prison. “Mark is not going to go out there and rob stores,” he said. “This man is not stupid. He’s extremely intelligent, and very talented.” After the hearing London called Bonnie DeFriest to tell her the news. “Mark’s gonna get out of prison,” London said. “That’s marvelous!” she said. “That’s really great. That’s what we hoped for.”