What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride alongThe Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida
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.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
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.
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.
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.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
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.
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.
Mike Mozart/ Flickr/ MGN NEW YORK (AP) – There are few places where evolving technology has been more disruptive than in the work place, which played out again Wednesday as Staples announced it would spend about $6 billion to buy Office Depot. Once one-time rivals will no longer compete in close proximity for the same customers, instead putting up a front of 4,000 stores to hold off encroachments from the likes of Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon.com. Annual sales of the new office-supply giant are expected to approach $39 billion. The two companies tried to combine forces before but were successfully blocked by anti-trust regulators. That was almost 20 years ago, however, and with the boards of both companies signing on unanimously to try it again, they appear confident that their landscape has changed substantially. “This is a transformational acquisition which enables Staples to provide more value to customers, and more effectively compete in a rapidly evolving competitive environment,” said Staples CEO and Chairman Ron Sargent. Big wholesalers and office supply manufacturers that will have one less company to sell products to may see it differently, said Citi Investment Research’s Kate McShane. It was slightly more than a year ago that Office Depot merged with OfficeMax for much the same reason. And it is the nod from regulators on that $1.2 billion deal in late 2013 that may be giving the companies more confidence that they now see things from their perspective. Sargent said Wednesday that while they do not know how the Federal Trade Commission will react, a lot has changed. When the FTC closed its investigation into the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax it seemed to agree, saying that the market for the sale of consumable office supplies had changed significantly. Staples did touch on some of those monopoly issues Wednesday, saying that it’s not required to close the deal with Office Depot if antitrust authorities require divestitures that deliver more than $1.25 billion of Office Depot’s 2014 revenues in the U.S. or if a requirement of the antitrust authorities has a material adverse effect on Office Depot’s operations outside of the U.S. While Sargent said it’s too early to talk about specific integration plans for the company, Staples and Office Depot each plan to close stores this year. Staples previously announced that it would close up to 225 stores by the end of 2015. Sargent said Wednesday that those plans haven’t changed. Office Depot CEO Roland Smith said the chain is looking to close 135 stores this year. In the proposed deal, Office Depot Inc. shareholders will receive $7.25 in cash and 0.2188 of a share in Staples Inc. at closing. The transaction values Office Depot at $11 per share, which is based on Staples’ Monday closing stock price – the last trading day before initial reports of a buyout began to leak. The companies put the deal’s equity value at $6.3 billion. Office Depot shareholders will own about 16 percent of the combined company. Framingham, Massachusetts, where Staples is based, will serve as headquarters for the combined company. Sargent said that Staples will maintain a presence in Boca Raton, Florida, where Office Depot is based. Staples expects to realize at least $1 billion in annual cost savings by the third full fiscal year after the transaction is complete. “These savings will dramatically accelerate our strategic reinvention which is focused on driving growth in our delivery businesses and in categories beyond office supplies,” said Sargent, who will be chairman and CEO. The companies said Wednesday that they began negotiating in September, perhaps attempting to diminish what was seen as pressure on Staples from activist investors to do just that. Hedge fund Starboard Value LP disclosed a 5.1 percent stake in Staples in December and last month began publicly urging it to make a move on Office Depot. The deal is expected to close by year’s end, but still needs approval from Office Depot shareholders. Once the closing occurs, Staples board will increase from 11 to 13 members and include two Office Depot directors approved by Staples. Staples said that it is temporarily suspending its stock buybacks so that it can concentrate on paying down debt related to the deal. It has agreed to pay a $250 million termination fee if the deal is called off due to antitrust roadblocks. There will be $1 billion in one-time costs related to the transaction. Shares of Staples shed fell $1.39, or 7.3 percent, to $17.62 in morning trading. Office Depot’s stock added 26 cents to $9.54.