12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidaysFort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
LABELLE, Fla — The president of Hendry County’s oldest and largest monkey-breeding farm confirmed its “Panther Tracks” facility located near Immokalee performs tests on its monkeys. Thomas Rowell confirmed exclusively with WINK News that part of Primate Products business operations includes “usage” — the practice of obtaining bodily specimines from non-human primates then selling them to buyers. Rowell said this includes monkey body fluids such as blood, spinal fluid and saliva. He says this accounts for all of the incidents reported to the USDA which falls under animal research, tests and experiments. WINK News first obtained government inspection documents earlier this week, detailing the hundreds of tests performed by Primate Products in 2011. In a 2012 pre-application permit filed with Hendry County’s planning and zoning department, Primate Products representative Ed Marshburn told county planners “no research or testing is being conducted on site.” Hendry County officials claim they never knew the company was conducting tests or experiments and asked for the documents obtained by WINK News. Officials have said animal experimentation would be a code violation. A county spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday they are investigating possible code violations by Primate Products in light of the newly-discovered documents. She says the county will make a decision regarding possible action against the company next week. The announcement comes on the same day WINK News released a second set of government documents revealing more possible testing and experiments by another one of Hendry County’s monkey farms. A 2007 USDA annual inspection showed hundreds of cases of testing or experiments on non-human primates by the Mannheimer Foundation. The company operates “Haman Ranch” near LaBelle and had 2,398 primates, according a September inspection report. A July 2013 inspection report revealed the facility violated documentation practices when surgeries were performed on nine monkeys. The inspector reported surgery details were missing, and it was not indicated how or why the surgeries were performed. WINK News went to Haman Ranch to ask about possible monkey testing and experiments at the site. The facility’s security guard asked for the news crew to wait at the gate, but nobody from Haman Ranch ever came to answer questions. Activists and angry Hendry County residents poured into the county’s board-of-commissioners meeting on Tuesday, declaring their displeasure with the non-public dealings with the monkey farms. They say they were shocked to learn Primate Products expanded its operations in the county and is leasing facilities to another monkey-breeder, BioCulture. Primate Products president Rowell said he could not discuss private business matters when asked if the property would now house more than 10,000 monkeys. Rowell reaffirmed his position that his company has made large contributions to the county in its many years of operation, and reiterated that Primate Products was solicited by members of Hendry County’s economic development office 15 years ago before it built the monkey farm.