The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increasesSenior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
MGN HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Upstart and Itsaknockout have almost certainly done enough to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. By no means does that make the Florida Derby insignificant to either side. The last time these top 3-year-olds met was in the Fountain of Youth last month, when Upstart finished ahead of everyone else – only to be placed second behind Itsaknockout after a hotly debated ruling by stewards who decided Upstart impeded his opponent’s path. The rematch comes Saturday in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where Upstart and Itsaknockout will lead an expected field of nine. Both are virtually guaranteed spots in the Kentucky Derby based on point totals from past races, but the $600,000 winners’ share on the line in this one isn’t a small matter either. Upstart was made the early favorite at 8-5, just ahead of Itsaknockout at 2-1. “He’s coming up to the race great,” said Rick Violette, Upstart’s trainer. “He actually recovered quite well from the Fountain of Youth. That was a pretty tiring racetrack and he bounced back pretty quickly and he hasn’t had a hair out of place sense. … Trainers are tempted to tweak things, but there’s nothing to tweak.” One issue for Upstart is that he’s starting on the outside of the field, meaning a good start will be crucial in the 1 1-8 mile race. The field will start entering the first of two turns about 11 seconds after the gate opens. “It’s certainly the last choice,” Violette said of starting in the 9 post. “It’s not ideal. It’s a little bit longer run to the first turn. He’s a good horse and we’ll let him handle it.” Upstart blazed his way to a romp at Gulfstream in the Holy Bull, then looked comfortable again in the Fountain of Youth over the same surface. It will be only the fourth start for Itsaknockout, all at Gulfstream, all with trainer Todd Pletcher adding a bit of distance to the workload every time. And in every start to date, Itsaknockout’s speed numbers have gotten better. “He’s trained really well,” Pletcher said. “He’s a very consistent colt, he’s very easy to train. He’s one of those horses that does whatever you ask. You’d never know he’s in the barn.” Pletcher, who is on pace to have at least three and possibly more starters in the Kentucky Derby, said he likes the way this race sets up for Itsaknockout. “It doesn’t look on paper like this race has a ton of front-runners,” Pletcher said. “I think he’s the type of colt that’s adaptable to kind of any running style, but we’d envision him probably not being too far off of it if the pace is soft.” Pletcher has a second entrant in the Florida Derby, with Materiality running out of the second post. “I think they’re both colts that should establish a forward position in the first turn and hopefully stay out of trouble,” Pletcher said. The field, from the rail out: Ami’s Flatter, Jack Tripp, Indianaughty, Itsaknockout, Quimet, My Point Exactly, Materiality, Dekabrist and Upstart.