The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropicsWoodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The final part of WINK News’ series on the Fort Myers Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy. The class is designed to bring better communication between citizens and officials. For some of class members, it gave them a whole new outlook on local law enforcement. On a Saturday night, WINK News reporter Sam Smink went on a ride-along with Officer David Dietz. Two minutes into the shift, the officer was already on a call. “We are going to go to a breach of peace. It is an argument between a female and her boyfriend. Apparently the boyfriend has had a little too much to drink. She wants him to leave, and he doesn’t want to leave,” said Dietz. Officer Dietz says traffic stops and breaches of peace, are the two most dangerous calls an officer can face, because of their unpredictability. In light of recent police activity in the news, I asked how do you not go into every call, automatically aggressive, possibly making something worse than it is? “How do you do that? I don’t know how to explain how you do that. It’s just kind of something you learn doing the job pretty much,” said Dietz. “You’ve got to be the level headed one going in, maintaining control.” He adds, “we have had people come here, and after a month or two, put the badge on the desk of the sarge and say ‘I can’t do this anymore. I’m not used people hating me.'” The brutal honesty of the ride-alongs was something each member of the CPA class said really stuck with them. Each class member took a different journey during the 10 weeks. Alexia Dixon, who just moved to Southwest Florida from California, only knew about the police through what her friends said. “Some have told me the police pick on them. Say they are walking down the street, kind of harass them sometimes,” said Dixon. Marlette Wells has lived in Dunbar her whole life. “I was kind of angry,” said Wells, “I had a negative attitude toward cops.” Judy Nedeau from Maine enrolled after watching police controversy take over the news. “You know, you say, ‘do I have a distorted view of my upbringing?” Captain Dennis Eads is the fearless leader of the academy. For 10 weeks, he’s tried to show members what it’s really like to be police officers. “It takes more than words to bridge a gap,” said Eads. “What I found is, it’s a bad cop, or bad apple in every bunch, and it doesn’t make the whole batch spoil,” said Wells. In some shape or form, everyone in the class agreed, that the honesty of the course really surprised them. They felt there were real conversations between them and the police. Captain Eads says his goal was to be as honest as possible. The Citizen Police Academy runs twice a year and is free to anyone. If you’re interested, you can contact the Fort Myers Police Department.