TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
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.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
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.
MGN Online CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) – Jurors in the Colorado movie theater trial received instructions Thursday before their next round of deliberations to decide if there are any reasons to override a potential death penalty and sentence James Holmes to life without parole for 12 murders and 70 attempted murders. The lengthy instructions were the last step before closing arguments in this phase of his sentencing, which focused on Holmes’ childhood, his mental illness, his connections to people who love him and other potentially mitigating factors that would reduce his “moral culpability” and make him worthy of their mercy. Last week, jurors unanimously agreed that James Holmes’ 2012 attack was cruel enough to justify the death penalty. Now, their focus is on whether his life should be spared nevertheless. If they decide the death penalty is still an option, they would move to a final phase in which they would hear from victims and survivors. Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. described the potentially mitigating factors as any facts or circumstances in his personal history, background or mental health that make capital punishment inappropriate, despite the horrific nature of his crimes three years ago. As examples, the judge said Holmes is asserting a series factors that point to mercy, including his age and emotional state at the time of the crime, his limited capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct, his cooperation with authorities, and any other evidence introduced by his defense. More specifically, he said dozens of factors presented by the defense should be considered, including: – All experts agree that Holmes suffers from schizophrenia, is not faking the illness that caused the events, and that if he had been healthy, the crimes would not have taken place; – that “Mr. Holmes was genetically loaded to experience a psychotic disorder,” given the extensive history of schizophrenia on his father’s side of the family; – that he was 24 in 2012, the age when schizophrenics most frequently experience the onset of mental illness; – that he was never arrested before of a crime; – that he was raised in a loving home, surrounded by caring friends and neighbors; – that many people who encountered him later in Colorado missed signals that his mind was deteriorating; – that the drugs he was prescribed before the attack could have increased his mania and other dangerous symptoms. – that he remains on anti-psychotic and anti-depressive medicine today to treat brain diseases for which there is no cure. – that Holmes still struggles to explain, even years later, why his “mission” took such irrevocable control over his mind. – that his mental illness was, and still is, the sole cause of his shooting. – that committing the attack was not an act he enjoyed or took pleasure in. – that despite the horrific crime, Holmes has friends and family who continue to love and care about him. The nine women and three men were to hear closing arguments from the defense and prosecutors later Thursday before beginning deliberations in this much more subjective phase of the trial. “This is an individual decision and not a group decision,” Samour stressed, and each juror must give each aggravating and mitigating factor as much or as little weight as they alone determine. “This decision is not mechanical nor mathematical,” he said. All jurors have to agree that Holmes remains eligible for the death penalty before the trial would advance to a third and final phase. The last witness Wednesday was Arlene Holmes, who said she had no idea her son had been talking about killing people. She said her son’s campus psychiatrist never told her that he had homicidal thoughts when she called in June 2012 and revealed he was quitting therapy and dropping out of school. “Schizophrenia chose him; he didn’t choose it, and I still love my son. I still do,” she said through her sobs.