Lottery exploring ticket sales online and at bank machines

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida Lottery is considering selling lottery tickets online or alongside ATMs to combat relatively flat sales of some of the more well-known games. Lottery officials have asked companies seeking a contract worth at least $300 million to prove that they can sell tickets on the Internet or at ATMs and […]

Man breaks into car, steals purse

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- Deputies are trying to identify a man caught on camera breaking into a car and stealing a purse. The purse was taken from the front passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee while the victim and her family stopped at the Circle K located at 13550 Tamiami Trail N. Authorities say the victim went inside the store […]

Man at center of lion hunting scandal has Marco Island home

MARCO ISLAND, Fla.- A story drawing outrage across the nation has a Southwest Florida connection. After a beloved lion named Cecil was killed during a hunt in Zimbabwe, people lashed out at the hunter, Walter Palmer, saying that the Minnesota dentist should be held accountable. Palmer owns a vacation home on Marco Island. “It’s pretty crazy, it’s pretty crazy,” […]

Applications for US jobless aid rise to still-low 267,000

WASHINGTON (AP) – More people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, though the increase was from a very low level and the figures still point to a healthy job market. Applications for jobless aid rose 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 267,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile figure that is […]

Man who killed wife, burned her body gets life sentence

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A Hillsborough County man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife – and then sentenced to an additional 30 years for burning her body. A judge sentenced 46-year-old Christopher Belcher on Wednesday after having been found guilty on Friday of second-degree murder and arson in the death of […]

US cuts estimates for economic growth over past 3 years

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy grew more slowly over the past three years than the government had previously estimated, held back by more frugal consumers and steeper spending cuts by state and local governments. The Commerce Department says the economy expanded at just a 2 percent annual rate from 2012 through 2014, down from […]

PHOTO CREDIT: MGN

Panicked 911 caller: Dispatcher had no reason to hang up

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A 911 caller said she was panicked about a friend being shot but stayed as calm as possible before a New Mexico dispatcher told her to “deal with it yourself” and hung up as she sought aid. Seventeen-year-old Esperanza Quintero told The Associated Press Wednesday that she wished dispatcher Matthew Sanchez […]

Healthy Kids: Infant care practices

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A study published this week in pediatrics reported that many doctors have neglected to advise or have misinformed mothers on the proper infant care practices. Dr. Annette St. Pierre-Mackoul joined Jen Stacey in the WINK News studio to discuss this and more. Study involved survey questions: Immunization Breastfeeding Sleep position Sleep […]

Off the Hook: George Wallace

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Get ready to laugh out loud because George Wallace is coming to Southwest Florida. He’s been on numerous late shows including The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Now you get to see him live in Naples at Off the Hook Comedy Club. First, Wallace joins […]