Chaotic lake getting fence and securityWhat we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
MONETA, Va. – The suspected shooter of a television news crew killed during a live broadcast Wednesday morning has died after shooting himself on a Virginia highway, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran said. WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward were shot to death during a live interview at a shopping center at about 6:40 a.m. Video from the interview showed Parker interviewing Vicki Garner, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber, about the center’s 50th anniversary when shots rang out. Garner, who was also shot, was last listed in stable condition at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, a former WDBJ reporter who went by Bryce Williams on-air, shot himself while in a vehicle on Interstate 66 East at mile marker 17, WDBJ reported. Virginia state troopers located Flanagan’s Chevrolet Sonic on the highway at about 11:30 a.m. “The suspect vehicle refused to stop and sped away from the trooper,” the agency said on its Facebook page. “Minutes later, the suspect vehicle ran off the road and crashed. The troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a gunshot wound.” Flanagan was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va., where he died at 1:26 p.m. Jeffrey A. Marks, WDBJ general manager, called the killings “a terrible crime against two fine journalists.” He described Flanagan as “not a happy man” with a reputation of being difficult to work with. “He was sort of looking for people to say things he could take offense to,” he said. “Eventually, after many incidents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed him. He did not take that well. We had to call the police to escort him from the building.” Racial claims Flanagan, who is black, filed an action with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after being fired from WDBJ in 2013, claiming that racial comments were made towards him during his employment, Marks said. The claim was eventually dismissed. “None of them could be corroborated by anyone,” Marks said. “We think they were fabricated.” Flanagan sued a former employer over allegations of race discrimination in 2000. While an employee at WTWC-TV in Tallahassee, Flanagan claimed a producer called him a “monkey” in 1999 and that other black employees had been called the same name by other workers. Flanagan also claimed an unnamed white supervisor at the station said black people were lazy because they did not take advantage of scholarships to attend college. The station generally denied the allegations of discrimination and said it had legitimate reasons for ending Flanagan’s employment, including poor performance, misbehavior with regard to co-workers, refusal to follow directions, use of profanity and budgetary reasons. Investigators could not say Wednesday if Flanagan’s racial claims were related to the shootings. “It’s obvious this gentleman was disturbed in someway,” Franklin County (Va.) Sheriff W.Q. “Bill” Overton Jr. said. First person video Following the shootings, a Twitter account with Flanagan’s on-air name and picture posted tweets including “Alison made racist comments,” “EEOC report filed,” “Adam went to hr on me after working with me one time” and “I filmed the shooting see Facebook.” The account has been taken down. In a first person video posted to Facebook and Twitter accounts with Flanagan’s on-air name, the shooter appeared to walk up to the victims and stand a few feet away from them while holding a handgun. The three do not seem to notice the gunman, who doesn’t start shooting until Ward points the camera at Parker and Gardner. Parker is heard screaming “Oh my God” and is seen running away as shots were fired. Roughly 15 shots can be heard, including several that were fired after the video goes dark. The camera dropped as Ward and Garner were shot. The video was also removed from social media. After Ward was shot, his television camera dropped to the ground and captured what appeared to be a fleeting image of the shooter. The person was wearing black pants and a blue top and appeared to be holding a handgun. WDBJ quickly switched back to the anchor at the station, her eyes large and jaw dropping as she said, “OK, not sure what happened there.” The station later went live again, reporting on their own station and staff as the story developed. Parker and Ward were pronounced dead at the scene. ABC News reported on its website that the network received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be Williams. The network said the fax was turned over to authorities, and did not elaborate on its contents. In love with fellow co-workers Parker and Ward were romantically involved with other employees at the station, according to Parker’s boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst. He wrote online that they hadn’t shared their relationship publicly but “were very much in love.” He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married. “I am numb,” he said. In a tweet, the station said “We love you, Alison and Adam.” Ward, 27, graduated from Virginia Tech University and was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, said WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan. “Adam was our go-to guy. He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked,” Morgan said. “He did live shots during our morning show for several years.” Ward was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, who was celebrating her last day on the job and was in the control room, watching it live, as the shooting unfolded, Marks said. Parker had just turned 24 and had joined the station as an intern after attending James Madison University, where she was the editor of the school’s newspaper, The Breeze. According to her Facebook page, Parker spent most of her life outside Martinsville, Virginia. She was an avid kayaker and attended community theater events in her spare time. “Today we received news that no family should ever hear,” Parker’s family said in a statement. “Our vivacious, ambitious, smart, engaging, hilarious, beautiful, and immensely talented Alison taken from the world. This is senseless and our family is crushed.” The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shootings happened at a mall just off Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke. The Associated Press contributed to this report.