House fire in Naples causes balcony collapseEarly voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election
NAPLES House fire in Naples causes balcony collapse The Naples Fire Rescue Department responded to a house fire that occurred Monday evening.
Early voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election Florida is an early voting state, allowing residents to exercise their voting rights before Election Day.
Fort Myers job fair begins; over 100 openings available To revitalize the Southwest Florida community after recent hurricanes, several hiring organizations are stepping in and coming together for the JobLink 2024 Job Fair.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs man accused of breaking into and trashing business A Bonita Springs man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a cell phone store and stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
26th Florida panther death of 2024, struck by vehicle in Collier County A 1.5-year-old female Florida panther was struck by a vehicle in Collier County, marking the 26th time the endangered species was killed in 2024.
Lee County schedules water outage, boil notice in several areas Lee County Utilities is turning off the water for around 400 families as part of a scheduled outage and boil notice.
the weather authority More sunshine and warmer temperatures for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures as the clouds clear out for more sun this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
PUNTA GORDA Navigating trick-or-treating on debris lined streets in Charlotte County Some little witches and warlocks will have to brave debris-lined streets this Halloween. Many areas of Charlotte County are still in clean-up mode after facing Hurricane Milton’s wrath.
matlacha Tensions flare in Matlacha as locals, officials clash over rebuilding efforts Things got chaotic as the Matlacha Civic Association held a meeting in the RE/MAX parking lot about how to go about rebuilding on the island.
MIAMI Miami Heat honor Dwyane Wade with statue The Miami Heat recognized it’s Hall of Fame superstar Dwyane Wade with a eight-foot tall statue outside the Kaseya Center.
FORT MYERS FMPD found the SUV possibly involved in fatal shooting near Colonial Blvd. and Ortiz Ave. The Fort Myers Police Department is searching for an SUV that was possibly involved in the fatal shooting near Colonial Boulevard.
manasota key Dead fish line Charlotte County beaches: is red tide to blame? A sight no one wants to see: dead fish have begun to accumulate along the coast in Charlotte County, could it be red tide?
Special meeting to discuss mission agreement at Lee Health There’s a big shift on the horizon for healthcare in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers city leaders discuss long and short-term solutions to Caloosahatchee River flooding It’s no secret… after any major storm areas near the Caloosahatchee River take on water.
NAPLES House fire in Naples causes balcony collapse The Naples Fire Rescue Department responded to a house fire that occurred Monday evening.
Early voting locations in Southwest Florida for 2024 election Florida is an early voting state, allowing residents to exercise their voting rights before Election Day.
Fort Myers job fair begins; over 100 openings available To revitalize the Southwest Florida community after recent hurricanes, several hiring organizations are stepping in and coming together for the JobLink 2024 Job Fair.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs man accused of breaking into and trashing business A Bonita Springs man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a cell phone store and stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
26th Florida panther death of 2024, struck by vehicle in Collier County A 1.5-year-old female Florida panther was struck by a vehicle in Collier County, marking the 26th time the endangered species was killed in 2024.
Lee County schedules water outage, boil notice in several areas Lee County Utilities is turning off the water for around 400 families as part of a scheduled outage and boil notice.
the weather authority More sunshine and warmer temperatures for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures as the clouds clear out for more sun this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
PUNTA GORDA Navigating trick-or-treating on debris lined streets in Charlotte County Some little witches and warlocks will have to brave debris-lined streets this Halloween. Many areas of Charlotte County are still in clean-up mode after facing Hurricane Milton’s wrath.
matlacha Tensions flare in Matlacha as locals, officials clash over rebuilding efforts Things got chaotic as the Matlacha Civic Association held a meeting in the RE/MAX parking lot about how to go about rebuilding on the island.
MIAMI Miami Heat honor Dwyane Wade with statue The Miami Heat recognized it’s Hall of Fame superstar Dwyane Wade with a eight-foot tall statue outside the Kaseya Center.
FORT MYERS FMPD found the SUV possibly involved in fatal shooting near Colonial Blvd. and Ortiz Ave. The Fort Myers Police Department is searching for an SUV that was possibly involved in the fatal shooting near Colonial Boulevard.
manasota key Dead fish line Charlotte County beaches: is red tide to blame? A sight no one wants to see: dead fish have begun to accumulate along the coast in Charlotte County, could it be red tide?
Special meeting to discuss mission agreement at Lee Health There’s a big shift on the horizon for healthcare in Lee County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers city leaders discuss long and short-term solutions to Caloosahatchee River flooding It’s no secret… after any major storm areas near the Caloosahatchee River take on water.
They have been part of our families for decades, but now animals are also helping to improve our health. Seniors in one community continue to flock to llamas brought in as therapy animals. “It’s pretty unusual when you say you have a therapy llama. I get some pretty weird reactions,” said therapy llama owner Niki Kuklenski. Kuklenski’s pets are part of a growing trend of nontraditional animals used for therapy in a group, to provide emotional support to an owner, or to perform service for someone with a physical or psychiatric disability. “It makes me feel pretty good knowing that we’re affecting these people in a really positive way,” said Drew Hartley, a therapy llama handler. Professor Aubrey Fine studies how nine species from birds to pigs can unleash benefits for owners dealing with depression or other medical conditions. “It changes your neurotransmitters. Even looking at fish, there’s been research that has shown that being around a calm school of fish and looking at the fish actually supports the decrease of anxiety,” he said. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act says public places have to allow service dogs or miniature horses, it does not cover other species. Yet some owners say different federal laws suggest that with a doctor’s note, they may be allowed to take any emotional support animal with them in three key places: airplanes, workplace, and homes. “It’s good for us not to judge but to kind of, to try to understand what these animals do and the types of independence and support that they can provide for people,” said Rachel Weisberg, staff attorney with Equip for Equality. An airline, employer or landlord that must allow nontraditional animals can ask for proof of the emotional support, unlike for traditional service dogs, where all businesses can ask is what task the dog is trained to perform. “What are we more concerned about: are we concerned about abuses in the system, or are we concerned with making sure that people with disabilities don’t have to carry medical information and their privacy and have to disclose everything about their medical situations each and every time they go into a restaurant or go into a store?” asked Weisberg. Kuklenski has paperwork showing her furry friends are safe. “When they just stand there and let people pet them or hug them or they reach down and kiss them on command, for a lot of people that’s very soothing,” she said. Handlers of therapy animals must go through a rigorous evaluation and training process with national organizations for animal-assisted therapy like “Pet Partners.” On the other hand, service dogs can be trained by anyone, including their owner, and the law does not require they register with any agency or wear a vest or any special identification.