Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approachesFew showers this Monday afternoon after a pleasant and dry morning
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers this Monday afternoon after a pleasant and dry morning The Weather Authority is tracking a cool and pleasant Monday morning start with the possibility of afternoon rain showers.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, and 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting While details are limited, what is available is that Lee County Sheriff’s deputies are actively investigating a shooting that killed one man.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
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.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers this Monday afternoon after a pleasant and dry morning The Weather Authority is tracking a cool and pleasant Monday morning start with the possibility of afternoon rain showers.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, and 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting While details are limited, what is available is that Lee County Sheriff’s deputies are actively investigating a shooting that killed one man.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
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.
Robert Linsdell / CC BY 2.0 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – When the Universal Orlando theme park opened in 1990, it was a way for visitors to have fun inspired by the movies they loved – without traveling to California. Director Steven Spielberg held the scissors at the ribbon-cutting. One of the first rides was themed on his movie “E.T.” Even ads for the park had the tone of a movie-quality teaser, promising the “greatest Hollywood production ever.” Jason Surrell, creative director at Universal Creative, saw that ad while still in college. “This is one of the reasons I moved down to Florida because at the time I knew it was becoming Hollywood east,” he said. One thing the new Florida park couldn’t do was show visitors the authentic Hollywood backlots in Los Angeles where Universal has made movies for over a century. Those backlot tours remain a staple of the company’s first theme park, Universal Studios Hollywood, which opened in 1964. But in the last 25 years, Universal Orlando has emerged from the shadow of its older sister park to forge its own identity celebrating the entertainment industry. It’s built thrilling roller coasters, incorporated the latest interactive technology into rides and in 2010 opened one of the most successful attractions in theme park history, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with a second Potter area added in 2014. It’s also grown from a single theme park, the original Universal Studios Florida, to two, with the opening of Islands of Adventure in 1999. That’s when the complex was renamed Universal Orlando Resort. The CityWalk dining and entertainment area was added that year as well. Today there are also four hotels, with 18 new attractions and experiences added in the last five years. Growth through 2017 includes the new Skull Island: Reign of Kong attraction, themed on King Kong, along with another hotel and a new water theme park, Volcano Bay. Both the Orlando and California parks had record attendance this past summer, thanks to the Potter attractions in Florida and the Fast & Furious-Supercharged ride in California. Comcast’s NBCUniversal division, which owns the Universal theme parks, said in October that its parks division generated $896 million in revenue for the third quarter. The Hollywood park will open its own Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2016. One thing that’s defined Universal Orlando’s rides since the beginning is an emphasis on the latest technology, said Chick Russell, a Universal Creative director and executive producer who’s worked on the Potter attractions and others. Even in the park’s early days, the E.T. Adventure ride invited patrons to tell the host their names at the beginning of the ride, and a robotic E.T. would repeat the names later. “That was a pretty advanced thing to do 25 years ago,” Surrell said. In 1996, the Terminator 2: 3-D attraction opened, bringing 3-D effects and live-action actors to the park. More recent rides, like those inspired by “Spider-Man” and “Transformers” movies, “create the illusion of speed and the excitement you wish you could live when you see the films,” Russell said. The Harry Potter attractions offer an even more immersive experience, wrapping guests into a realistically detailed fictional world the minute they step into Diagon Alley. It’s a trend Universal expects to continue in its next 25 years. “It feels like we’ve evolved from riding the movies to living the movies,” Surrell said. “It’s really about putting people right square in the middle of the action.”