Punta Gorda man dies after fire is sparked by Helene’s floodingSanibel businesses work to recover after Helene
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man dies after fire is sparked by Helene’s flooding Hurricane Helene was not kind to Charlotte County, and on Monday night, people are picking up the pieces and grieving the loss of a neighbor.
SANIBEL Sanibel businesses work to recover after Helene There’s no “Going back to normal” on Sanibel after Ian, but Helene isn’t stopping people as they work towards a “New normal.”
MATLACHA Sisters fly to Matlacha to help father rebuild after Hurricane Helene’s destruction Hurricane Helene has affected people not just in southwest Florida but also people across the country.
Recovery efforts at Sugar Sand Beach RV Resort Almost everyone on Matlacha and Pine Island is focused on the same thing: Recovery.
MANASOTA KEY Cleaning up Manasota Key after Helene Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding that seemed to spare no one on Manasota Key. Two families share their cleanup stories with WINK News.
PUNTA GORDA Historic District in Punta Gorda recovering after Helene So much of Southwest Florida continues to recover in the aftermath of Helene, especially in areas on the coast.
Florida Blue and NCH reach an agreement Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and Florida Blue have until midnight on Monday to reach a deal on a new contract.
Fort Myers Beach cleans up after Helene For many, Fort Myers Beach has been the epicenter of hope and recovery after Ian. Now people are looking back at the island town again after Hurricane Helene.
NORTH PORT New details emerge confirming state investigation into Heritage Insurance WINK News is breaking new details on a criminal investigation into an insurance company where customers claim they were left with wrecked homes after Ian and no money to rebuild.
LABELLE Linemen get superhero sendoff as they help with Helene recovery Local linemen get superhero sendoff as they head North to help with Helene recovery efforts in other states
FORT MYERS Man arrested after Fort Myers police confiscate nearly $1M and almost 700g of fentanyl The Fort Myers police department has arrested a man in connection with a large-scale drug operation.
PORT CHARLOTTE Animal shelter in Charlotte Harbor devastated by Helene is seeking support Dogs looking for homes have had their temporary home taken away by the storm surge of Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Dean Park residents continue dealing with flooding issues after Helene Dean Park in Fort Myers looks different than it did a week ago. Couches, tables, mattresses, and an assortment of people’s possessions litter the neighborhood leftover from Hurricane Helene.
LEE COUNTY Heritage Farms community recovering from Hurricane Helene Just like Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Helene sent water into homes in the Heritage Farms community, sending people back into clean up mode.
FORT MYERS BEACH Cleaning up after Helene on Fort Myers Beach Hurricane Helene brought havoc to Florida, especially on Fort Myers Beach. Residents were forced to evacuate, and homes even flooded. It also triggered anxiety from Hurricane Ian.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man dies after fire is sparked by Helene’s flooding Hurricane Helene was not kind to Charlotte County, and on Monday night, people are picking up the pieces and grieving the loss of a neighbor.
SANIBEL Sanibel businesses work to recover after Helene There’s no “Going back to normal” on Sanibel after Ian, but Helene isn’t stopping people as they work towards a “New normal.”
MATLACHA Sisters fly to Matlacha to help father rebuild after Hurricane Helene’s destruction Hurricane Helene has affected people not just in southwest Florida but also people across the country.
Recovery efforts at Sugar Sand Beach RV Resort Almost everyone on Matlacha and Pine Island is focused on the same thing: Recovery.
MANASOTA KEY Cleaning up Manasota Key after Helene Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding that seemed to spare no one on Manasota Key. Two families share their cleanup stories with WINK News.
PUNTA GORDA Historic District in Punta Gorda recovering after Helene So much of Southwest Florida continues to recover in the aftermath of Helene, especially in areas on the coast.
Florida Blue and NCH reach an agreement Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and Florida Blue have until midnight on Monday to reach a deal on a new contract.
Fort Myers Beach cleans up after Helene For many, Fort Myers Beach has been the epicenter of hope and recovery after Ian. Now people are looking back at the island town again after Hurricane Helene.
NORTH PORT New details emerge confirming state investigation into Heritage Insurance WINK News is breaking new details on a criminal investigation into an insurance company where customers claim they were left with wrecked homes after Ian and no money to rebuild.
LABELLE Linemen get superhero sendoff as they help with Helene recovery Local linemen get superhero sendoff as they head North to help with Helene recovery efforts in other states
FORT MYERS Man arrested after Fort Myers police confiscate nearly $1M and almost 700g of fentanyl The Fort Myers police department has arrested a man in connection with a large-scale drug operation.
PORT CHARLOTTE Animal shelter in Charlotte Harbor devastated by Helene is seeking support Dogs looking for homes have had their temporary home taken away by the storm surge of Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Dean Park residents continue dealing with flooding issues after Helene Dean Park in Fort Myers looks different than it did a week ago. Couches, tables, mattresses, and an assortment of people’s possessions litter the neighborhood leftover from Hurricane Helene.
LEE COUNTY Heritage Farms community recovering from Hurricane Helene Just like Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Helene sent water into homes in the Heritage Farms community, sending people back into clean up mode.
FORT MYERS BEACH Cleaning up after Helene on Fort Myers Beach Hurricane Helene brought havoc to Florida, especially on Fort Myers Beach. Residents were forced to evacuate, and homes even flooded. It also triggered anxiety from Hurricane Ian.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police / MGN/ dconvertini / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 LAS VEGAS (AP) – A woman accused of intentionally plowing a car into a crowd of pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk had marijuana in her system, but prosecutors said Wednesday that it’s unlikely she will be charged with driving under the influence. Tests showed that Lakeisha Nicole Holloway, 24, had more than the Nevada legal limit of pot and its metabolic byproducts in her blood when she was arrested shortly after the Dec. 20 crash, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said. However, he and prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said the test results do not change the initial charges of murder, child endangerment and felony hit-and-run against Holloway. “The amount of marijuana and marijuana metabolite does not appear to be enough to affect her mental state at the time of the crime,” DiGiacomo said. “She intentionally drove into the crowd.” The 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana in Holloway’s blood were above the 2-nanogram limit in Nevada. The 23.6 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana metabolites in her system were above the 5-nanogram state limit. Holloway’s court-appointed defense attorneys, Joseph Abood and Scott Coffee, said the amounts don’t prove that her driving was affected. “If those levels are true, they are extremely low and they don’t indicate that she was impaired in any way,” Abood said. Coffee noted that the results undercut the findings of a police drug-recognition expert who examined Holloway after her arrest and reported that she appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant. “It’s good to see the concerns about … some kind of stimulant weren’t borne out,” Coffee said. While the level of metabolite in Holloway’s system was above state limits, it was below a limit of 50 nanograms per milliliter set by the federal Department of Transportation for pilots, overland truckers and other interstate drivers, Coffee said. Holloway is jailed on suicide watch pending a Jan. 20 court date. The crash outside the Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas resorts killed Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona. Authorities said least 35 people from several states, Mexico and Canada were injured. One person is still in critical condition Wednesday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen said. The child endangerment charge against Holloway stems from allegations that her 3-year-old daughter was in the car at the time of the crash. Child welfare officials have custody of the girl, who wasn’t injured. Police say Holloway arrived in Las Vegas earlier this month from Portland, Oregon, and told investigators that she and her daughter had been living in the car that she parked at casinos. Authorities said she may have been on her way to Texas to see the girl’s father at the time of the crash. Holloway has made one court appearance and hasn’t been asked to enter a plea, but Abood and Coffee say they expect her to plead not guilty. Prosecutors say they expect to file additional charges as police continue to interview witnesses, possibly including attempted murder.