Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from HeleneSanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
MGN ATLANTA (AP) – For the third time in four months, federal prosecutors have accused Georgia inmates of using contraband cellphones to run criminal operations from their prison cells. An indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses 17 people of participating in a drug trafficking ring that distributed significant quantities of crystal methamphetamine in metro Atlanta and elsewhere. Georgia inmates Francisco Palacios Baras, Johnathan Corey McLoon and Christopher Wayne Hildebrand used contraband cellphones to manage a network of brokers, distributors and runners from their prison cells, according to the indictment filed on Jan. 5. It was not immediately clear whether any of those named in the indictment had attorneys who could comment on the charges. The indictment comes on the heels of two others filed in September by federal prosecutors in Atlanta that also targeted the use of contraband cellphones by Georgia inmates. Those indictments alleged that inmates used the cellphones to traffic drugs, smuggle in contraband, steal identities and, in at least one case, to arrange a violent attack on an inmate suspected of snitching. The newest indictment says the three inmates in the latest case used smart phones to communicate with the members of their network via calls, text messages and the WhatsApp messaging service. Prosecutors say Palacios Baras used multiple contraband phones simultaneously on multiple occasions. “Once again, inmates have gained access to contraband cellular telephones and used them to organize and manage an extensive criminal enterprise from inside prison,” U.S. Attorney John Horn said. “It makes no sense that, where prison is supposed to remove criminals from our community and rehabilitate them, the inmates continue to victimize society from behind prison bars.” The indictment does not specify the quantity of drugs the alleged trafficking ring is accused of distributing or the amount of money it took in, and the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment. Palacios Baras, 36, an inmate at Hancock State Prison in Sparta, was serving a sentence of life in prison on charges including kidnapping. He’s also known as “Chapparro,” ”Shorty” and “Kiko.” McLoon, 30, an inmate at Valdosta State Prison in Valdosta who’s also known as “Drop,” was serving 20 years on charges including armed robbery. Hildebrand, 33, an inmate at Coastal Transition Center in Savannah, was serving 20 years on charges including aggravated battery. Each of the three inmates now faces a federal charge of conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. Prosecutors have also charged them with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute – one count for Hildebrand, two counts for McLoon and 11 counts for Palacios Baras. The 14 others named in the indictment face similar charges. Some of them were already in federal or state custody on other charges, and others were arrested Tuesday. The problem of contraband cellphones in prison is a national one, but in Georgia prisons alone, more than 8,300 cellphones were seized in 2015. Some are brought in by prison staff, visitors and inmates returning from off-site work detail, while others are tossed or flown by drone over a prison fence.