Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from theĀ Loteria GrandeĀ Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.Ā
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL Police respond to home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department deployed police and forensics to a scene located on Southeast 5th Place.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commission meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Victim identified in Charlotte County shooting A victim has been identified after a shooting on Nasturtium Drive early Monday morning.
Advanced care for lung cancer patients in Lee County The outlook for lung cancer is typically not good, mostly because it’s often picked up in late stages. However, Lee Health hopes to change that trajectory by launching a new advanced care center focusing on lung disease.
CHARLOTTE PARK After the storm: Harbor Belle RV Resort faces a slow path to recovery Here on WINK News, we have told you about the devastation at the Harbor Belle RV Resort in Charlotte Park and how, for months, many people did not have power.
New K-9 honors fallen Fort Myers officer A Fort Myers police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice serving southwest Florida gets a unique honor.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from theĀ Loteria GrandeĀ Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.Ā
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL Police respond to home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department deployed police and forensics to a scene located on Southeast 5th Place.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commission meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Victim identified in Charlotte County shooting A victim has been identified after a shooting on Nasturtium Drive early Monday morning.
Advanced care for lung cancer patients in Lee County The outlook for lung cancer is typically not good, mostly because it’s often picked up in late stages. However, Lee Health hopes to change that trajectory by launching a new advanced care center focusing on lung disease.
CHARLOTTE PARK After the storm: Harbor Belle RV Resort faces a slow path to recovery Here on WINK News, we have told you about the devastation at the Harbor Belle RV Resort in Charlotte Park and how, for months, many people did not have power.
New K-9 honors fallen Fort Myers officer A Fort Myers police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice serving southwest Florida gets a unique honor.
KATU / MGN BURNS, Ore. (AP) – The last four armed occupiers of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon said they would turn themselves in Thursday after facing authorities who came to the property more than a month into the takeover. A roadblock leading to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was quiet except for a large group of media awaiting the holdouts, a departure from the confrontation late Wednesday that played out via a phone line streamed live over the Internet. At the refuge, the occupiers yelled at officers to back off and prayed with supporters over the open phone line streamed by an acquaintance of holdout David Fry. Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio, sounded increasingly unraveled as he continually yelled, at times hysterically, at what he said was an FBI negotiator. “You’re going to hell. Kill me. Get it over with,” he said. “We’re innocent people camping at a public facility, and you’re going to murder us. “The only way we’re leaving here is dead or without charges,” Fry said, adding that armored vehicles surrounded their camp. He and three others are the last remnants of an armed group led by Ammon Bundy that seized the refuge on Jan. 2 to demand public lands be turned over to locals. The three others are Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada; and married couple Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho. A Nevada legislator, Michele Fiore, called the occupiers to try to get them to calm down. “I need you guys alive,” said the Republican member of the Nevada Assembly who had been in Portland to support the jailed Bundy. She told occupiers that she was driving to the refuge to try to help negotiate their exit. They prayed with Fiore and others as the confrontation dragged on for hours. Finally, Sean Anderson said he spoke with the FBI and that the occupiers all would turn themselves in at a nearby FBI checkpoint Thursday morning. He relayed the news to Fiore. “We’re not surrendering, we’re turning ourselves in. It’s going against everything we believe in,” he said. Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said the situation had reached a point where it “became necessary to take action” to ensure the safety of all involved. One of the occupiers rode an ATV outside “the barricades established by the militia” at the refuge, Bretzing said in a statement. When FBI agents tried to approach the driver, Fry said he returned to the camp at a “high rate of speed.” The FBI placed agents at barricades around the occupiers’ camp, Bretzing said. “It has never been the FBI’s desire to engage these armed occupiers in any way other than through dialogue, and to that end, the FBI has negotiated with patience and restraint in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully,” he said. The development came as Cliven Bundy – who is the father of Ammon Bundy and led a Nevada standoff with federal authorities in 2014 – was arrested in Portland after encouraging supporters to flock to Oregon to support the occupiers. The FBI confirmed he was taken into custody but declined to provide a reason or other details. Federal authorities likely decided to move in over concerns about dealing with a larger group, an expert said. “The FBI looks at the concept of group dynamics, and they don’t have the upper hand with a big and ungainly crowd,” said Brian Levin, a criminal justice professor at California State University, San Bernardino. “When you’ve got many armed people taking positions, it’s not going to end well.” For weeks, authorities had allowed the occupiers to come and go freely from the remote refuge, leading to criticism from local officials and residents that law enforcement wasn’t doing enough to end the standoff. The four had refused to leave even after Ammon Bundy and others were arrested on a road outside the refuge on Jan. 26. The traffic stop also led police to shoot and kill Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, who the FBI says was reaching for a gun. Most of the occupiers fled the refuge after that. Authorities then surrounded the property and later got the holdouts added to an indictment charging 16 people with conspiracy to interfere with federal workers. The four previously said they would not leave without assurances they would not be arrested. “We will not fire until fired upon,” Sean Anderson said in the livestream. “We haven’t broken any laws, came here to recognize our constitutional rights.” The occupiers said they saw snipers on a hill and a drone.