LEHIGH ACRES Flames shoot through roof of house in Lehigh Acres Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District said the people inside the house got out okay and no one was injured.
FORT MYERS Lee County making changes to fix bus issues In the past, the Lee County School District struggled to find enough bus drivers.
NAPLES Naples man gets original Bob Ross paintings appraised Bob Ross took this blank canvas in a small studio in Muncie, Indiana, and transformed it into a beautiful masterpiece.
Lee Schools board considers full-day phone bans The biggest talking point in a Lee County School District safety presentation wasn’t about violence or drugs, it was about phones
PORT CHARLOTTE Fallen officer ceremony in Charlotte County commemorates those who lost lives in line of duty The emotional ceremony was held at the William R. Gains Veterans Memorial Park in Port Charlotte.
SAN CARLOS PARK Lee County couple suspected of drugging and sexually abusing child Neighbors say a home in San Carlos Park was just another house before Tuesday.
PINE ISLAND FDOT asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to busy road The Florida Department of Transportation is asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to the busy road.
Food drive for mental health awareness While someone may look healthy, they may be fighting a real inner battle.
FORT MYERS Overbilled for overflow of water; Residents stuck with hefty water bill The Moore’s make ends meet living at The Cove for almost a year.
ESTERO Scoreless Eagle up for award at NIL Summit FGCU’s Brandon Dwyer is one of the big time performers in NIL despite having never scored a single point in his entire Eagle career.
What happens after a nuisance alligator is captured? For alligators, the month of May means we are in the heart of mating season in the Sunshine State.
Exclusive: Interview with woman who shares hope of recovery on National Fentanyl Awareness Day Lee County Sheriff’s Office said that in 2020 they seized nearly two thousand grams of fentanyl. In 2023, that number jumped to over 8,000.
ESTERO FGCU star in the circle reflects on historical senior season The Eagles’ ace told WINK News she is focused on making every moment count before she hangs up her cleats for the last time.
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
LEHIGH ACRES Flames shoot through roof of house in Lehigh Acres Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District said the people inside the house got out okay and no one was injured.
FORT MYERS Lee County making changes to fix bus issues In the past, the Lee County School District struggled to find enough bus drivers.
NAPLES Naples man gets original Bob Ross paintings appraised Bob Ross took this blank canvas in a small studio in Muncie, Indiana, and transformed it into a beautiful masterpiece.
Lee Schools board considers full-day phone bans The biggest talking point in a Lee County School District safety presentation wasn’t about violence or drugs, it was about phones
PORT CHARLOTTE Fallen officer ceremony in Charlotte County commemorates those who lost lives in line of duty The emotional ceremony was held at the William R. Gains Veterans Memorial Park in Port Charlotte.
SAN CARLOS PARK Lee County couple suspected of drugging and sexually abusing child Neighbors say a home in San Carlos Park was just another house before Tuesday.
PINE ISLAND FDOT asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to busy road The Florida Department of Transportation is asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to the busy road.
Food drive for mental health awareness While someone may look healthy, they may be fighting a real inner battle.
FORT MYERS Overbilled for overflow of water; Residents stuck with hefty water bill The Moore’s make ends meet living at The Cove for almost a year.
ESTERO Scoreless Eagle up for award at NIL Summit FGCU’s Brandon Dwyer is one of the big time performers in NIL despite having never scored a single point in his entire Eagle career.
What happens after a nuisance alligator is captured? For alligators, the month of May means we are in the heart of mating season in the Sunshine State.
Exclusive: Interview with woman who shares hope of recovery on National Fentanyl Awareness Day Lee County Sheriff’s Office said that in 2020 they seized nearly two thousand grams of fentanyl. In 2023, that number jumped to over 8,000.
ESTERO FGCU star in the circle reflects on historical senior season The Eagles’ ace told WINK News she is focused on making every moment count before she hangs up her cleats for the last time.
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Tuesday called for “a major course correction” in the way the nation conserves its public lands, waters and wildlife, saying climate change and other trends threaten natural areas “in existential ways.” In a major policy speech, Jewell called climate change one of several threats facing public lands and water, including an “extreme movement” by armed groups to seize them; a push by some politicians to sell them to the highest bidder; and increased development nearby. “Climate change?_?the most pressing issue of our time?_?threatens our land and water in existential ways, with longer, hotter fire seasons, record-breaking droughts and more frequent and severe superstorms,” Jewell said. Citing a new analysis by a nonprofit conservation and scientific group, Jewell said natural areas in the West are disappearing at the rate of a football field every two-and-a-half minutes. The trend is especially alarming “because healthy, intact ecosystems are fundamental to the health of our nation,” she said. Jewell also denounced an armed takeover of an Oregon national wildlife refuge. The 41-day standoff this winter “propped up dangerous voices that reject the rule of law, put communities and hard-working public servants at risk, and fail to appreciate how deeply democratic and American our national parks and public lands are,” said Jewell, who began her fourth year as Interior secretary this month. More than two dozen armed occupiers took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in January, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. The standoff left one man dead and exposed simmering anger over the government’s control of vast expanses of Western land. At least 25 people have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to impede employees at the wildlife refuge from performing their duties. The takeover followed an armed confrontation with government agents two years ago by Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and at least 18 other people. Bundy’s son Ammon Bundy led the Oregon standoff. Besides rejecting the demands of extremists, officials must address the dual threats of climate change and development, Jewell said, noting that her speech comes as the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary. “If we stay on this trajectory, 100 years from now, national parks and wildlife refuges will be like postage stamps of nature on a map,” she said, offering a bleak vision in which “isolated islands of conservation with run-down facilities” will be visited by crowds akin to those who now go to zoos “to catch a glimpse of our nation’s remaining wildlife and undeveloped patches of land.” That can’t?_?and won’t?_?happen, Jewell said, if America acts now. “This country’s national parks, forests, refuges and public lands are some of the most valuable assets that we collectively own,” she said. “At a time when they face threats from land grabs to climate change, we can’t afford to turn our backs on them. Let us use this special year of the (Park Service) centennial to set a new path for conservation in the 21st century.” On other topics, Jewell said the Park Service and other agencies need to do a better job reaching out to “underrepresented communities.” “The majority of visitors to national parks today look like me: older and whiter,” Jewell said. “We need to kick off the new century of American conservation by issuing a giant, open invitation to every American to visit their national parks and public lands.” Officials also need to ensure that when a diverse class of fourth-graders does visit a national park, “they see park rangers who look like them, or talk to wildlife biologists who share their background. Or see signs in their first language,” Jewell said. National parks for too long “have ignored important parts of our nation’s story,” Jewell said, calling for more parks and historic sites focused on women, minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. Jewell said she will kick off the effort herself, traveling to parks and other sites this summer on what aides call a “conservation road tour” from coast to coast.