WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child PornThe Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
(chester / Twitter / MGN) CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Firefighters place their health at risk while they work to keep people, structures and the environment out of danger, according to a national support group. About 60 percent of firefighting deaths are related to cancer, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. When firefighters walk into burning buildings or battle large flames, they increase their chances. “Cancer in the fire service is an epidemic,” Heather Mazurkiewicz of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network said. “I think that the levels that it’s reaching now are causing a lot of people to really stop and take notice.” The biggest killer among firefighters used to be cardiac complications, Mazurkiewicz said. But the Firefighter Cancer Support Network has identified 32 toxins — many of them byproducts and materials for construction and electric wiring — in fire smoke that made cancer bypass other causes of death. “It’s not your mama’s house fire anymore. Those were all natural products that were burning, where now we have petroleum based, the electronics that are in there, so it’s a different type of exposure that firefighters have,” Mazurkiewicz said. At just 31-years-old, Bonita Springs firefighter Giovanni Zamora understands the cancer risks well. He is a two-time cancer survivor, though he said he cannot know whether he developed cancer on the job. “The one thing about our job is we’re surrounded by all these carcinogens after a fire and dealing with a bunch of different chemicals and it sticks with our gear,” he said. “(Cancer) it’s definitely a possibility but to really know that’s where it came from, it’s hard to tell.” While firefighters work to protect the public, their own gear fails to keep them completely safe from nearly three dozen toxic chemicals, Mazurkiewicz said. “They (carcinogens) absorb through the gear that is designed to protect us from heat, but it’s not protecting us from these particles or getting through the gear and absorbing into our bloodstream,” she said. Mazurkiewicz visited Cape Coral to warn firefighters of the silent dangers involved with their profession. She also offered advice to keep themselves safe. Local fire crews can take simple steps to decrease the absorption of toxins. Fire stations can enforce rules that require fire fighters to wear all their gear. And crews can regularly wash their gear and clean the skin of contaminants. Those suggestions may be contradictory to ideas about the grit of firefighter gear, Zamora said, but the awareness is needed. “Traditionally, yes. The dirtier the gear, the dirtier, the more burnt your helmet is, is more of a badge of honor. Nowadays we need to work smarter,” he said. “Now that it has affected me, I’m more cognizant of my surroundings, of what I’m doing, of what’s on my gear.” Educating firefighters is one step in the Firefighter Cancer Support Network’s agenda. Mazurkiewicz said the network is also fighting for legislation that serves the needs of firefighters with cancer. “There are 36 other states that have cancer presumption legislation that protects firefighters and their families when try are diagnosed. The state of Florida is not one of those,” she said.