NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Recent tests to the water of Southwest Florida produced no results for toxicity, but the test results also raise concerns about algal blooms and changes to the water ecosystems of Southwest Florida. The tests were taken on June 22 — before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers slowed releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico through the Caloosahatchee River and before algal blooms imploded on the East Coast — at the Sanders Lab of North Fort Myers. Samples were taken from water at the Fishing Pier Fort Myers Beach, the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp and the Franklin Locks. The tests checked for a number of chemical elements that included nitrogen, phosphorus and ammonia and bacteria such as E. coli. The tests also monitored PH levels, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen. After seven days, the results were returned. Low E. coli at all locations was a great sign, according to Darren Rumbold, a professor of Marine Science at Florida Gulf Coast University. But other test results were concerning, Rumbold said. The levels of salinity taken in Punta Gorda could cause stress to organisms, Rumbold said. “The salinity should be higher,” he said. “The habitat is changing and the species you might encounter are changing. We were actually out there last week and caught a Florida Gar, which is a fresh water fish out on the Pine Island Sound. I would have never dreamed in a million years.” Salinity was not the only concern at the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp. The test results also showed a concerning level of ammonia in the water there. The tests returned levels .004 over the numbers considered normal. “The biggest surprise is the ammonia level,” Rumbold said. “I wouldn’t use the word alarming. Concerning? Yes.” The ammonia levels on Fort Myers Beach could create conditions for algal blooms, Rumbold said. The same problem exists in Punta Gorda, he said. “There’s no question there’s a risk of plants blooming,” Rumbold said. The risk would not produce the thick, green algae seen on the East Coast, he said, and the blooms would not create a problem with toxicity. But if weeks pass without a change in ammonia levels: “Phytoplankton could bloom. Microalgae could bloom,” Rumbold said. Out of all the test results, only the Franklin Lock produced typical numbers. “They are unfortunately high for our needs in terms of nutrients but they’re not unprecedented,” Rumbold said. One of the biggest and most apparent problems is caused by color-dissolved organic matter, which is causing the dark, murky color seen at Southwest Florida beaches, Rumbold said. The color-dissolved organic matter can cause bacteria to fester, he said. For all the water woes in Southwest Florida, Rumbold said Lake Okeechobee is not the only water source that is responsible. About a quarter of the water is also coming from the Caloosahatchee River Water Storage project, he said. “All that combined creates the high concentrations,” he said.