Jupiter Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Jupiter Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jupiter.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers this Monday afternoon after a pleasant and dry morning The Weather Authority is tracking a cool and pleasant Monday morning start with the possibility of afternoon rain showers.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting While details are limited, what is available is that Lee County Sheriff’s deputies are actively investigating a shooting that killed one man.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
Jupiter Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Jupiter Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jupiter.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers this Monday afternoon after a pleasant and dry morning The Weather Authority is tracking a cool and pleasant Monday morning start with the possibility of afternoon rain showers.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting While details are limited, what is available is that Lee County Sheriff’s deputies are actively investigating a shooting that killed one man.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – A man has not been arrested after two local business owners say he committed hate crimes at their stores, targeting them for their religion. Both Md Bakhtier Rahman of Halal Meat & Grocery on Cleveland Avenue and Omar Rabbo of Too Cute Beauty Supply and Sahara Meats and Groceries on Jefferson Avenue reported that a man entered their stores and made threats to their safety. Rahman told the Fort Myers Police Department that on June 26 around 5:30 p.m. a man approached him inside his store and said that he needed to close or else. According to Rahman’s police report, the man told him that four men would kill everyone in the store if the warning wasn’t heeded. Before the man left, he told Rahman that he had thrown a rock through the front door a little over two weeks earlier in an attempt to scare him, according to the police report. Two weeks later, police responded on July 9 around 4:30 p.m. to Rabbo’s store where a man approached him and said he spoke on behalf of the neighborhood. “He came straight up to tell me: ‘You the owner?’ I said ‘Yes, I am the owner.’ He said ‘I am from the Good Temple and I’m here to talk. I’m representing the community here. We don’t need no halal stores in the area,'” Rabbo said. Halal food is similar to kosher products for the Jewish faith: they are foods that meet requirements defined in the holy book of Islam, the Koran. Rabbo said the man then mentioned the terrorist attack in Orlando before telling him he’d better close. “‘After what happened in Orlando, we’re not going to allow that to happen again,'” the man said, according to Rabbo. “‘That’s not going to happen again. For your safety, your family’s safety, we don’t need you to be around here. You got two months to go.'” Too Cute Beauty Supply co-owner Dina Abedrabbo said the Orlando shooter does not represent her religion; she was upset by the tragedy, too. “People got angry because of what happened and we ourselves got angry, too. We don’t like what happened,” Abedrabbo said, “People like those people, they don’t represent Muslims. They’re attacking Muslims, too.” She said she believes the man who threatened her business was crazy. An officer noted the similarities in both incidents, which included threats against businesses owned by Muslim individuals, matching suspect descriptions, matching vehicle descriptions, and multiple reports of thrown objects. While across the street, completing his incident report, that officer noticed a car that matched the description. He stopped the driver and asked whether the driver had been at either of the store locations. Rabbo and his store manager were called to the scene of the traffic stop and identified the driver, who had been in Rabbo’s store less than an hour before. The man was issued trespassing citations, photographed and his car description was noted. He was then released. Rabbo is outraged. “I said really? He threatened me. We had him in the camera and you can’t arrest him?” Rabbo said. “At least arrest him for one day. Let him go! At least one night let me get my smile back. Let me know that I’m safe here.” FMPD retracted the name, description, vehicle tag number, and statements made by the alleged aggressor in the police report provided to WINK News. The man was not arrested because police did not have enough evidence, Rabbo said. The two store owners have had opposite reactions to the incidents. Rahman told police he was shaken by the incident and wants to relocate his business immediately. Rabbo said that saddens him, but that he won’t be intimidated. “People like that, they’re not going to scare us. We’re here for 26 years,” Rabbo said. “I love America more than anywhere else and I fight for my way of living, not run away from my way of living.”