NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
SANIBEL, Fla. – A 30-year officer penned a damning letter of resignation to the chief of the Sanibel Police Department, writing that his “honesty, integrity and judgment” were questioned when he tried to bring attention to an alleged case of sexual harassment. Kerry Griner said he was accused of provoking the situation when he spoke out against what he felt was the mistreatment of a female officer by two officers. Griner said two lieutenants in the department may have committed a federal crime by initially ignoring the sexual harassment complaint. “A fellow police officer [had] an obvious sexual harassment situation she felt unable to manage herself,” Griner wrote. “Instead of investigating the sexual harassment, which is mandated by federal law, Lieutenant Thompson and Lieutenant Dalton told me they felt I had ‘inflamed’ and fabricated information regarding the harassment.” Griner goes on to say the two lieutenants decided “no sexual harassment had occurred” and then placed him as the night supervisor in charge of the two officers he claimed were involved. According to Griner, lieutenants voiced their accusations of him inflaming the situation in front of the woman officer he was trying to help. “The worst thing you can do is leave the officer who brought forth the allegation of harassment feeling as if they had done something wrong,” Griner wrote. He said they accused him “with no investigation, no statements taken and no action of any kind” regarding the sexual harassment claim. Since Griner’s June 27 resignation, the female officer has filed a claim of sexual harassment against at least one male colleague in the city’s police department. The claim was being investigated internally by the Sanibel Police Department, but the agency is now requesting oversight through an independent investigation. Chief William Tomlinson, Sanibel Police Department Griner’s resignation comes at a time when people are challenging the so-called “blue wall of silence,” a term that refers to a culture of ignoring corruption or errors in departments of law enforcement. In some cases, officers have expressed fear in raising concerns to their superiors. In Griner’s case, he resigned. Griner accused Chief William Tomlinson of being complicit in a number of issues he noted in his letter. He said he went to Chief Tomlinson to call attention to the claim about his colleague’s mistreatment after it was ignored. “Instead of expressing concern about your officer’s well-being, you chose to make an insulting and demeaning comment about veteran officers under your command,” Griner wrote. Tomlinson said Wednesday that he was not “at liberty” to respond to Griner’s allegation but that his department seriously responds to sexual harassment claims. “Anyone that’s engaged in it, we take it seriously. We look into it and if there’s anything that needs to be addressed we address it through either discipline or counseling,” Tomlinson said. “There’s always issues internally when you have employees and you address them as they come.” The department has obtained a third-party attorney to investigate the sexual harassment claim. Griner said he really tried to help improve the city and police department of Sanibel with his work as a detective in narcotics, general crime and major crime, but began to question the judgement of his superiors. Griner said the department was inconsistent with its rules, for example, allowing officers to speed for traffic infractions but not felony crimes. “The leadership in this department questioned my integrity and judgement, but the same people questioning me have repeatedly shown poor judgement and knowledge of the law themselves,” Griner wrote. He then gave an example that he said “could cost [the city] dearly.” Griner said he submitted his resignation on June 13 before the internal investigation into the sexual harassment case was opened. A request for public record was sent to the Sanibel Police Department.