Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under wayAlamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
Photo via CBS News. PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) – There was no evidence that a Tampa-area firefighter deliberately left his toddler son in a hot pickup truck for eight hours, but the circumstances amount to criminal neglect, a sheriff told a Florida newspaper. Troy Whitaker, 41, of Palm Harbor, faces an aggravated manslaughter charge in the death of his 23-month-old son, Lawson. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Whitaker left Lawson in his pickup truck for eight hours Friday instead of taking the boy to day care. “This is one of the toughest of all circumstances because of what it involves,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the Tampa Bay Times. “It involves a father who left his kid in the car for eight hours with no explanation.” There was no evidence that impairment from drugs or alcohol was a factor in Lawson’s death, Gualtieri said. The Pasco-Pinellas state attorney’s office will decide whether to prosecute after doing its own investigation, said spokesman Bruce Bartlett. Whitaker declined to speak with reporters when he was released on $50,000 bail early Saturday, according to the newspaper. Friends and neighbors questioned the decision to charge Whitaker, who the sheriff’s office said was a firefighter for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Legal experts said the case may depend on Whitaker’s behavior the day Lawson died. “If you look at the statute, there’s the potential it could be prosecuted,” said former Hillsborough prosecutor Lyann Goudie. “The problem is, what were the circumstances?” Whitaker strapped Lawson into his car seat in the truck Friday morning to take his 5-year-old sister to school, authorities said. Lawson, likely asleep, was left in the driver’s side back seat, facing forward, while his father was inside their Palm Harbor home studying for a fire department promotional exam, the sheriff said. Whitaker walked his dog outside during the day and got into the truck to drive to the grocery store around 3:30 p.m. without noticing the boy. “We’re trying to figure out if this something more than straight gross negligence,” Gualtieri said. “We’re looking at video cameras along his routes, all that.” The boy was discovered when Whitaker returned home and began unloading groceries around 4:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. A neighbor said Whitaker was screaming and inconsolable when he pulled the boy from the truck. Some law enforcement agencies have not charged parents in similar deaths. In July, prosecutors decided against charging a Deltona middle school teacher in the death of her cousin, whom she left in the back of a sports utility vehicle. According to the newspaper, prosecutors wrote in a memorandum that the child’s death was “both tragic and unavoidable” but the woman had not acted recklessly. “Things happen in the care of young children that are unexpected even by experienced parents,” the memorandum said. Over $6,500 was contributed to a GoFundMe campaign for Whitaker’s legal fees before the page was taken down Sunday. Neither GoFundMe officials nor the man who had launched the page immediately responded to messages from The Associated Press.