The Weather Authority Invest 95L reaches 90% chance of further development The Weather Authority is currently tracking Invest 95L in the Eastern Atlantic as the formation chance has now reached 90%.
FORT MYERS RSW to add Canada airline service in the Fall The Southwest Florida International Airport announced the addition of Toronto-based Porter Airlines to operate a seasonal route.
PUNTA GORDA Woman dead, deputy hospitalized in yesterday’s crash on Oil Well Road Two vehicles crashed, including a Collier County Sheriff’s Office vehicle, and one driver died after a crash on Oil Well Road Thursday afternoon.
WINK NEWS Fourth of July events across Southwest Florida The Fourth of July is celebrated Across Southwest Florida and nationwide with fireworks, barbecues, patriotic events and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Brooke Hankinson kicking down barriers for North Fort Myers football Nothing intimidates North Fort Myers senior kicker Brooke Hankinson, not even playing football with the boys.
FORT MYERS SWFL reacts to the presidential debate Whether you’re rooting for Former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden, or you just can’t choose a side, everyone has an opinion about this debate.
VENICE Teacher arrested for alleged sexual misconduct with student The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a student.
Funeral procession held for Collier County detective The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is honoring one of its own as a funeral procession is being held for Detective Kerry Sill.
The Weather Authority Inland rain storms for your Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking high afternoon temperatures and inland rain showers throughout the early evening on Friday.
FORT MYERS Christopher Davis to be held without bond ahead of murder trial for missing boyfriend Christopher Davis, who stands accused of killing his boyfriend Barry Schmalbach, is in court for a bond hearing.
CAPE CORAL Groundbreaking for Festival Park in Cape Coral set for July The City of Cape Coral announced the groundbreaking ceremony date for Festival Park at 1100 Wilmington Parkway.
WINK NEWS Sheriff: deputies investigating a homicide in Three Oaks Park, shooter at large Deputies are searching for a shooter who killed a man in the Three Oaks Parks community.
CAPE CORAL Barry Schmalbach’s sister speaks out for the first time For the first time, Barry Schmalbach’s sister, Sherry has spoken with only WINK News about her brother’s mysterious disappearance and the emotional toll it has taken on his loved ones. Sherry shared memories of Barry’s life and described him as determined, charming and loving. “I love you so much. I’m so heartbroken that this happened to you. I’m so sorry. And I miss you. I would just hug him so hard,” said Sherry.
FORT MYERS BEACH San Carlos Island residents concerned about 240-room hotel A 240-room resort is being proposed on Main Street on San Carlos Island, and residents aren’t happy.
ENGLEWOOD Burger King bandit breaks into car in Englewood Three double-bacon cheeseburgers and a chicken sandwich led deputies straight to the Burger King Bandit.
The Weather Authority Invest 95L reaches 90% chance of further development The Weather Authority is currently tracking Invest 95L in the Eastern Atlantic as the formation chance has now reached 90%.
FORT MYERS RSW to add Canada airline service in the Fall The Southwest Florida International Airport announced the addition of Toronto-based Porter Airlines to operate a seasonal route.
PUNTA GORDA Woman dead, deputy hospitalized in yesterday’s crash on Oil Well Road Two vehicles crashed, including a Collier County Sheriff’s Office vehicle, and one driver died after a crash on Oil Well Road Thursday afternoon.
WINK NEWS Fourth of July events across Southwest Florida The Fourth of July is celebrated Across Southwest Florida and nationwide with fireworks, barbecues, patriotic events and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Brooke Hankinson kicking down barriers for North Fort Myers football Nothing intimidates North Fort Myers senior kicker Brooke Hankinson, not even playing football with the boys.
FORT MYERS SWFL reacts to the presidential debate Whether you’re rooting for Former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden, or you just can’t choose a side, everyone has an opinion about this debate.
VENICE Teacher arrested for alleged sexual misconduct with student The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a student.
Funeral procession held for Collier County detective The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is honoring one of its own as a funeral procession is being held for Detective Kerry Sill.
The Weather Authority Inland rain storms for your Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking high afternoon temperatures and inland rain showers throughout the early evening on Friday.
FORT MYERS Christopher Davis to be held without bond ahead of murder trial for missing boyfriend Christopher Davis, who stands accused of killing his boyfriend Barry Schmalbach, is in court for a bond hearing.
CAPE CORAL Groundbreaking for Festival Park in Cape Coral set for July The City of Cape Coral announced the groundbreaking ceremony date for Festival Park at 1100 Wilmington Parkway.
WINK NEWS Sheriff: deputies investigating a homicide in Three Oaks Park, shooter at large Deputies are searching for a shooter who killed a man in the Three Oaks Parks community.
CAPE CORAL Barry Schmalbach’s sister speaks out for the first time For the first time, Barry Schmalbach’s sister, Sherry has spoken with only WINK News about her brother’s mysterious disappearance and the emotional toll it has taken on his loved ones. Sherry shared memories of Barry’s life and described him as determined, charming and loving. “I love you so much. I’m so heartbroken that this happened to you. I’m so sorry. And I miss you. I would just hug him so hard,” said Sherry.
FORT MYERS BEACH San Carlos Island residents concerned about 240-room hotel A 240-room resort is being proposed on Main Street on San Carlos Island, and residents aren’t happy.
ENGLEWOOD Burger King bandit breaks into car in Englewood Three double-bacon cheeseburgers and a chicken sandwich led deputies straight to the Burger King Bandit.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Cocaine is probably the last thing most people think about when buying roses. But every year, police and growers in Colombia must work around the clock to make sure that the romance of Valentine’s Day isn’t spoiled by the drug, the nation’s other major export along with flowers. As much as 330,000 pounds (150 metric ton)s of flowers leave Colombia on 30-plus jumbo cargo planes daily starting in late January, presenting an opportunity for the country’s ingenious drug cartels to penetrate the frenzied, overworked chain of suppliers and stash drugs amid the roses. “Without a doubt we’re a target,” said Augusto Solano, president of the Colombian flower exporters’ association. Security protocols that the flower industry developed with police begin the moment that refrigerated trucks carrying rose buds depart dozens of flower farms dotting the waterlogged savannah surrounding Colombia’s capital. Once the flowers are inside the airport, 100 police officers equipped with 15 drug-sniffing dogs and electronic scanners inspect each shipment. Police found almost 200 pounds (90 kilograms) of cocaine hidden in flower boxes last year, authorities said. “We have to guarantee that our flower exports aren’t contaminated by criminal gangs,” Col. Julio Triana said as he and his drug-sniffing Labrador retriever walked through the refrigerated warehouse where flowers are kept before being loaded onto cargo planes. Colombia’s flower industry took off in the early 1990s when the U.S. Congress passed a law eliminating tariffs on goods from Andean drug-producing nations in a bid to encourage legal exports. That Colombia’s criminals now train their eyes on flower shipments as a way to smuggle drugs into the U.S. is a sign of just how much the industry has blossomed. It is now is the world’s second-largest cut flower exporter, after the Netherlands, and the top supplier to the U.S. The season before Valentine’s Day is the busiest time of the year for Colombia’s growers, when the 130,000 people employed at hundreds of flower farms work nonstop to ship some 500 million stems, mostly to the United States but other parts of the world as well. “Right now there’s not a single rose available,” said Solano. But with competitors from Kenya and Ecuador making inroads, the industry isn’t taking its leadership for granted and works hard to keep out smuggled drugs. “It requires a big effort because if another country finds drugs they can ban flower imports from Colombia and that would be disastrous,” Solano said.