What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride alongThe Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
Annette Taddeo and Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz (AP Photos) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump has helped Democrats win an improbable victory in Florida, taking a state Senate seat away from the Republicans who have dominated state politics for two decades. Trump was a focal point in last week’s special election, which sends Annette Taddeo to Tallahassee as the first Latina Democrat in the Florida Senate. “Thank you for everything you did to help us flip this seat. This is your victory,” she told supporters after beating Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz by nearly 4 percentage points. Democrats latched on to the fact Diaz had been a contestant on Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice” before becoming a state representative. During the campaign, Diaz deleted a selfie he had tweeted of himself with Trump just before the inauguration, saying the photo had become a distraction. Most political observers thought Diaz would win despite Trump’s negatives. Just last year, a sitting Democratic senator was trounced by 10 percentage points by Republican Frank Artiles. But Artiles resigned only months later, after using the N-word in front of two black colleagues, and Taddeo capitalized on growing anti-Trump sentiment. “Annette will fight against the racist Trump policies so other families have the same opportunities to live the American Dream,” said one campaign flier posted by Taddeo, a Colombian-American who started a translation business, married Miami psychologist Eric Goldstein and became chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. Diaz far outspent Taddeo and had the benefit of a better-organized state Republican Party. But Democrats made Trump a talking point in advertising, speeches and fundraising campaigns, and grassroots efforts included sending handwritten cards to fellow voters to encourage turnout. “I’m very uncomfortable with Mr. Trump and anyone who’s on his coattails, I’m heading the other way,” said Michelle Kolodny, a 65-year-old Democrat who said she voted in for Taddeo in part because she didn’t like Diaz’s ties to Trump. “All of his advertising and his campaigning had Trump plastered all over it.” Democrats have struggled in special legislative elections, and Tuesday’s vote probably would have gone unnoticed if the state Democratic Party hadn’t focused so heavily on an anti-Trump strategy. “Democrats made it a proxy war, and we tried to make it about this election,” Diaz said. “That wasn’t the strategy on the other side and ultimately it paid off for them.” Democratic strategist Christian Ulvert said Taddeo presented a message of unity at a time when voters are upset about the divisiveness of politics Trump represents. “President Trump and the White House have created a high level of anxiety among voters,” Ulvert said. “She tapped into that anxiety.” A general disgust with politics cost the Republicans Peggy Vazquez’ vote. She said she doesn’t regret voting for Trump last year, but feels like politics haven’t gotten any better since he became president. “It’s never been so bad,” said Vazquez, who voted for a fringe candidate instead. “I wish he would now just shut his mouth. He just didn’t have any finesse.”