The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increasesSenior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Long-awaited test results showing elevated levels of arsenic in Dunbar have been released. But for those without advanced scientific degrees, deciphering the four lengthy certified reports the city posted on its website is easier said than done. “It’s like Greek to me,” nearby resident Janice Watkins-Brown said. “You just looking at figures and numbers and that’s not explaining anything.” The area bounded in red shows the site in Dunbar where sludge from a water treatment plant was disposed of. Test results showed elevated levels of arsenic in 2007, and in the groundwater in 2012, but those results weren’t public until earlier this year. Uproar over the city’s lack of disclosure led to the latest round of tests, but the city again came under fire when it labeled preliminary results showing elevated levels of arsenic in 4 of 6 wells as “inconclusive” and failed to release them to the public for weeks. The Florida Department of Florida Environmental Protection criticized the city’s handling of those results in a letter to City Manager Saaed Kazemi, and Sen. Bill Nelson chastised the city in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt. Kazemi said the city didn’t release the preliminary results because they were waiting for the findings to be certified and reviewed by a consultant. Watkins-Brown’s husband died of cancer 14 years ago, and now she wonders if the toxic sludge site played a role. “They really need to come out and explain whether it’s dangerous, is it affecting people’s health?” Watkins-Brown said. Nearby resident Milton Johnson wants to know how bad things are in the soil near his home. “You just look at a lot of writing and stuff like this, to me it just don’t make sense,” Johnson said. City leaders plan to hold a public meeting next month to discuss the certified results. WINK News reached out to at least a dozen environmental consulting companies to decipher the results, but all have yet to respond. UPDATE AS OF 7 P.M. GFA International Inc., the geological firm that performed the tests, notified the city Tuesday morning that one of the monitoring wells installed last week for testing had been tampered with, according to the city. The top of the well had been twisted off, causing it to fill with sand, the city said. The firm’s well driller confirmed it has since been repaired. Testing on the well will resume Wednesday, the city said. The Fort Myers Police Department plans to increase patrol in the area. The incident is not expected to delay the schedule of GFA International Inc. delivering the initial groundwater and soil test results in January 2018, the city said. DUNBAR TOXIC SLUDGE SITE TIMELINE June 12 – Former toxic dump site in Dunbar exposed by the media June 14 – Fort Myers mayor responds to dump site arsenic claims June 23 – City council announces plan to clean up former toxic dump site July 17 – City officials pledge more transparent approach July 18 – Fort Myers mayor at loss over why site was kept secret July 25 – Residents to sue Fort Myers over former toxic dump site August 2 – Residents voice concerns at public forum August 16 – Department of Environmental Protection begins testing August 23 – Crews replace well at Dunbar sludge site October 18 – Geology firm GFA International begins testing for toxins October 24 – More than 25 residents work with Atty. Ralf Brooks to hold city accountable November 16 – NAACP calls lack of action ‘environmental racism’ November 29 – DEP blasts Fort Myers over handling of Dunbar sludge tests December 1 – Sen. Nelson says residents ‘deserve to know’ Dunbar sludge results December 4 – Fort Myers City Council OKs $150K for legal defense as Dunbar sludge lawsuits loom