‘Lucy’s Law’ aims to enhance boating safety after Florida Keys accidentLocal record store and venue, Beach Records, closing after 6 years
‘Lucy’s Law’ aims to enhance boating safety after Florida Keys accident A proposed bill in Florida, known as “Lucy’s Law,” seeks to increase penalties for vessel collisions, accidents, and casualties.
IONA Local record store and venue, Beach Records, closing after 6 years Beach Records, a record store doubling as a music venue, is closing down after hundreds of shows held and many more records sold.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses thrive as spring break crowds return Fort Myers Beach is bustling with activity as spring break draws crowds to the area. The influx of visitors is a welcome sight for local businesses, especially after the community faces challenges from recent hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral businesses worry over parking loss in road expansion Cape Coral is set to undergo a significant change with a road expansion project on Cape Coral Parkway, increasing it from four lanes to six.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for March 12, 2025 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS 97.7 Latino hosts Fort Myers event to aid St. Jude kids this March WTLQ 97.7 Orgullo Latino is gearing up for its annual Partners in Hope event.
Is a mini-retirement right for you? Experts share insights Taking a temporary extended break from work, known as a mini-retirement, is becoming a popular trend, especially among younger generations.
FSW Transfer portal boosts FSW baseball’s roster with D1 talent In the age of the transfer portal, Florida Southwestern baseball is made up of players who have transferred from various prestigious programs.
NORTH PORT Day in the life of CoolToday Park’s mascot, Palmer Palmer, the friendly palm tree, roams the ballpark spreading joy wherever he goes.
MATLACHA Residents voice traffic control concerns for Little Pine Island Bridge The Little Pine Island Bridge has been a main focus of recovery for southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian damaged it in 2022, but construction has been a headache for people on the island since then.
FORT MYERS RSW Phase 2 expansion begins despite delays The second phase of the RSW expansion project has officially broken ground, even as the first phase encounters delays.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral boaters warned of sunken barge hazard in Caloosahatchee River A barge capsized in the Caloosahatchee River near Jaycee Park, leaking fuel into the water is causing a hazard for boaters.
WINK NEWS Estero crash on I-75 involves four cars; trooper unharmed A traffic crash on Tuesday evening involving multiple vehicles occurred on Northbound Interstate 75 near Estero.
Hair loss could be unexpected side effect of losing weight Hair loss can be an unexpected side effect of losing weight. While shedding between 50 to 100 strands of hair a day is normal, losing more could indicate a problem.
Lee County School District central office under hiring freeze; superintendent weighs in The Lee County School District’s central office is currently under a hiring freeze. WINK News confirmed this exclusive development.
‘Lucy’s Law’ aims to enhance boating safety after Florida Keys accident A proposed bill in Florida, known as “Lucy’s Law,” seeks to increase penalties for vessel collisions, accidents, and casualties.
IONA Local record store and venue, Beach Records, closing after 6 years Beach Records, a record store doubling as a music venue, is closing down after hundreds of shows held and many more records sold.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses thrive as spring break crowds return Fort Myers Beach is bustling with activity as spring break draws crowds to the area. The influx of visitors is a welcome sight for local businesses, especially after the community faces challenges from recent hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral businesses worry over parking loss in road expansion Cape Coral is set to undergo a significant change with a road expansion project on Cape Coral Parkway, increasing it from four lanes to six.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for March 12, 2025 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS 97.7 Latino hosts Fort Myers event to aid St. Jude kids this March WTLQ 97.7 Orgullo Latino is gearing up for its annual Partners in Hope event.
Is a mini-retirement right for you? Experts share insights Taking a temporary extended break from work, known as a mini-retirement, is becoming a popular trend, especially among younger generations.
FSW Transfer portal boosts FSW baseball’s roster with D1 talent In the age of the transfer portal, Florida Southwestern baseball is made up of players who have transferred from various prestigious programs.
NORTH PORT Day in the life of CoolToday Park’s mascot, Palmer Palmer, the friendly palm tree, roams the ballpark spreading joy wherever he goes.
MATLACHA Residents voice traffic control concerns for Little Pine Island Bridge The Little Pine Island Bridge has been a main focus of recovery for southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian damaged it in 2022, but construction has been a headache for people on the island since then.
FORT MYERS RSW Phase 2 expansion begins despite delays The second phase of the RSW expansion project has officially broken ground, even as the first phase encounters delays.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral boaters warned of sunken barge hazard in Caloosahatchee River A barge capsized in the Caloosahatchee River near Jaycee Park, leaking fuel into the water is causing a hazard for boaters.
WINK NEWS Estero crash on I-75 involves four cars; trooper unharmed A traffic crash on Tuesday evening involving multiple vehicles occurred on Northbound Interstate 75 near Estero.
Hair loss could be unexpected side effect of losing weight Hair loss can be an unexpected side effect of losing weight. While shedding between 50 to 100 strands of hair a day is normal, losing more could indicate a problem.
Lee County School District central office under hiring freeze; superintendent weighs in The Lee County School District’s central office is currently under a hiring freeze. WINK News confirmed this exclusive development.
FILE – In this Thursday, Aug. 5, 2004 file photo, Cardinal Bernard Law has his skull cap adjusted during the ceremony for Our Lady of the Snows, in St. Mary Major’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. An official with the Catholic Church said Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, that Cardinal Bernard Law, the disgraced former archbishop of Boston, has died at 86. Law recently had been hospitalized in Rome. Law stepped down under pressure in 2002 over his handling of clergy sex abuse cases. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File) Cardinal Bernard Law, the disgraced former archbishop of Boston whose failures to stop child molesters in the priesthood sparked what would become the worst crisis in American Catholicism, died early Wednesday, the Vatican said. He was 86. Law had been sick and was recently hospitalized in Rome. Law was once one of the most important leaders in the U.S. church. He broadly influenced Vatican appointments to American dioceses, helped set priorities for the nation’s bishops and was favored by Pope John Paul II. But in January 2002, The Boston Globe began a series of reports that used church records to reveal that Law had transferred abusive clergy among parish assignments for years without alerting parents or police. Within months, Catholics around the country demanded to know whether their bishops had done the same. Law tried to manage the mushrooming scandal in his own archdiocese by first refusing to comment, then apologizing and promising reform. But thousands more church records were released describing new cases of how Law and others expressed more care for accused priests than for victims. Amid a groundswell against the cardinal, including rare public rebukes from some of his own priests, Law asked to resign and the pope said yes. “It is my fervent prayer that this action may help the archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed,” Law said when he stepped down as head of the Boston archdiocese in December of that year. “To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes, I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness.” It was a stunning fall from grace for Law and a rare step for the church, which deeply resists public pressure but could no longer do so given the scope of the crisis. Since 1950, more than 6,500, or about 6 percent of U.S. priests, have been accused of molesting children, and the American church has paid more than $3 billion in settlements to victims, according to studies commissioned by the U.S. bishops and media reports. As the leader of the archdiocese at the epicenter for the scandal, Law remained throughout his life a symbol of the church’s widespread failures to protect children. Still, Law retained some support in the Vatican. In 2004, he was appointed archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of four principal basilicas in Rome. When John Paul died the next year, Law was among bishops who presided at a memorial Mass for the pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica. Law also continued for several years to serve in Vatican dicasteries, or policy-making committees, including the Congregation for Bishops, which recommends appointments to the pope. Advocates for victims saw the posts as a sign of favor for Law by church officials unrepentant about abused children. Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who has represented dozens of people who say they were sexually abused by priests, said Law’s death has reopened old wounds. “Many victims are reminded of the pain of being sexually abused upon hearing of Cardinal Law passing away,” Garabedian said. “Cardinal Law turned his back on innocent children and allowed them to be sexually abused and then received a promotion in Rome.” Alexa MacPherson, who says she was a victim of clergy sex abuse for six years as a small child, had no words of sorrow at the news of Law’s death. “Good riddance to bad rubbish. I hope the gates of hell are swinging wide to allow him entrance,” she told The Associated Press. “I won’t shed a tear for him – I might shed a tear for everyone who’s been a victim under him.” MacPherson’s mother Barbara Sidorowicz, whose two sons were also abused, also was not mourning him. “I’m a person, I cannot ever turn my back on my faith, but I can’t find it in my heart to forgive,” she said. “I cry over what happened to my children, but I can’t cry over him. I can’t even get myself to say a prayer for him. He should have been in jail.” Pope Francis, who met with Law briefly the day after he was elected pope when he went to pray at St. Mary Major, made no comment about Law’s passing during his weekly general audience Wednesday. Francis though was expected to send an official telegram of condolence later in the day and celebrate Law’s funeral Mass, an honor accorded to all Rome-based cardinals. Law had been expected to leave a far different mark on the church. Born Nov. 4, 1931, in Torreon, Mexico, Law was the only child of a U.S. Air Force colonel and a mother who was a Presbyterian convert to Catholicism. He was educated throughout North and South America and the Virgin Islands before graduating in 1953 from Harvard University. He was ordained in 1961 and campaigned for civil rights in Mississippi, sometimes traveling in the trunks of cars for safety. After a post with the national bishops’ conference, he was named bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri, then archbishop of Boston in 1984, a prominent appointment to the country’s fourth-largest diocese. Law was a prominent voice in Massachusetts and beyond, especially on abortion. He publicly challenged public officials such as Gov. William Weld and Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci over their support for abortion rights. The cardinal was among a chorus of bishops sharply critical of Geraldine Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic nominee for vice president and a Catholic over her support for abortion rights. Under President George W. Bush, Law was a regular visitor to the White House. Within the church, he was devoted to building Catholic-Jewish relations, including leading a delegation of Jewish and other Massachusetts leaders in a 1986 visit to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. He worked closely with church leaders in Latin America, acting as an unofficial envoy of the pope to Cuba and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. However, Law’s legacy has been overshadowed by the scandal. In the notorious case that started the 2002 crisis, as recounted in the move “Spotlight,” the Globe reported that Law and two of his predecessors as Boston archbishop had transferred former priest John Geoghan among parish assignments despite knowing he molested children. More than 130 people eventually came forward to say Geoghan abused them. The archdiocese paid $10 million in settlements with 86 of his victims and their relatives as Law was clinging to his job. It was nowhere near enough to ease the growing anger. As he announced he would leave, Law asked Boston Catholics, “Please keep me in your prayers.” Rachel Zoll reported from New York. Rodrique Ngowi in Holbrook, Massachusetts, contributed to this report.