Top stories of 2017: Hurricane Irma and Collier brush fires top list

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Hurricane Irma was the biggest weather event to hit Southwest Florida since the birth of social media, so it’s no surprise it was the most read topic on winknews.com in 2017.

From the tens of millions of page views, we bring you the top 5 most read stories of the year.

1) Hurricane Irma

The storm that made headlines for over a month. Hurricane Irma made landfall on Marco Island on September 10th as a Category Three storm. A wind gust of 142 miles per hour was reported in Naples. And heavy rain flooded communities across Southwest Florida. Read more.

2) Collier County brush fires

Thousands of homes evacuated and at least nine destroyed during the devastating wildfires this past spring. At one point in April Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in the state. As more than 15-hundred fires raged from southwest Florida to the Panhandle. Read more.

3) Golfer uses putter to fight gator at Magnolia Landing

This golfer survives an alligator attack in Lee County in February! It happened at Magnolia Landing Golf & Country Club when Tony Aarts used a putter to beat the gator off him! Read more.

4) Sheriff Scott: Lee County murder-suicide involved love triangle

A Lee County murder-suicide involving a love triangle. The sheriff’s office said Alehandro Manuel Luis shot Maria Delosangeles Evaristo Bautista outside a CVS Pharmacy along Palm Beach Boulevard after finding her there with another man in July. Luis fired at and missed that man before turning the gun on himself. Read more.

5) Victims identified in Lehigh Acres double homicide

Two people found dead in lehigh acres in June. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 22-year-old Brian Keith Patterson and 27-year-old Shantrese Gracia. Read more.

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LEE COUNTY

12-year-old boy dies two days after crash in Lee County

A 12-year-old boy died on Sunday after getting hit by a car on Friday in Lee County.

LEHIGH ACRES

Older couple shot trying to pass crowd in Lehigh Acres

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says someone fired into an older couple’s pick-up truck in Lehigh Acres while they were on their way to Key West, and the people involved are still on the run. Crime Stoppers said all the older couple did was attempt to drive through the intersection at night with a large […]

GOLDEN GATE ESTATES

Questions surround Golden Gate Estates murder and suspect’s connection to the victim

The man accused of killing a woman in her 70s is now back in Collier County to face charges while investigators scour the crime scene.

LEE COUNTY

Inside an FGCU education classroom: Teachers in training ready to step in

Thousands of teachers in Southwest Florida have said goodbye to the education world over the past few years.

FORT MYERS BEACH

Deciding the future look of Fort Myers Beach

The future look of one island that Hurricane Ian hit the hardest is at stake on Monday. After months of waiting, a discussion on Fort Myers Beach is finally being had about potentially changing the rules and regulations for rebuilding people’s homes. It’s a topic that has some residents on the island concerned. Since Ian […]

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COLLIER COUNTY

Cat recovering from Golden Gate brush fire injuries

A cat that survived a fire is called a warrior by the people caring for him. The cat, Liam, was badly burned on his pas during a brush fire in Collier County on Saturday. Liam is being cared for by the Collier County Department of Animal Services. The 4-year-old feline was aptly named Liam because […]

COLLIER COUNTY

Collier County communities won’t lose their fire protection

A battle over a fire station will not leave a community without fire protection. Collier County and Greater Naples Fire District agreed in 2016, saying “Naples Fire” has run the stations in Everglades City and Port of the Isles. Now, Naples Greater Fire says they are $1,300,000 over budget, and they need extra money from […]