Florida panther struck by vehicle in Glades County; 32nd death in 2024Commissioner Hamman: Caloosahatchee bridge project to be completed soon
GLADES COUNTY Florida panther struck by vehicle in Glades County; 32nd death in 2024 A 7-to-8-month-old panther was killed by a vehicle in Glades County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 32 for 2024.
FORT MYERS Commissioner Hamman: Caloosahatchee bridge project to be completed soon The pedestrian walkway project on the Caloosahatchee bridge in Fort Myers is on schedule and is expected to be completed before Christmas Day.
WINK NEWS Citizens Property Insurance depopulation program This is a sign our insurance crisis in Florida is recovering. Citizens, designed to be Floridian’s last resort insurer, is shrinking.
WINK NEWS Warmer temperatures build in for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures. Thursday is in the 50s, and the warming trend is continuing into the weekend.
WINK NEWS Smoke from prescribed burns this Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking smoke in the air Thursday morning. If you notice smoke, it’s likely from recent prescribed burns.
LEHIGH ACRES Firefighters break open submerged car in Lehigh Acres Firefighters break open a submerged car and appear to rescue someone stuck inside in Lehigh Acres overnight.
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith signs with Wisconsin Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith signs to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers on early Signing Day.
WINK NEWS SWFL stars ink with Power 4 programs during Early Signing Period Several Southwest Florida football standouts are taking their talents to the Power 4 gridirons after signing during the Early Signing Period.
GLADES COUNTY Florida panther struck by vehicle in Glades County; 32nd death in 2024 A 7-to-8-month-old panther was killed by a vehicle in Glades County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 32 for 2024.
FORT MYERS Commissioner Hamman: Caloosahatchee bridge project to be completed soon The pedestrian walkway project on the Caloosahatchee bridge in Fort Myers is on schedule and is expected to be completed before Christmas Day.
WINK NEWS Citizens Property Insurance depopulation program This is a sign our insurance crisis in Florida is recovering. Citizens, designed to be Floridian’s last resort insurer, is shrinking.
WINK NEWS Warmer temperatures build in for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures. Thursday is in the 50s, and the warming trend is continuing into the weekend.
WINK NEWS Smoke from prescribed burns this Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking smoke in the air Thursday morning. If you notice smoke, it’s likely from recent prescribed burns.
LEHIGH ACRES Firefighters break open submerged car in Lehigh Acres Firefighters break open a submerged car and appear to rescue someone stuck inside in Lehigh Acres overnight.
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith signs with Wisconsin Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith signs to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers on early Signing Day.
WINK NEWS SWFL stars ink with Power 4 programs during Early Signing Period Several Southwest Florida football standouts are taking their talents to the Power 4 gridirons after signing during the Early Signing Period.
WINK News Allison Reiter rides on a LeeTran passport van everyday to get to wherever she needs. Three days out of the week they take her to the Goodwill learning center. But on Wednesday, they showed up ahead of schedule. She realized when they picked her up early that something was going to go wrong, according to Reiter. The van dropped Reiter off in front of the store 45 minutes before it opened. She says she was nervous because she was left there all alone and didn’t know what to do. “When I got on the bus, I asked the bus driver if she had any other pickups because I can’t get in the building until nine,” Reiter said. The driver called dispatch to ask what to do. She told Reiter she could either go home or sit outside until the store opened. Reiter said she felt pressured into saying she would wait outside, despite being uncomfortable with it. Lee County officials said that Reiter’s file indicates that she can be left alone and does not need a personal care attendant. Her mom says she is in touch with Lee County commissioners to get the drop-off policy changed. Here’s the full statement from Lee County: Allison Reiter has been a regular LeeTran Passport customer since 2011, renewing her active status in both 2014 and 2017. Passport regularly transports Ms. Reiter to various locations in Lee County. Ms. Reiter requested transportation to Goodwill Industries with a drop off time of 9 a.m. Per policy, Passport can pick a passenger up within an hour of the requested drop off time. Ms. Reiter was picked up just before 8 a.m. and, once she knew she would be early, voiced her concern to the driver. The driver then contacted dispatch and LeeTran provided Ms. Reiter with three options – to stay on the bus, be dropped off early, or to go home. Ms. Reiter chose to be dropped off early, stating she would sit on her walker and wait. The Passport van operator dropped Ms. Reiter off at the location she indicated, and proceeded to walk her to the area Ms. Reiter chose to wait. Passport staff verified that, per her client file with LeeTran, Ms. Reiter was able to be left alone and did not require a Personal Care attendant. No LeeTran, or Lee County, policies, procedures or protocols were violated during this process. Reiter sat on her walker for about 45 minutes, feeling abandoned and confused. She finally got in touch with her mother, who was frustrated by the incident. Lee County officials released a statement saying that no Lee Tran or Lee County policies, procedures or protocols were violated during this process. But Reiter’s mother is hoping something in the policy will change. “Regardless of policy, I feel that somebody should’ve used some discretion and judgement and made an educated decision that it was not a bright thing to do. We’re talking about people with special needs…and they should be trained to accommodate and be able to respond to situations to make sure that you’re safe,” she said.