Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inlandGov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Cape Canaveral
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
Cape Canaveral Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Cape Canaveral Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Cape Canaveral.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
Cape Canaveral Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Cape Canaveral Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Cape Canaveral.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
AP Efforts are underway in Central Florida to restore the habitats of the monarch butterfly, crucial to helping plants grow, including many foods people eat. The iconic orange and black insect is one of nature’s key pollinators. Environmentalists say its decline, which they blame in part on climate change, threatens the ecological health of the region, and other crucial insects may be suffering as well. “I think in this case, the monarch serves as the old adage of a canary in a coal mine,” said Full Sail University President Garry Jones, who helped organize the initiative along with The Nature Conservancy. “If they’re declining, it’s time for all of us to be more awake.” To help, Central Florida governments, schools and businesses are encouraging residents to plant milkweed — the pink, orange and yellow flowering shrub the insect thrives on — to boost habitats for the monarch and other pollinators. Environmentalists say insects such as the monarch spread pollen throughout the region, helping create lush natural land and spread plant life. They also are important to the food supply because they pollinate plants that grow potatoes, tomatoes and other produce. “Pollinators — especially bees, flies and butterflies — those are key to maintaining a healthy, thriving landscape of flowering plants. We as people depend on pollinators to basically provide us with a lot of the food we eat,” said Zachary Prusak of The Nature Conservancy. “If we know the monarch is declining, people can actually take action (to save it).” The monarch’s worldwide population has diminished by about 80 percent since 1996, according to The Nature Conservancy. Signs of the campaign are hard to miss around town. At Semoran Boulevard at University Drive in east Orange County, a massive mural dubbed “Milkweed Galaxy” is painted on a building at Full Sail University, facing the highway. It depicts three monarchs among leaves and milkweed, and a butterfly garden is planted in front of it. Jones said the idea of helping the butterfly stemmed from a green initiative at the school, and he later brought it to community leaders for support. Motorists downtown may have seen another mural painted on a building at Orange Avenue and Anderson Street near the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. “We think the monarch is a great iconic example of all of those issues we’re trying to address,” said Temperince Morgan, executive director of The Nature Conservancy. “The hope is that when they become aware, they will take actions in their personal lives.” In Audubon Park, residents are putting milkweed in planter boxes at apartments and businesses. Monarchs seek refuge in the milkweed and lay their eggs on it. Upon hatching, the caterpillars also munch on the plant before their time to cocoon and become a butterfly. Last week, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Winter Park Mayor Steve Leary declared April 19 “Save our Butterflies Day” as the two cities helped launch the campaign. University of Central Florida and Rollins and Valencia colleges also have gotten on board. “I don’t think people understand how important they are to our existence,” Leary said. Milkweed is already in place in planters along Park Avenue in Winter Park, and the city has put up signs and installed orange lights in two fountains in Central Park to bring attention to the initiative. Schools such as Dommerich Elementary in Maitland and Monarch Learning Academy in College Park also are planting butterfly gardens on their campuses as part of the campaign. Businesses such as Foxtail Coffee, East End Market and Red Light Red Light will be distributing packages of milkweed seeds to customers as well. Morgan said monarchs will show up quickly after the milkweed is planted, sometimes within hours or days. “We think the monarch is a great iconic example of all of those issues we’re trying to address,” Morgan said. “It’s emblematic of what our pollinators as a whole are faced with.”