South Gulf Cove to host benefit for family of slain Charlotte deputyLocal doctors working to speed up biopsy process
ch South Gulf Cove to host benefit for family of slain Charlotte deputy The South Gulf Cove Homeowner Association will host a fundraising event to honor the late Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz.
FORT MYERS Local doctors working to speed up biopsy process Waiting to find out if a suspicious lump is cancerous can be incredibly stressful. Anything that speeds up the process and leads to faster treatment, if needed, is a huge help.
Punta Gorda keeps its own 911 dispatch center Punta Gorda City Council on Feb. 19 voted unanimously to keep its 911 dispatch center under city control in a move that blocks the county from consolidating the city’s dispatch center with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man sentenced to 2 years in prison for possessing marijuana, firearm A Fort Myers man has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and a firearm as a person with felony convictions.
ICE activity confirmed in Hendry County WINK News has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman sentenced to 1 year in prison for forging late mother’s signature to claim benefits A Fort Myers woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for acts of wire fraud involving her dead mother dating back to 2005.
TALLAHASSEE Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference at the state capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee.
City of Fort Myers to keep fluoride in drinking water City of Fort Myers won’t be joining other local governments in removing fluoride from its drinking water, council members decided.
ALVA Alva neighbors brace for another development battle Alva neighbors have made an urgent call to action to “Defend Alva and North River Road from overdevelopment.”
WINK NEWS President Trump signs Executive Order aimed at expanding access to IVF President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday to try to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans.
Warm and breezy afternoon with scattered rain this evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday, and scattered rain is expected this evening.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
ch South Gulf Cove to host benefit for family of slain Charlotte deputy The South Gulf Cove Homeowner Association will host a fundraising event to honor the late Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz.
FORT MYERS Local doctors working to speed up biopsy process Waiting to find out if a suspicious lump is cancerous can be incredibly stressful. Anything that speeds up the process and leads to faster treatment, if needed, is a huge help.
Punta Gorda keeps its own 911 dispatch center Punta Gorda City Council on Feb. 19 voted unanimously to keep its 911 dispatch center under city control in a move that blocks the county from consolidating the city’s dispatch center with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man sentenced to 2 years in prison for possessing marijuana, firearm A Fort Myers man has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and a firearm as a person with felony convictions.
ICE activity confirmed in Hendry County WINK News has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman sentenced to 1 year in prison for forging late mother’s signature to claim benefits A Fort Myers woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for acts of wire fraud involving her dead mother dating back to 2005.
TALLAHASSEE Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference at the state capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee.
City of Fort Myers to keep fluoride in drinking water City of Fort Myers won’t be joining other local governments in removing fluoride from its drinking water, council members decided.
ALVA Alva neighbors brace for another development battle Alva neighbors have made an urgent call to action to “Defend Alva and North River Road from overdevelopment.”
WINK NEWS President Trump signs Executive Order aimed at expanding access to IVF President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday to try to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans.
Warm and breezy afternoon with scattered rain this evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday, and scattered rain is expected this evening.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
NAPLES Costco construction causes commotion in Collier County community Costco is eyeing a plot of land in Collier County for a new store, but residents are voicing strong opposition.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education and Southwest Florida Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
In the days after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, classmates recounted memories of Nikolas Cruz. One told a reporter he sensed Cruz would do something crazy one day. Another said she could tell there was something not right about him. Cruz had a history of mental health treatment, and the conversation about gun legislation in Florida focused heavily on mental illness. Florida passed legislation in March that fortified restrictions that prevent individuals who have either been declared mentally defective by a court, or have been committed to a mental institution from purchasing or possessing firearms. But according to a psychologist who assesses accused criminals for competency and sanity, very few mass shooters have a known history of mental illness let alone an interaction with the court system regarding their mental health. “There is a small percentage, there is a relationship, but they do not account for even half of these acts,” said Dr. Keegan Culver, who is often hired by the court system in Southwest Florida to assess defendants. Research on gun violence in the United States is limited. Up until 2016, Stanford University researchers were compiling information from online news reports regarding mass shooters in their Mass Shootings in America database. The researchers tracked shootings dating back to the 1960’s with three or more shooting victims, not including the shooter. Anything identifiably related to gangs, drugs, or organized crime is excluded from the database. View the graphic on deadly mass shootings in Florida. A WINK News analysis of this data found that there were 20 mass shooters in the state of Florida between 2013 and 2016. Only one shooter in these incidents was listed as having a documented history of mental illness. In 2014, a graduate of Florida State went to campus and opened fire in the library. He injured three people before law enforcement arrived and killed him. It was later reported that Myron May, 31, was suffering from paranoia and thinking that people were targeting him. Dr. Culver said people experiencing severe mental illness may be suffering from a delusion that would cause them to commit a violent act. She gave the example of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. John Hinckley later said he wanted to kill the President to somehow impress actress Jodie Foster. “He was acutely mentally ill and not in touch with reality and his actions were directly related to the delusion he was under at the time,” Dr. Culver said. Cruz, on the other hand, may have been completely aware of what he was doing acting deliberately and not a result of a mental illness, she said. “I think the immediate reaction to seeing something like a mass shooting is there must be something wrong with this person that they would behave in this manner,” Dr. Culver said. She explained that those traits are often anti-social behavior, not necessarily mental illness. Despite Cruz’s history of mental illness, the gun restrictions on mental health would not have prevented him from purchasing a firearm since he had never been declared defective by a court or committed to a mental institution. Unless one of the two latter things happen, potentially mentally ill people are not restricted from possessing or purchasing firearms. The new law’s age restriction, however, would have prevented Cruz, who is under 21, from purchasing weapons. The Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting and the Parkland shooting are not logged in the Stanford Database because the research was permanently suspended after 2016.