CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
LEE COUNTY East Lee County football off to best start in school history There’s a new energy in the halls of East Lee County High School, because a 3-0 start is a first for Jaguar football.
RSV vaccine for mothers can help baby Now, a new FDA-approved vaccine can protect your baby, even before the little one is born.
Harris’ past debates: A prosecutor’s style with narrative flair but risks in a matchup with Trump Harris faces former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, who will participate in his seventh general election debate since 2016 for an event that will be seen by tens of millions of viewers just as early voting in November’s election starts around the country.
Collier commissioners approve tax rates, consider repaying Conservation Collier Collier County commissioners on Sept. 5 tentatively approved the $2.98 billion 2024-25 budget, but didn’t resolve whether to repay $29.6 million they took from Conservation Collier to help cover a more than $60 million shortfall last year.
LEE COUNTY Jury finds man guilty of molesting child in Lee County A jury has found a Lehigh Acres man guilty of sending inappropriate messages and molesting a child following a three-day trial.
CAPE CORAL 2 teens plead not guilty in murder of 15-year-old Cape Coral girl Two teens accused of murdering a 15-year-old girl in Cape Coral have both entered a plea of not guilty.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
LEE COUNTY East Lee County football off to best start in school history There’s a new energy in the halls of East Lee County High School, because a 3-0 start is a first for Jaguar football.
RSV vaccine for mothers can help baby Now, a new FDA-approved vaccine can protect your baby, even before the little one is born.
Harris’ past debates: A prosecutor’s style with narrative flair but risks in a matchup with Trump Harris faces former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, who will participate in his seventh general election debate since 2016 for an event that will be seen by tens of millions of viewers just as early voting in November’s election starts around the country.
Collier commissioners approve tax rates, consider repaying Conservation Collier Collier County commissioners on Sept. 5 tentatively approved the $2.98 billion 2024-25 budget, but didn’t resolve whether to repay $29.6 million they took from Conservation Collier to help cover a more than $60 million shortfall last year.
LEE COUNTY Jury finds man guilty of molesting child in Lee County A jury has found a Lehigh Acres man guilty of sending inappropriate messages and molesting a child following a three-day trial.
CAPE CORAL 2 teens plead not guilty in murder of 15-year-old Cape Coral girl Two teens accused of murdering a 15-year-old girl in Cape Coral have both entered a plea of not guilty.
FILE – In this Friday, June 22, 2018, file photo, a mother, left, and son, from Guatemala, hold hands during a news conference following their reunion in Linthicum, Md., after being reunited following their separation at the U.S. border. On Monday, July 9, 2018, a California federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to detain immigrant families in long-term facilities, calling it a “cynical attempt” to undo a longstanding court settlement. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) Dozens of immigrant children will be released from detention centers and reunited with their parents Tuesday. A government lawyer said Monday at least 54 children under the age of 5 would join their parents by a court-ordered deadline, only about half the 100 or so children covered by the order. The Trump administration was working on final background checks for another five children ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Parents in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody “for the most part” are being taken to locations near their children and the families will be released, Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian said in court. She said locations would not be publicly disclosed, but children have been sent to shelters across the country. More than 2,000 children were separated from their parents by U.S. immigration authorities at the border this spring before President Donald Trump reversed course on June 20 amid an international outcry. Last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said there were “under 3,000” separated children in all. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego set a 14-day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and a 30-day deadline for older children. The 30-day deadline is up July 26. American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt sought assurances from the government Monday that advocates would be in position to guide parents when they are released in a foreign land. The parents will be free while their cases wind through immigration court, which can take years, and may be required to wear ankle monitors. On Monday, a federal judge in Los Angeles rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to detain immigrant families in long-term facilities, calling it a “cynical attempt to undo a longstanding court settlement.” U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said the government had failed to present new evidence to support revising a court order that limits the detention of children who crossed the border illegally. The Department of Justice asked Gee to alter a 1997 settlement, which provides the framework for how to handle detained immigrant children, so it could detain families together for longer periods. Three years ago, Gee rejected a similar effort by the Obama administration. She ruled at the time that immigrant children generally can’t be held longer than 20 days. Devin O’Malley, a Justice Department spokesman, said the department disagreed with Gee’s Monday ruling and continued to review it. ICE has three family detention centers with room for about 3,000 people in all, and the places are already at or near capacity. The Trump administration is trying to line up thousands of more beds at military bases. Some attorneys and advocates prepared for Tuesday’s reunions with little information. The Annunciation House shelter in El Paso, Texas, was assisting four parents of children under 5 after their release from immigration detention, none of whom had reunited with their children as of Monday evening, said Taylor Levy, legal coordinator. Levy said that one mother of a 4-year-old was told by federal authorities to find a larger apartment if she wanted her son back. Abril Valdez of the ACLU of Michigan said the government was “vague” on the time and place of the reunifications that could come Tuesday for two Honduran men he represents. Their 3-year-old sons were in temporary foster care in Grand Rapids while they were in a jail in Battle Creek. Under-5 children who will remain separated for now include parents have already been released into the U.S., have been deported, or are behind bars on criminal charges. Sabraw, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said Monday that he was “very encouraged” by the efforts to reunite families by his deadline, calling it “real progress.” He ordered both sides back in court on Tuesday to give another update and for him rule on differences over protocols to follow when reuniting the remaining children. The two sides revealed in a filing late Monday that they are far apart on protocols for reunification, with the government arguing its practices are necessary under federal law to ensure child safety and the ACLU contending that many are too cumbersome under the circumstances. One area of disagreement is DNA testing on parents and children, with the government saying it should be the general rule and the ACLU saying it should be done only when no other evidence is available to prove parentage. Other areas of disagreement include whether fingerprint checks should be run on other adult members of the household and parent participation a legal orientation program should be required before release. ___ Associated Press writers Brian Melley in Los Angeles, Nomaan Merchant in Houston, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.