Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior nightPolice: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
Keoni Vaughn, the “crazy cat guy” at the Lanai Cat Sanctuary. CBS NEWS Welcome to “Purr-adise.” These cats on the small Hawaiian island of Lanai have got it made. Amazing weather, meals served in their own “catfurteria,” occasional massages, and a steady influx of adoring fans ready to give them all the love and attention they could ever want. “All the cats are happy, like, you could tell,” said Wendy Louie. “They are so friendly. And you could tell they enjoy being here.” Lanai is the least-visited of the publicly-accessible Hawaiian Islands. Overnight guests typically come stay at the fancy Four Seasons resort down on the coast. But tourists with a cat fancy have started flying over just to spend time at a rustic outdoor sanctuary known locally as the “Fur Seasons.” “Ninety-five percent of the cats that we bring into the sanctuary are completely feral, meaning they were born in the wild and they have never had any human interaction, until us,” said Keoni Vaughn, the executive director of the Lanai Cat Sanctuary, created to help address the island’s feral cat problem. “I’m a 45-year-old male that runs a 600-cat sanctuary. I don’t mind being labeled the crazy cat guy!” Vaughn laughed. “Yeah, the cat ladies get a bad rap, but you never hear about the crazy cat guys!” said Knighton. “Time to break the mold!” It was actually a lady named “Kat” with a crazy idea, who got this project off the ground. Kathy Carroll moved to Lanai in 2001 to open an art gallery with her husband. “I’ve always had an affinity for them. Since I was little, we always had a cat. One or two. But not 600!” Carroll was surprised to discover so many starving cats roaming across the island. “As you look around the sanctuary today, all the cats you see here were roaming in town, or down at the resort at the golf course, and in pretty sad shape – very hungry, homeless cats.” Cats were originally brought to Hawaii long ago on passing ships. Lanai’s open spaces and lack of predators led to an explosion in the feral cat population. On the cliffs right beside the Four Seasons, cats were running wild, and destroying the wildlife. The cats began to prey on native birds, like the wedge-tailed shearwater, which nest right into the sand. In the higher elevations, cats discovered the endangered Petrel, a Hawaiian bird that’s especially vulnerable. Since the cats are an invasive species in Hawaii, there was a fear that they might be euthanized. But Kat had a different idea. “Those birds are protected by state law and federal law,” Carroll said. “And we wanted to find a way to love and protect the cats, love and protect the birds, and help the community.” Now, cats that are trapped on the island are brought to this enclosed sanctuary. There’s no vet, so twice a month one flies over from Honolulu. While some of the feral cats spend all day in hiding, those who do venture out receive no shortage of attention. Wendy Mendoza was on her 12th visit to the cat sanctuary. “We stay for, like, an hour, two hours at a time. The kids just love it.” The Fur Seasons has turned into a surprisingly popular attraction. Only 3,000 or so people live on Lanai, so the sanctuary survives on donations from outside visitors. “In the last 12 months we’ve had over 10,000 visitors,” said Vaughn. “People from all over the world, of all ages come here. And it’s really, really nice to see their smiles on their face. And it’s really great that all these cats are getting the attention.” Today, there are definitely still feral cats roaming wild on Lanai, but Knighton didn’t see any. Maybe the word is starting to get out. “If I was a cat I’d be knocking on the door, like, ‘Hey, how do I get into this place?'” said Mendoza. It’s a place that the humans seem to enjoy just as much as the felines. Just be careful not to fall toodeeply in love, or else you might end up going home with a cuddly souvenir: All of the cats are available for adoption.