Help identify driver of SUV related to Fort Myers shootingJake’s story: What needs to change to protect other young people?
FORT MYERS Help identify driver of SUV related to Fort Myers shooting Police hope someone can help identify the driver of an SUV involved in the shooting on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: What needs to change to protect other young people? November 8, 2021, Jake Pfeiffer took his own life. His mom shared Jake’s story with WINK News in the hopes of saving another life.
FORT MYERS Man accused of fatal shooting of truck driver appears in court A man facing second-degree murder charges following an altercation with a pickup truck driver made an appearance in court.
NAPLES SUV crashes into Naples restaurant’s window; no injuries A popular Naples restaurant is cleaning up after an SUV partially crashed into it, but luckily, nobody was hurt.
PUNTA GORDA 20th annual Hibiscus Festival begins in Punta Gorda The 20th annual Hibiscus Festival at Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda begins Friday morning and runs all weekend.
WINK NEWS Lehigh Acres senior caretaker accused of stealing over $70K of patients’ jewelry A senior caretaker has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $70,000 of her patients’ jewelry and pawning it.
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle brushfire near Alico Road and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
FORT MYERS Help identify driver of SUV related to Fort Myers shooting Police hope someone can help identify the driver of an SUV involved in the shooting on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: What needs to change to protect other young people? November 8, 2021, Jake Pfeiffer took his own life. His mom shared Jake’s story with WINK News in the hopes of saving another life.
FORT MYERS Man accused of fatal shooting of truck driver appears in court A man facing second-degree murder charges following an altercation with a pickup truck driver made an appearance in court.
NAPLES SUV crashes into Naples restaurant’s window; no injuries A popular Naples restaurant is cleaning up after an SUV partially crashed into it, but luckily, nobody was hurt.
PUNTA GORDA 20th annual Hibiscus Festival begins in Punta Gorda The 20th annual Hibiscus Festival at Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda begins Friday morning and runs all weekend.
WINK NEWS Lehigh Acres senior caretaker accused of stealing over $70K of patients’ jewelry A senior caretaker has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $70,000 of her patients’ jewelry and pawning it.
Tim Aten Knows: Next phase of Restaurant Row Naples under way Construction of the final phase of Restaurant Row Naples was stalled for months because of financial issues but the three-building project was recently revived.
NAPLES Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s first Florida theater opens in Naples The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has now opened at the company’s first-ever Florida location at Mercato in Naples.
FORT MYERS Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, Tag For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Gulf Coast Humane Society to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
WINK NEWS Recall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a recall for several ground beef products distributed from Pennsylvania to Walmart’s nationwide.
The Weather Authority Hotter and more humid this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a mild Friday morning with dry afternoon conditions and isolated storms appearing in the evening.
PUNTA GORDA ‘Party’s Over’: Dirt biking ends at Barefoot Lake The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has made it clear, the party at Barefoot Lake is over.
ESTERO Crews battle brushfire near Alico Road and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Around this time of year, many taxpayers begin the annual ritual of pondering The Big Question: Do I take the standard deduction or spend time hunting for receipts and filling out extra forms to itemize? The decision largely boils down to whether itemizing will reduce your taxable income more than the flat, no-questions-asked standard deduction will, thus saving you money. But a major plot twist may make the issue even more vexing for some this tax season: The standard deduction nearly doubled in 2018 to $12,000 for single filers, $18,000 for heads of household and $24,000 for joint filers. Generally, that means that a married couple filing jointly, for example, would now need to cobble together at least $24,001 in various tax deductions for itemizing to lower their tax bill more than taking the standard deduction would. NerdWallet: Free Income Tax Calculator It’s a change that’s sure to leave some longtime itemizers wondering whether the standard deduction is actually the thriftier option this year. Here are four things tax pros say could indicate that it’s time to stop itemizing and take the standard deduction. 1. YOU DIDN’T PAY A LOT OF MORTGAGE INTEREST The tax deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes have been boons to itemizers because they often add up to more than the standard deduction, says Andrew McCue, a certified public accountant at Weiss & Company in Glenview, Illinois. But if you didn’t pay much in property taxes, had a small mortgage or were at the tail end of your mortgage (where the payments were mostly toward principal and not much interest), these itemized deductions may not save you as much this year as the standard deduction could. “If those are adding up to a substantial amount, that’s when you want to look at it and look at the standard deduction,” he says. 2. YOU USED THE DEDUCTION FOR STATE AND LOCAL TAXES The federal deduction for state and local income taxes is popular among itemizers, but a new cap of $10,000 for joint filers this year means some people may be better off taking the standard deduction instead, McCue says. But even with the cap in place, taxpayers who also have deductible mortgage interest might still save more by itemizing this year, he says. “In Illinois, it’s not hard for me to say I’ve got $6,000 of property taxes, but that varies a lot state to state,” he says. Add in another $6,000 for mortgage interest, and “just with those two items, you’re at the standard deduction for an individual,” he says. 3. YOU DIDN’T DONATE A LOT TO CHARITY Charitable donations are a well-known tax deduction for itemizers, but if this year’s higher standard deduction gets you a bigger tax break, the tax-deductibility of your gifts may be a moot point, says Kasey Pittman, a CPA at Newport News, Virginia-based accounting firm PBMares. “They’re not going to see that added benefit from donations, and I think once they figure that out, they’ll learn to plan their donations and to be more thoughtful about what year they give in and such,” she says. For example, giving $5,000 to a favorite charity once every five years could save more money than giving $1,000 every year for five years. That’s because “bunched” donations, when combined with other itemized deductions, could get you over the higher standard-deduction threshold and make itemizing worthwhile financially, Pittman says. 4. YOU DIDN’T HAVE HUGE MEDICAL EXPENSES In general, unreimbursed medical expenses that are more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income may be deductible if you itemize, says Travis McMurray, a CPA at accounting firm Blackburn, Childers & Steagall in Tennessee. But the higher standard deduction could still be a better option. “Quite honestly, you’d have to have a pretty significant medical event for that to kick in, or your income must be pretty low,” he says. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Tina Orem is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: torem@nerdwallet.com.