Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The RanchBear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
Demolition begins on former Winn-Dixie grocery in Estero The walls of the former grocery store at the northwest corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Coconut Road started coming down last month after reaching an agreement with nearby residents who filed suit to stop the project.
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis announces illegal immigrant enforcement collaboration with ICE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken another step in tackling illegal immigration by announcing the state’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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.
the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150K worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than $150,000 worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
Demolition begins on former Winn-Dixie grocery in Estero The walls of the former grocery store at the northwest corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Coconut Road started coming down last month after reaching an agreement with nearby residents who filed suit to stop the project.
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis announces illegal immigrant enforcement collaboration with ICE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken another step in tackling illegal immigration by announcing the state’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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.
the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150K worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than $150,000 worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
Man vapes at the office. (CBS News photo) A voter-approved ban on electronic smoking devices in workplaces is moving forward in the Senate without a proposal by anti-smoking advocates to redefine vaping devices as tobacco products. The Senate Innovation, Industry and Technology Committee on Tuesday backed a proposed bill (SPB 7012) that would carry out part of Amendment 9, a ballot measure that passed in November and includes a ban on vaping in indoor workplaces. Committee Chairman Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, said his intention is to keep a “clean” bill as it advances through the Senate and called the argument to add the tobacco definition to vaping “as a little bit of an overreach.” “The vast majority see the health benefits of stopping smoking, and I think vaping has clearly been a part of that effort,” Simpson said. The measure mirrors a longstanding ban on smoking tobacco in indoor workplaces and would add vaping to a state law that bars people under age 18 from smoking tobacco within 1,000 feet of schools. The proposal, which is filed for the legislative session that starts March 5, would allow people to use e-cigarettes and other devices in “vapor-generating electronic device” retailers and “retail vape shops.” As with the tobacco law, e-cigarette use wouldn’t be restricted in private residences, stand-alone bars, designated hotel rooms, retail tobacco shops, facilities run by membership associations, facilities where medical and scientific research is conducted and designated smoking rooms at airports. However, the measure would give local governments the ability to impose more-restrictive regulations on vaping. Under Florida law, only the state can regulate smoking tobacco. Anti-smoking advocates argued that vaping materials are already regulated the same as tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and defining vaping devices as tobacco products by the state would help Tobacco Free Florida’s educational efforts. “They are currently unable to use the resources to prevent youth from smoking and to educate youth on e-cigarettes because they are not tobacco products,” said Matt Jordan, government relations director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. “They are only allowed to formally address and prevent tobacco use.” Mark Landreth, representing the American Heart Association, warned that separating smoking and vaping masks the potential exposure to second-hand smoke and will lead to “confusion, probably more lawsuits” over what is and isn’t smoking and vaping. “We really shouldn’t be using the word vaping because that is a tobacco industry term,” Landreth added. “It’s the act of smoking an e-cigarette and it falsely describes what is emitted from these devices.” Meanwhile, Joshua Unger, owner of Von Vape in Sarasota, countered that about 30 percent of his business is free of nicotine or other tobacco products. “Our business is helping people quit smoking, or helping people get off cigarettes,” Unger said. “I personally have witnessed hundreds of people, in hundreds of stores in the state, transition from smoking to vaping and then to not vaping.” With about 7.8 million votes cast, Amendment 9 passed in November by a margin of 68.9 percent to 31.1 percent. The proposal was bundled by the state Constitution Revision Commission with a prohibition on drilling for gas and oil in state coastal waters. Constitutional amendments frequently need what is known as “implementing” legislation, which details how the amendments will be carried out. Once the vaping ban is enacted by the Legislature, violators would face a civil infraction that carries a $25 fine or 50 hours of community service. A violator could also take a school-approved anti-tobacco “alternative to suspension” program.