What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride alongThe Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announces campus free speech resolution. (Credit: News Service Florida) A campaign about free speech on Florida college campuses – a hot-button issue across the nation – is being backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and public university presidents, who signed a resolution vowing to welcome all types of debate unless they promote “true threats or defamation.” At the request of the governor, all 12 university presidents signed the resolution late last week. It says institutions will not “stifle the dissemination of any idea,” even when individuals find that speech to be “abhorrent.” “It permits the freest expression of views before students, trusting to their good sense in passing judgment on those views. Only in this way can we best serve American democracy,” said John Thrasher, president of Florida State University, where DeSantis appeared Monday. The resolution is similar to a policy passed by the University of Chicago. And while DeSantis and other supporters say they want to foster free speech, the governor said he does not believe Florida campuses have a problem with speech restrictions. “I don’t think Florida has gone down that road,” the governor told reporters Monday. “I think we are showing that Florida welcomes debate and that the cure for an idea that you disagree with is to point out why that idea is wrong.” The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a proponent of universities adopting free speech policies, has been critical of Florida State University in the past for banning Greek activities following the 2017 alcohol-related death of fraternity pledge Andrew Coffey. The criticism related to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. “The Florida State administration is taking the easy way out of a hard situation by issuing a blanket ban on Greek life, telling Greek students they can have their freedom back when they fix their culture,” according to an article posted by FIRE. Florida campuses have a history of allowing controversial speakers. In October 2017, for example, Richard Spencer, a white nationalist, appeared at an event at the University of Florida, attracting scores of angry protesters. DeSantis said the best response to controversial or offensive speakers, like Spencer, is giving them an “empty auditorium” because they “feed off ticking off people.” He added, however, that “the most offensive speakers, to me, they are the easiest ones to combat because it’s very easy to point out why those views don’t really pass muster.” DeSantis, as an example, cited people who are opposed to vaccinations. “To say you don’t need vaccinations, to me that is something being refuted by the facts,” DeSantis said. “This is not even close to being something that is indisputable.” The governor’s push to foster free speech comes a year after former Gov. Rick Scott banned “free-speech” zones on campuses and as the Legislature considers a proposal that would mandate colleges and universities survey students and faculty on their viewpoints. Supporters say the proposal would give state lawmakers an idea of whether there is ideological indoctrination on campuses. But it remains unclear what the Legislature would do once the data comes in. When asked whether he supports the “intellectual diversity” survey, DeSantis said he is not familiar with the concept proposed by lawmakers. But he added that he thinks it is important to make sure institutions have faculty with diverse viewpoints. “It is not about whether you are liberal or conservative, it’s about whether you are presenting education in a way that is going to challenge people to think critically about these different issues,” DeSantis said. House Higher Education Appropriations Chairman Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, told The News Service of Florida that while he has not talked to the governor about the bill (HB 839), he believes it is something that DeSantis would likely sign into law based on his stance on campus free speech. Fine said there should not be a “bright line” drawn for what kind of speech should be barred, even when someone considers it to be hate speech. “I hesitate to say hate speech because hate is in the eye of the beholder,” Fine said. However, he said he would draw the line on speech that endangers others. Under the resolution signed by the state university presidents last week, institutions “may restrict expression that is unlawful, such as true threats or defamation.” Each institution has also adopted regulations that are “narrowly drawn” and “content-neutral” to keep campus order and security.