Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
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.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Jimmie The Beef Guy opens in Fort Myers Jimmie “The Beef Guy” Hart opened the first Jimmie The Beef Guy in 2021 on the southeast corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41.
SARASOTA Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue Wildlife officials euthanized a distressed smalltooth sawfish that was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys where it was swimming in circles.
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.
Jesse Dalton – Photo courtesy of Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Jesse Dalton seemed like a picture-perfect dog trainer. He had search and rescue experience, an interactive social media and good references. But clients say he was anything but the picture he painted. At least six dogs — Lola, Remy, Silvie, Jynx, Zeus and Taser — were either neglected, disappeared or died on Dalton’s watch in Massachusetts and Southwest Florida. “He was cremated, and this is how he was returned to me,” Gregg Tappan said. Ashes are all Tappan has left of his dog, Taser. A Massachusetts police officer said Dalton agreed to board Taser in 2016. But when Dalton refused to let Tappan see his dog, he took action. “I got extremely suspicious at that and started calling pet crematories, and it was the third one that I found that had Taser,” Tappan said, “The really sick part of it all was Jesse was still lying to me, telling me he had Taser.” After the incident, Dalton moved to Florida. Melissa Velez of North Fort Myers said she hired Dalton to train an energetic Lola, last year. But the week-long train and board program turned into several weeks. “He just kept having excuses as to why he couldn’t bring the dog back,” Velez said. When Dalton finally returned Lola, Velez said her dog was in rough shape. “She went up on the stairs, and she fell,” Velez said. “Her back legs just gave out, so she didn’t even make it up the steps onto the porch.” Velez took her to the veterinarian the next day, and the report said Lola may have been drugged, had scabs and lost fifteen pounds. “She was skin and bones, you could see every bone there was,” Velez said. Natalie Clause of South Fort Myers also signed up her dogs, Remy and Silvie, for a board and train program. Like Velez, Clause said she had trouble getting her dogs back, even threatening to call law enforcement. Silvie was returned malnourished and Remy, even worse. In addition to being malnourished, Remy’s hair was falling out, and she had an infection. Two other dogs in Dalton’s care disappeared. Dalton fostered Zeus and Jynx in North Port, for a rescue in 2018. A former rescue worker said the dogs haven’t been seen since. Local victims Velez and Clause reported Dalton, and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office charged him with animal cruelty. He plead no contest to both cases and was ordered by the judge to have no contact with animals. Dalton and his wife, Jennifer MacDonald, are also facing an animal cruelty felony charge. In February, Sarasota animal services found 13 animals confined within their small motel room and allegedly stolen U-Haul van. Court documents say the animals were filthy and malnourished. The case is still pending. But tracking trainers is tough because the state doesn’t regulate them. However, counties can step in. Hillsborough County in Florida passed “Truth in Training,” an ordinance requiring trainers to register and report bad behavior. Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties said they’re not considering anything like this. Before hiring a trainer, there are a few things owners can do to try and protect their pet. You should ask for and speak with references and ask about vaccinations. If your pet is boarding, look at the facility in person. “That’s the one thing I have guilt about,” Velez said. “That I didn’t push harder to see where she was going to be housed.” We reached out to Dalton, MacDonald and their attorneys multiple times. No one returned our calls. Grant Reeves, The Upbeat K9 CEO, said they severed their relationship with Dalton, the local franchisee, 18 months ago. Reeves says he is also considering legal options.