Friday’s Furry Friends: Rhett, TagRecall issued for ground beef sold with possible E. coli at Walmart
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 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico 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.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
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 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico 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.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
Florida ranks last in the nation for mental health care funding. That is an especially big problem for people living in rural areas like Hendry and Glades counties. “We all watch the news,” Christina Devault said. “We all know mental illness is a serious problem not just in La Belle or Hendry County or Florida. It’s nationwide. It’s worldwide.” Devault is a mental health patient living in Hendry County. She has been diagnosed with bipolar II, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety. She is dealing with all of those mental health conditions on a tight budget. “We are a one income family,” Devault said. “I stay at home and take care of the kids and home school.” Devault depends on mental health providers who can serve patients with low cost, affordable health care. The problem is those providers have a hard time staying open in places like Hendry and Glades counties. “It’s unfair that we in the sticks are just kind of abandoned and forgotten about,” Devault said. Joe Hosick, a health care administrator, said Hendry Glades Mental Health Clinic closed after trying to merge when it realized it was running out of capital. Hosick worked as the executive director of the clinic for 16 years. Until he said, changes at the state level affected how the clinic was reimbursed for serving low-cost patients, leading the business to close abruptly in 2015. “I’m upset with the state,” Hosick said, “for not realizing that the rural areas are not that hard to serve.” Linda McKinnon, president and CEO at Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, said access to mental health care in rural parts of Florida is complicated. “We are required to serve people who don’t have insurance or any other means to pay for services,” McKinnon said. People like Devault, who she has been in touch with over the lack of access here. She said Florida is not keeping up with population growth and inflation when it comes to paying for mental health care. While she has continuously worked on getting more access to these areas and funding, she said the state still needs to invest $119 million to make up the gap that has grown since 2000. “People need to speak up and say we need these services,” McKinnon said. Legislative analysts say more than 400 mental health professionals are needed across the entire state, especially in rural areas like LaBelle. “Recently, we moved to a telehealth model,” McKinnon said. The model enables patients to talk with a counselor face-to-face over the internet. But that is not a perfect cure either. Especially in rural areas where Devault said they use. “Satellite internet,” Devault said, “the wind blows, and the internet is out.” The lack of a reliable internet connection can lead to a big problem in a severe situation. “I don’t see telemedicine working out very well,” Hosick said, “unless they come out here and set up an office.” But, McKinnon said that plan is already in the works. They are opening up several “spoke centers,” with a couple currently in place. It means people can go to an actual building and get help connecting with someone over the web. It is a service McKinnon is working on expanding with more money as she works to close the gap and help patients like Devault. How do I get to a telehealth center? For people who cannot travel to those telehealth centers, there are ways to work around that. The behavioral network is also developing a mobile crisis unit to help people in Central Florida. If you have or know of a person who has no insurance who needs behavioral health services, you can contact Impower, which is a program that can help in Hendry and Glades counties. Access the Impower website here.