The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increasesSenior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Orange juice. (Credit: News Service Florida) Estimates of citrus production in Florida continue to slide as the 2018-2019 growing season nears an end. Figures posted Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate overall production of oranges, grapefruit and other specialty crops is off more than 10 percent from an initial forecast in October. The latest numbers reflected the plight of an industry still struggling from 2017’s Hurricane Irma, decade-long pressure from deadly citrus-greening disease, expansion of development into rural areas and changes in national drinking habits. “Again, we see that we are not out of the woods yet in terms of recovery,” Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Shannon Shepp said in a prepared statement. “As growers continue to work toward increased productivity, we continue to support their efforts through the marketing of delicious and nutritious Florida citrus.” The Florida Citrus Commission might consider some budget adjustments, based on the latest monthly forecasts, when it meets Wednesday in Bartow, according to the agenda. Separate from the department’s budget, lawmakers included $8 million for research into citrus disease in the state’s spending plan (SB 2500) for next fiscal year. The funding, which must still be approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis, includes $2 million for the Citrus Research and Development Foundation to seek proposals to conduct large-scale scientific trials on new planting techniques designed to increase production. Mark Hudson a state statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Friday that the orange crop is projected to fill 72.4 million 90-pound boxes — a standard industry measurement. The estimated number of oranges is down from an April forecast of 76.5 million boxes and from 79 million boxes forecast last fall. Hudson said the calculations for the latest forecast include figures on boxes that have been processed, as well as oranges remaining in the field. The May figure for oranges remains above the 44.95 million boxes filled in the hurricane-lost 2017-2018 growing season and the 68.85 million boxes two seasons ago. Even with the lower forecast, the state remains the national leader, at nearly 59 percent, in the production of oranges. California is next at just under 40 percent. Grapefruit in Florida is now forecast to fill 4.58 million boxes, down from 4.9 million boxes in April. When the season began, the forecast anticipated 6.7 million boxes. Two seasons ago, the state’s grapefruit growers filled 7.76 million boxes. Specialty fruit, mostly tangerines and tangelos, account for another 1 million boxes in the latest monthly forecast, up from 950,000 in April but down from the 1.2 million boxes anticipated when the season kicked off. Through the mid-1990s, the state’s citrus growers regularly filled more than 200 million boxes a year of oranges and 50 million boxes a year of grapefruit