Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
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 More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
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 More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Drug price illustration. (Credit: MGN) Floridians are dying because they can not afford the drugs that keep them alive. Monica Ramos, a Lee County resident, has Type 1 diabetes. It is a disease that costs many people a lot of money due to the rising cost of insulin. “One thousand dollars for a life-saving drug is ridiculous,” Ramos said. “Not to be able to afford insulin: it’s wrong.” Sen. Rick Scott agrees. He grew up in a family without health care, which makes the issue of high priced, medicine a personal issue to him. One reason Scott and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, are working together is to bring costs down with the “We Protect American Investment in Drugs Act.” “You can have great, quality healthcare,” said Scott, a Republican. “But if you can’t afford it, it doesn’t do anything for you.” If approved, the measure would not affect the prices of drugs already on the market. We reached out to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America but have not heard a response as of publication. The act would also stop drug companies from charging you unreasonable prices for new drugs developed using taxpayer money. That includes grants from the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is something AARP supports because the bill makes sure taxpayers get a fair price, according to its director of health services research, Leigh Purvis. Purvis told WINK News anything that can save its members money is a good idea. “Prescription drug prices routinely increase faster than inflation,” Purvis said. Meaning, the average annual cost of prescription drug treatment increased by nearly 60% between 2012 and 2017, while the annual income for Floridians increased by less than 13%. “They’re too high,” Scott said. “They’re way too high.” It is a problem Scott hopes to fix. Meanwhile, Ramos works to help other patients find affordable medicine. “As human beings,” Ramos said, “I think we have the right to a healthy life.” A spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) sent us a statement in response to the Florida lawmakers’ proposal: “This bill is a solution in search of a problem and shows a fundamental lack of understanding about how biopharmaceutical innovation works. “While government research plays a role in advancing medical science, biopharmaceutical companies are largely responsible for developing new medicines that help patients lead healthier lives. For example, one study found that the private sector was responsible for 58% of discovery milestones, 73% of development milestones and 81% of manufacturing milestones. “Further, in 2017 alone, the biopharmaceutical industry’s investment in research and development reached an estimated $97 billion, which almost tripled the National Institutes of Health (NIH) total budget of $32.6 billion the same year – only part of which went to research related to drug development. “The bill would also undermine the U.S. technology transfer system set up by the Bayh-Dole Act by setting up price controls that would disincentivize America’s biopharmaceutical industry from taking a license to any federally-sponsored research discoveries. Since the passage of Bayh-Dole, commercialization of federally-funded research has increased dramatically much to the benefit of patients. In 2016 alone, more than 1,000 start-up companies were formed across numerous industries and nearly 800 commercial products stemming from university research were introduced into the market. “It’s also worth noting that this bill would establish a national board of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to make arbitrary pricing and access determinations for new medicines. This kind of price control regime would – as we’ve seen in socialized medicine regimes in other countries – result not just in lower R&D investments critical to addressing unmet patient needs but also in reduced and delayed access to new medical advances. “At its core, this bill would jeopardize patient access to new medicines and erode future research and development investments needed to generate new treatments and cures for patients. PhRMA remains committed to working with Senators on both sides of the aisle on proactive solutions without chilling innovation that benefits patients.” _______ Voice your opinion on this issue! Contact your representatives here: Senator Marco Rubio Senator Rick Scott Rep. Francis Rooney Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart Rep. Greg Steube