Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salonWINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire
FORT MYERS Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salon The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a homicide after police found a man’s dead body in the parking lot of a Fort Myers beauty salon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire This weeks segment of WINK Neighborhood watch features: An angry driver, a posterior puncture, and a family camper up in flames.
OCALA Memorial held for migrant bus crash victims A memorial was held in Ocala Friday night after a bus crash left eight people dead and 45 injured this past Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE ROAD 3 injured in deadly crash on Immokalee road The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating a deadly crash on Immokalee road.
NAPLES Collier deputies investigating car submerged in water The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating the scene of a submerged vehicle in Naples.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
FORT MYERS Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salon The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a homicide after police found a man’s dead body in the parking lot of a Fort Myers beauty salon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire This weeks segment of WINK Neighborhood watch features: An angry driver, a posterior puncture, and a family camper up in flames.
OCALA Memorial held for migrant bus crash victims A memorial was held in Ocala Friday night after a bus crash left eight people dead and 45 injured this past Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE ROAD 3 injured in deadly crash on Immokalee road The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating a deadly crash on Immokalee road.
NAPLES Collier deputies investigating car submerged in water The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating the scene of a submerged vehicle in Naples.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
All 100 of these generators were purchased in Florida and are being shipped to the Bahamas. (Alec Sprague via CNN) A man walked into a Costco and left with 100 generators, all of which are heading to The Bahamas. His receipt read $49,285.70 and most of that came from paying $450 a pop for 100 generators. Peas, beans, coffee, salt, pepper and other essentials made up the rest of his mega purchase on Wednesday. All of it is going to those in need on the hard-hit islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco, he said. “About 100 generators and a truckload of food and chainsaws are all going over by boat on Thursday to Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas. It’s terrible and I’m sure you’ve seen the photos,” he added. The man wishes to remain anonymous because he doesn’t want the attention and would rather that people focus on helping those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. “It’s important that we help each other out. It’s better than just sitting there,” he said. “You see a need and you fill it.” Another shopper at Costco, who was also buying a generator, overheard someone talking about what the man had done. “I had to go up there to him and say, ‘Thank you for doing this,’” Alec Sprague said. “I am so glad to see someone doing this.” Sprague snapped a photo of the anonymous donor from behind and also shared an image of the many generators he purchased. Getting the generators, food and other supplies to the Bahamas from Jacksonville is going to be a journey. Trucks will drive the supplies to Stuart, about 250 miles south. The man said he has a storage facility set up there so the items could then be transported to the Bahamas by boat. That’s where a local Bahamian and a longtime friend of the man’s comes in. Errol Thurston is a boat captain who runs a guide service in Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas. The pair have been good friends since the early 2000s, when they met in the Bahamas. Thurston’s hometown was devastated by Hurricane Dorian, which crossed the island as a Category 5 storm this week. He left the island to take a client’s boat to safety in Florida days before the storm. He’s with his wife, Mercedes, who lives and works in Florida as a dean at a high school. Thurston has a network of friends and fellow boaters he’s using as connections to help and get the supplies back home to the Bahamas. “We are trying to book a slot on a container ship that regularly services the Abacos and Grand Bahama,” Thurston told CNN. “The guys are doing everything in their power to get us in a slot there. They know the desperation the people really need these items.” If the wait for a container ship is too long, Thurston says his plan B will involve a lot of boats and a lot of planes. “We have a lot of guys with planes to take it over. There are hundreds of local captains with boats who are ready on standby to take the generators and chainsaws by boat,” he said. The planes will start carrying tarps, food, water, medicine and other necessities by air. The boats will carry the heavier items, like generators, he said. Thurston has been collecting necessities from across Florida, from food and water to medicine and clothes. The top priority is getting food and water in as soon as possible. Boat shops and other local businesses are serving as the dozen or so drop-off points for people to donate items, he said. Getting the supplies to the islands will be a challenge, as the oceans are still rough and there’s plenty of debris out there, Thurston said. Thurston’s wife has been integral in helping to plan all this. She’s a Florida native who calls Abaco home as well. “Abaco is my husband’s home and it’s my home, too. So we’re heartbroken,” Mercedes Thurston said. “They are the strongest people I’ve ever met in my life. They have the biggest hearts,” she said. “I feel like it’s our duty to step up and help them get back on their feet they will rebuild.”