NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
FILE – In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, file photo, state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May Court House, speaks at a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting in Trenton, N.J. U.S. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) At least five members of Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew’s office have resigned following his apparent decision to switch parties and become a Republican. The staffers wrote in a letter that they could “no longer in good conscience” remain in their roles. House Republicans expect Van Drew to change his party affiliation after the House votes on impeachment this week, several sources told CBS News. Although the New Jersey representative has made up his mind on flipping, the sources said, President Trump wants Van Drew to vote against impeachment as a Democrat before he makes the switch. Van Drew, a moderate who flipped a Republican district in 2018, was one of two Democrats to vote against formalizing the impeachment inquiry in October. “Congressman Van Drew’s decision to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump does not align with the values we brought to this job when we joined his office,” the former employees wrote to chief of staff Allison Murphy. In a release, one of the ex-staffers said Van Drew informed them of his plans to become a Republican on Saturday. “Trump Republicans have sided with special interests over the needs of working people,” the letter continued. “Worse, they continue to aid and abet Trump as he shreds the Constitution and tears the country apart. They have refused to grapple with how the President of the United States has jeopardized our national security for his own political advantage.” Here’s their letter: [scribd id=439992345 key=key-SLcmerrvgJiGkYLDVc4e mode=scroll] The five staffers — Mackenzie Lucas, Javier Gamboa, Edward Kaczmarski, Caroline Wood and Justin O’Leary — were quickly offered new jobs with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the party’s House fundraising arm. “It’s right before the holidays and these staffers just quit their jobs to stand up for their Democratic values,” DCCC chair Cheri Bustos tweeted Sunday night. “We’ll bring them and others who leave on with the @dccc until they land new jobs that align with their values.” Bustos, who represents Illinois in Congress, also asked for donations for a Democratic challenger for Van Drew in 2020. At least one Democrat — Brigid Callahan Harrison — announced plans to run against him in November’s election. Van Drew’s defection, which was first reported by The Washington Post, could be a boon to the president as the House plans to vote on articles of impeachment in this week. The president, in response to a tweet reporting that Van Drew was considering the switch, wrote that it would be “big” and he had “always heard Jeff is very smart!” Several House Democrats slammed Van Drew for his decision. “I’ve heard of rats jumping off a sinking ship, but very few of them jump onto a sinking ship,” Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee told CNN on Sunday. “Instead of having a congressman who’s in the majority, and he gets something done for his district, they’re going to have a congressman in the minority who can’t get anything done. The lowest thing that there is in the Congress is somebody in the minority side who was a traitor to the majority.” Republicans who plan to run for Van Drew’s seat also trashed him. Brian Fitzherbert told InsiderNJ.com there’s “no place for desperate Jeff Van Drew in South Jersey’s Republican Party.” And there’s been no indication so far that Van Drew’s move will clear the GOP primary field. There are three other candidates running in the Republican primary. New Jersey’s 2nd District, which Van Drew represents, supported Mr. Trump by four percentage points in 2016. Van Drew is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus for moderate Democrats, and has been highly critical of the impeachment process. As recently as last Tuesday, Van Drew told reporters that he was not planning on switching parties, saying that he was “still a Democrat, right here.” Van Drew defeated Republican Congressman Frank LoBiondo by eight points in 2018. New Jersey’s Working Families Party issued a statement Saturday alleging Van Drew is a “Republican disguised as a Democrat.” The statement blasted Van Drew’s 100% rating from the NRA, his vote against marriage equality and his championing of a tax cut for yacht owners. Rebecca Kaplan, Major Garrett and Stefan Becket contributed to this report.