TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
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.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
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.
WINK News Zachary Tyler Martin-Polsenberg, a rising junior at Riverdale High School, had been running sprints with his football teammates in 2017 when he suddenly collapsed in South Florida’s sweltering heat. Minutes later, the 16-year-old was rushed to the hospital. He died 11 days later. His mother, Laurie Giordano, recalled that tragic day on Monday as she urged Florida legislators to enact a law that would compel high schools across Florida to act more quickly when student-athletes show signs of heatstroke and other heat-related stresses. “I was by his side for 11 days, completely powerless to help him,” Giordano said of her son, who would have been an offensive lineman for the Riverdale High School Raiders in his junior year. “I watched him fight to survive.” As it stands, high schools aren’t required to have life-saving devices and equipment available at the sidelines to respond and prevent heat-related injuries in student-athletes. That includes the absence of tubs — or even plastic swimming pools — that can be used to help quickly cool student-athletes showing signs of heat stress. Many coaches and other team personnel lack training on how to recognize “exertional heat stroke,” or EHS, and how to administer emergency care. A bill endorsed unanimously Monday by the Senate Education Committee would set standards for monitoring conditions that might put students at higher risk. At a minimum, it would require schools to have containers large enough to accommodate students’ bodies — tubs or even inflatable kiddie pools — filled with cold water that can be used to rapidly cool down an overheating student. Even if heatstroke does not lead to death, it can cause severe damage to the brain or other internal organs. Florida’s scorching summer temperatures, coupled with the region’s intense humidity, has contributed to hundreds of cases of heat-related injuries. Florida leads the nation in high school student-athlete deaths from EHS, with four since 2011. During the 2017-18 school year, more than 460 student-athletes in Florida were treated for exertional heatstroke, according to a legislative analysis produced for the bill. Between 1995 and 2019, 47 high school football players died from heatstroke or related complications. Nearly all of those fatalities happened during routine practices, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. After her son’s death, Giordano founded the Zach Martin Memorial Foundation, which is pushing to get standards in place. She said the foundation has already donated 35 cooling tubs to schools across Florida. Giordano said her family also has sued the school. In recent years, much attention has been focused on preventing concussions in both professional and student-athletes. Many schools also have moved to address heatstroke risks, said Robert Sefcik, chief executive officer for the Florida Alliance for Sports Medicine. “We need to take this to the next level and make sure all of our student-athletes are safe,” he said.