Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the legExclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out
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.
NAPLES 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 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.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
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.
NAPLES 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 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.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
Man teaches classroom full of children. (Credit: Neonbrand Unsplash) The Florida Senate released an initial $92.83 billion budget proposal Thursday that would provide across-the-board pay raises for state employees, increase money for teacher salaries and help fund water-quality projects. The Senate proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1 would be about a 2 percent increase over the current year’s budget. Also, it exceeds a $91.4 billion budget proposal that Gov. Ron DeSantis released in November. Much of the Senate package had been unveiled in subcommittees earlier in the week, such as providing $500 million to increase teacher pay and earmarking $643.6 million for water quality and protection. That slightly exceeded DeSantis’ proposal to spend $625 million for Everglades restoration and other water projects. DeSantis proposed spending $602 million to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500. The Senate would use a large chunk of its proposed $500 million to move toward that minimum-salary goal, while also providing money to boost pay of veteran teachers. “These significant increases allow us to reach Gov. DeSantis’ goal of increasing the minimum classroom teacher salary over the next few years, while also providing opportunities for districts to invest in veteran teachers and the many other members of school district personnel who have such a tremendous impact on our children’s education,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said in a prepared statement. The plan is a first step as Senate and House negotiators prepare to hammer out a final budget before the annual legislative session is scheduled to end March 13. A full House proposal had not been posted Thursday afternoon, though House subcommittees released many details earlier in the week. A major difference between the Senate plan and DeSantis’ proposal is that the Senate would provide a 3 percent pay raise to state employees, while also setting aside additional money for correctional officers. DeSantis has proposed additional money for correctional officers but not for rank-and-file state employees. “We also include a meaningful investment in across-the-board salary increases for our hard-working state employees, as well as forward-looking investments in infrastructure that are critical to future security and economic growth,” Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said in a statement. AFSCME Florida, a union that represents state workers, has tried to press lawmakers for raises, including holding rallies this week. It praised the Senate budget proposal. “We are thrilled that the hard work of our dedicated state employees is being recognized in the Senate budget,” AFSCME Florida President Vicki Hall said in a statement. “Our members raised their voices to remind our legislators who it is makes this state tick, and those voices have been heard.” The Senate proposal would fully fund increases in state-employee health insurance costs and fully fund affordable-housing programs at $387 million. Also, the Senate said the budget includes such things as a $368.5 million increase in the Department of Transportation’s work program and would not increase tuition in state colleges and universities. The Senate noted in a news release that its spending plan is based on January general-revenue estimates from state economists. Those estimates were not available when DeSantis rolled out his budget plan in November. On Jan. 14, the economists boosted the estimate of revenues by about $400 million over two years. The Senate Appropriations Committee is slated to take up the spending plan Wednesday and could make changes. The full Senate then would consider the plan the following week.