Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forwardPort Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
FILE – In this Nov. 12, 2019 file photo, Roger Stone, a longtime Republican provocateur and former confidant of President Donald Trump, waits in line at the federal court in Washington. A Justice Department official tells the AP that the agency is backing away from its sentencing recommendation of between seven to nine years in prison for Trump confidant Roger Stone. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) All four government lawyers who prosecuted longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone abruptly withdrew from the case on Tuesday, with one of them resigning outright, after the Justice Department moved to recommend a lighter prison sentence than the prosecutors had sought. Aaron Zelinsky, who was a key deputy of former special counsel Robert Mueller, said in a filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that he was withdrawing as government counsel. He had been specially assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. and will remain a Justice Department employee, returning to his position in Maryland. Zelinsky was joined shortly thereafter by Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando, all of whom told the court in quick succession that they too were withdrawing. Jed was a fellow member of Mueller’s team and assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. Neither Marando nor Kravis were not assigned the special counsel’s office. Kravis, a career prosecutor, resigned his position entirely. The extraordinary mass exodus came after top Justice Department officials overruled their recommendation to a judge that Stone should serve between 7 and 9 years in prison in the interest of “general deterrence.” Stone was convicted in November 2019 on seven counts including obstruction, witness tampering and lying to investigators in a case stemming from the Mueller investigation. A senior Justice Department official told CBS News earlier in the day that the department was “shocked” by the severity of the recommended sentence. “This is not what was briefed to the department,” the official said. “The department believes the recommendation is extreme and excessive and is grossly disproportionate to Stone’s offenses.” In a new sentencing memorandum later Tuesday, interim U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea said the government still believes Stone should serve time in prison but said the earlier request of 7 to 9 years “would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice in this case.” “Based on the facts known to the government, a sentence of between 87 to 108 months’ imprisonment, however, could be considered excessive and unwarranted under the circumstances,” said the new memo, signed by Shea and another attorney added to the case. “Ultimately, the government defers to the Court as to what specific sentence is appropriate under the facts and circumstances of this case.” The move to change the recommendation immediately raised questions about potential political interference in a federal prosecution, coming shortly after President Trump called Stone’s case a “horrible and very unfair situation” and a “miscarriage of justice” in an early morning tweet. Mr. Trump told reporters Tuesday afternoon he did not discuss reducing the sentence recommendation with the Justice Department, and declined to discuss the possibility of commuting Stone’s sentence. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec denied any communication between the White House and the department about the sentence recommendation, saying department leadership made the decision to seek a shorter prison term after the court filing became available Monday evening. The Washington Post reported on Monday that a dispute arose within the U.S. Attorney’s Office over the initial sentence recommendation. Citing two people familiar with the discussions, The Post said “frontline prosecutors, some previously with Mueller’s team” argued for a prison term that was longer “than some of their supervisors were comfortable with.” Two of the prosecutors in Stone’s case — Zelinsky and Jed — were also involved in the special counsel investigation. The decision to recommend 7 to 9 years ultimately fell to Shea, the interim U.S. attorney and a former top adviser to Attorney General William Barr who submitted the original memorandum. Shea’s office declined to comment on Tuesday. Stone’s sentencing is scheduled for February 20. His attorneys argued Stone should avoid prison altogether and be sentenced to probation or home detention, telling the court he has unspecified medical problems and poses a very low risk of repeating his crimes.