Chaotic lake getting fence and securityWhat we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
Fixing failed back surgeries More than a million and a half people in the U.S. undergo back surgery each year. However, classic back surgery has one of the highest failure rates of any surgery.
WINK NEWS Getting an inside look at the FEMA discount controversy Picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian has been difficult for many and moving on can impact our wallets.
FGCU FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff playing for hometown team after labrum injury FGCU pitcher Dylan Wolff is living the dream playing for the hometown team after he overcame a labrum injury.
LEHIGH ACRES Frustrated Lehigh parents want action after violent school fights go viral online Violence at a Lehigh Acres Middle school was captured and posted online.
Turtle Club beachfront restaurant relaunches in Naples After a series of private friends and family events this week, The Turtle Club will reopen May 5 and begin taking reservations again May 6.
Tax documents. WINK News photo. If you’re one of the 48 million Americans repaying loans from school, expect a little bit of relief come tax time. Interest you paid on a student loan can be counted against your income for the year, reducing the amount of money on which you pay tax. This applies to any loan you took out to pay for educational expenses, like tuition, books, room and board or necessary transportation. The loan can be for yourself, your child or another relative — as long as your name is on it, and your income is under the IRS’ limits, you can deduct that interest from your taxes. “Even if you don’t have a student loan per se, if you took a loan out and you’ve only used that account for qualifying educational expenses, the interest on that loan will be deductible,” Alicia Jegede, founder of New Gen Financial, told CBS MoneyWatch. Best of all, you can claim this benefit even if you take the standard deduction. How much can you deduct? Your loan provider will usually send a form, called a 1098-E, indicating how much interest you paid for the year. It’s best to wait for this form and not try to estimate your interest payments. The IRS limits the deduction to $2,500 per year. At today’s interest rates, that means you need a student-loan balance of over $50,000 before you hit the limit. The average household with student loans has just over $47,000 in debt, according to a NerdWallet survey from last December, so most people should be covered. There are a few restrictions on who can take this deduction, noted Sahang-Hee Hahn, a tax attorney at a large financial services firm. Your filing status can’t be “Married Filing Separately,” and you also can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. There is also an income limit. If your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) was more than $70,000 as a single filer, or $140,000 as a married couple, you can only take a partial deduction. The IRS offers a formula to calculate how much you’re allowed to claim. Once you earn more than $85,000 as a single filer, or $170,000 married, you’re ineligible for the deduction. How much do you save? A deduction reduces how much of your income is subject to taxation, so its value depends on what tax bracket you’re in. For example, a single woman who earned $60,000 last year and took the standard deduction would have a top tax rate of 22%. (Thanks to her income, she likely would also be able to file her taxes for free.) If she deducts $2,000 of student-loan interest, she would save 22% of $2,000, reducing her tax payment by $440. Now, getting back $440 at tax time may not seem like much when you’re trying to shave down a $40,000 loan balance. But as long as you’re eligible to take some money — any money — back from the government, take advantage of that.