Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trialDespite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue
NEW YORK (AP) Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
Collier County Sheriff’s deputies reminding you not to leave valuables inside the car The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said there were 30 vehicle burglaries in Collier County in April.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
WINK NEWS Gov. DeSantis signs tax relief package for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has renewed the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday among other tax-free incentives for Floridians.
Fort Myers debates future of police review board A new law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will change oversight with local police departments and the citizens they protect.
FORT MYERS Lifting weights brings Bishop Verot’s football team together Football teams are spending their days in the iron paradise as spring practice is on for high school football.
LEHIGH ACRES Traffic signal for Lee Blvd. and Joan Ave. North approved The Lee Board of County Commissioners approved measures to install a traffic signal, new lighting, upgraded drainage, and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Van catches fire after crash with trailer in North Fort Myers Several crews are responding to a crash that involved a work van and a truck pulling a trailer in North Fort Myers this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2nd teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to be arraigned A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NEW YORK (AP) Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
Collier County Sheriff’s deputies reminding you not to leave valuables inside the car The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said there were 30 vehicle burglaries in Collier County in April.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
WINK NEWS Gov. DeSantis signs tax relief package for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has renewed the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday among other tax-free incentives for Floridians.
Fort Myers debates future of police review board A new law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will change oversight with local police departments and the citizens they protect.
FORT MYERS Lifting weights brings Bishop Verot’s football team together Football teams are spending their days in the iron paradise as spring practice is on for high school football.
LEHIGH ACRES Traffic signal for Lee Blvd. and Joan Ave. North approved The Lee Board of County Commissioners approved measures to install a traffic signal, new lighting, upgraded drainage, and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Van catches fire after crash with trailer in North Fort Myers Several crews are responding to a crash that involved a work van and a truck pulling a trailer in North Fort Myers this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2nd teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to be arraigned A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
Credit: WINK News The question on everyone’s mind these days is when can we return to normal? The federal and state governments are working on plans right now so we can get back to our lives and our jobs – and open up the economy again. Our state is one of the hardest hit by the lack of tourism. One look at the bare beaches is all it takes to show the pandemic’s impact. Experts say that although Florida is taking a hard hit, we will come back from this – it just might take some time to get there. Earlier this year, beaches, bars and restaurants were packed. “The first two months of the year we were seeing record-setting visitation and visitor spending, and it was all very positive,” said Jack Wert, executive director of Collier County tourism. And now… “We lost over half of our season,” said Dr. Shelton Weeks, chair of economics and finance at Florida Gulf Coast University. WalletHub released a study showing Florida ranked sixth among the most impacted states when it comes to the coronavirus and tourism. They focused on two things. “The first being how dependent is the state’s economy on tourism and travel, and the second is a metric that considers how aggressive the state responded to coronavirus,” Weeks said. Experts say it’s hard to pinpoint one part of the tourism business that’s been most affected, but they have noticed “occupancy in hotels right now is less than 10 percent. This time of year we would usually be over 90 percent,” Wert said. Will our state recover? “We will recover, but the question is what it looks like when we come back,” Weeks said. The county said they’re ready to have visitors when the pandemic is over. “We aren’t going anywhere. We know you’re not traveling now but the beaches are still beautiful and everything is here, we’re just waiting for you to be ready to come back,” Wert said. Wert said the Collier County tourism bureau might start their advertising back up and try to slowly get things back to normal no earlier than late summer. On a national level, President Donald Trump will announce his plan Thursday to get the country back up and running and get people back to work. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis will talk with Trump on Thursday about his plan to start reopening the state, but health experts caution it will be a slow process. DeSantis is putting together a task force to plan the state’s reopening, much like the one Trump is putting together for his nationwide plans. He said those guidelines will be discussed Thursday with every governor in the country. But Dr. Deborah Birx warns this does not mean it’s time to immediately resume social gatherings. “There is always a chance that an asymptomatic person can spread the virus unknowingly,” she said. Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. has passed the peak of new cases, and DeSantis said the trends are also being noticed in Florida. “It’s obviously prudent to start thinking about and planning for people getting back to work,” he said. His task force will figure out the best ways of getting that done. “People in elected office, people in business, people are involved in education and all kinds of things and get the best ideas about, you know, what’s the most prudent way to move forward,” the governor said Wednesday. Other state leaders, while optimistic, are urging people to be realistic and expect a potential uptick with the changes. “No matter how careful they are in making them [decisions], there are going to be increases in infections. There are going to be increases in the number of deaths,” said Sen. Marco Rubio. DeSantis said Florida is such a big destination for people that he wants to come up with a plan to keep Floridians safe from visitors bringing in the virus. He said he wants assurances that anyone from a foreign country is tested or has antibodies. His task force members will be announced by the end of the week.