Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
As of 6 p.m. Friday, there have been 30,533 positive cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida. The case count includes 29,707 Florida residents and 826 non-Florida residents. There are 1,046 deaths reported and 4,699 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Department of Health. There have been 319,619 tests administered in Florida. A total of 30,533 tests have come back positive, and 288,505 tests have come back negative. The remainder are still pending, according to the FDOH website. The state has also released a list of long-term care facilities where cases have been reported. *Numbers are released by the DOH twice daily at approximately 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. *Editors note: The DOH has removed some previously reported positive cases from their report totals, causing fluctuations in case totals. The state does not track recoveries. WINK News is working to find out from DOH why these cases have been removed. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of cases: 30,533 (up from 30,174) Deaths: 1,046 (up from 1,012) 885 total new cases reported Friday 59 total new deaths reported Friday SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total in SWFL: 1,758 (up from 1,740) Deaths: 72 (up from 70) 98 total new cases reported Friday 7 total new deaths reported Friday Lee County: 940 (up from 928) – 36 deaths Collier County: 526 (up from 523) – 15 deaths (1 new death) Charlotte County: 199 (up from 198) – 14 deaths (1 new death) DeSoto County: 24 (unchanged) – 4 deaths Glades County: 5 (unchanged) – 1 death Hendry County: 64 (up from 62) – 2 deaths Click HERE for a SWFL case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. RESOURCES NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs as business picks up amid coronavirus crisis LATEST CLOSURES: Southwest Florida business updates and store closings #GulfshoreStrong: Covering people making a difference in SWFL FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of April 20 FRIDAY COVID-19 HEADLINES Charlotte County is reopening sports fields and dog parks Friday Get your stimulus money faster by entering direct deposit information to IRS Fort Myers Beach, businesses prepare for possible end of safer-at-home order Lee County adds more bus stop meal routes for students UPCOMING BRIEFINGS: 5 p.m. – White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing Gov. Ron DeSantis gives Friday COVID-19 briefing for Florida Governor directs surgeon general to allow pharmacies to offer testing Gov. Ron DeSantis says he has directed Florida’s surgeon general to allow licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests. The governor made this announcement during his public address in Tallahassee Friday. He also said pharmacies can consider how to offer testing. DeSantis said the state is ready to help, and it would make testing easier if pharmacies can help too. Computer glitch causes spike in reported Lee County cases Lee Health CEO Larry Antonucci said during a phone call Friday, there was a glitch in the system that reports to the Florida Department of Health. The computers at Lee Health were not communicating with the DOH computers. Therefore, Lee Health had a backlog of numbers that were added to Thursday’s reports. Antonucci says there is still a backlog of results that will be added Friday and Saturday, so he says not to be surprised by a sudden spike in reported numbers. Charlotte County is reopening sports fields and dog parks Friday Charlotte County is reopening sports fields and dog parks Friday morning to give you more opportunities to get outside. Just because these parks are opening today—doesn’t mean the virus is any less dangerous. County leaders tell me they’re able to do this because we’re doing a good job of social distancing. And they’re going to make sure people who come out to get some fresh air still follow the guidelines. IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has opened a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.