Local barbershop to hold fundraiser for fallen Charlotte County SergeantFire ignites in Cape Coral garage
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Local barbershop to hold fundraiser for fallen Charlotte County Sergeant Pioneer Cuts Barber Shop in Port Charlotte will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from every customer who comes in on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Fire ignites in Cape Coral garage Authorities are responding to a house fire that ignited Friday night at a home in Cape Coral.
NAPLES Ciro Dominguez: wrap up of first year as Naples police chief Chief of Naples Police Department Ciro Dominguez started his law enforcement career at the NPD in 1982.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Where does the money go? $85 Million donation boosts non-profits in SWFL Last month billionaire Tom Golisano gave 41 of our non-profits a total of $85 million.
PORT CHARLOTTE FWC making progress in removing boats; neighbors aren’t convinced Derelict boats are still scattered in places like North Fort Myers, Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda or the Port Charlotte Beach Park.
A look back on some ‘miracle moments’ from 2024 Throughout the year, Wink News anchor Amanda Hall introduced us to dozens of kids persevering through illnesses and injuries. They’re our “Miracle moments.”
Updates on repairs to wall damaged by I-75 plane crash in February A grim reminder of a tragedy that hit Southwest Florida may soon go away.
Breast cancer treatment side effect for women of color Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer often face many side effects. One, called neuropathy, causes extreme pain and research shows it happens more often to Black women.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Top 5 influential medical stories of 2024 This past year saw several major milestones, some of which involved a great deal of money- that impacted the health of our community.
BONITA SPRINGS Fire Station 27 in Bonita Springs reopens after Hurricane Milton Fire Station 27 has reopened in Bonita Springs, showing more signs of recovery following the damage from Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Donating artificial trees to help families in need If you’re thinking of throwing away that artificial tree you have and going green in the future, don’t bring it to the curb.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: missing endangered 80-year-old North Fort Myers man found safe A man who was reported missing in North Fort Myers has been located safe.
FORT MYERS Man accused of trying to carjack driver who offered him ride A man is behind bars accused of trying to steal another man’s car after he had asked the victim for a ride.
Fundraiser to be held for family of slain Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz Southwest Florida law enforcement will hold a fundraiser for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty.
Charlotte County Jail inmate dies following medical episode A man who was in custody at the Charlotte County Jail died following an episode stemming from a medical condition.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Local barbershop to hold fundraiser for fallen Charlotte County Sergeant Pioneer Cuts Barber Shop in Port Charlotte will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from every customer who comes in on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Fire ignites in Cape Coral garage Authorities are responding to a house fire that ignited Friday night at a home in Cape Coral.
NAPLES Ciro Dominguez: wrap up of first year as Naples police chief Chief of Naples Police Department Ciro Dominguez started his law enforcement career at the NPD in 1982.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Where does the money go? $85 Million donation boosts non-profits in SWFL Last month billionaire Tom Golisano gave 41 of our non-profits a total of $85 million.
PORT CHARLOTTE FWC making progress in removing boats; neighbors aren’t convinced Derelict boats are still scattered in places like North Fort Myers, Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda or the Port Charlotte Beach Park.
A look back on some ‘miracle moments’ from 2024 Throughout the year, Wink News anchor Amanda Hall introduced us to dozens of kids persevering through illnesses and injuries. They’re our “Miracle moments.”
Updates on repairs to wall damaged by I-75 plane crash in February A grim reminder of a tragedy that hit Southwest Florida may soon go away.
Breast cancer treatment side effect for women of color Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer often face many side effects. One, called neuropathy, causes extreme pain and research shows it happens more often to Black women.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Top 5 influential medical stories of 2024 This past year saw several major milestones, some of which involved a great deal of money- that impacted the health of our community.
BONITA SPRINGS Fire Station 27 in Bonita Springs reopens after Hurricane Milton Fire Station 27 has reopened in Bonita Springs, showing more signs of recovery following the damage from Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Donating artificial trees to help families in need If you’re thinking of throwing away that artificial tree you have and going green in the future, don’t bring it to the curb.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: missing endangered 80-year-old North Fort Myers man found safe A man who was reported missing in North Fort Myers has been located safe.
FORT MYERS Man accused of trying to carjack driver who offered him ride A man is behind bars accused of trying to steal another man’s car after he had asked the victim for a ride.
Fundraiser to be held for family of slain Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz Southwest Florida law enforcement will hold a fundraiser for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty.
Charlotte County Jail inmate dies following medical episode A man who was in custody at the Charlotte County Jail died following an episode stemming from a medical condition.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is requesting an official investigation into the state’s unemployment system after countless problems have left people struggling during the pandemic. Fried said the state has spent 110 million in taxpayer dollars dealing with just some of the unemployment system’s failures. So many of you have reached out to WINK News, saying you need the system to work so you can pay your rent and other bills, and when the check doesn’t come, getting in touch with the state is next to impossible. Taylor McFarland is fed up with false promises. “When most of Florida is still struggling, and you’re putting out these false hopes that things are getting taken care of and they’re not… it’s just frustrating,” she said. McFarland has been waiting seven weeks for something, anything, from the Department of Economic Opportunity. She got word two weeks ago that she’s eligible for benefits, but her account says she’s both active and inactive at the same time – and she can’t find out why. “The robot pretty much told me I had an issue with my account, it’s showing inactive and that I need to re-open my account, but it didn’t tell me how.” When she finally got a real person on the phone, “she doesn’t know what to do, she reached out to her supervisor. And her supervisor said it’s a glitch in the system, and that I’m not the only person that had this issue, she’s had many people call in with this issue, and they don’t really know what to tell the people.” The DEO’s dashboard on Monday said that 100 percent of eligible claimants have been paid. “I think that’s a lie, because I’m somebody who is showing eligible, and I haven’t gotten a payment, and I applied on March 15. And it’s still an issue,” McFarland said. She fears the issue puts her future in jeopardy. “I’m hoping I get unemployment within the next month because it’s going to be bad if I don’t.” Another major complaint? Some of you who have received payments are saying you got one check weeks ago and nothing since. WINK News has reached out to the DEO for answers but they have yet to reply. For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.