Woman arrested in connection to fatal Lehigh Acres hit-and-run crashMan accused of shooting into own home following dispute; exposes drugs
LEHIGH ACRES Woman arrested in connection to fatal Lehigh Acres hit-and-run crash The wife of the suspected Lehigh Acres hit-and-run driver who killed a motorcyclist and injured the victim’s passenger has been arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence.
Man accused of shooting into own home following dispute; exposes drugs The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of shooting into his own home following a domestic dispute.
FORT MYERS ‘Like a Football’: Man accused of throwing dog over apartment balcony The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who stands accused of animal cruelty, throwing his dog over an apartment balcony.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms arriving inland before moving towards the coast.
lehigh acres Driver killed following crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash into a canal in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
LEHIGH ACRES Woman arrested in connection to fatal Lehigh Acres hit-and-run crash The wife of the suspected Lehigh Acres hit-and-run driver who killed a motorcyclist and injured the victim’s passenger has been arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence.
Man accused of shooting into own home following dispute; exposes drugs The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of shooting into his own home following a domestic dispute.
FORT MYERS ‘Like a Football’: Man accused of throwing dog over apartment balcony The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who stands accused of animal cruelty, throwing his dog over an apartment balcony.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms arriving inland before moving towards the coast.
lehigh acres Driver killed following crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash into a canal in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
As of 11 a.m. Monday, there have been 36,897 positive cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida. The case count includes 35,969 Florida residents and 928 non-Florida residents. There are 1,399 deaths reported and 6,119 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Department of Health. There have been 444,270 tests administered in Florida. A total of 36,897 tests have come back positive, and 407,373 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 daily at approximately 11 a.m. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of cases: 36,897 (up from 36,078) Deaths: 1,399 (up from 1,379) 819 total new cases reported Monday 20 total new deaths reported Monday SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total in SWFL: 2,204 (up from 2,146) Deaths: 102 (up from 100) 58 total new cases reported Monday 2 total new deaths reported Monday Lee County: 1,138 (up from 1,118) – 46 deaths (1 new death) Collier County: 653 (up from 640) – 22 deaths (1 new death) Charlotte County: 257 (up from 249) – 25 deaths DeSoto County: 39 (up from 32) – 4 deaths Glades County: 6 (unchanged) – 1 death Hendry County: 111 (up from 101) – 4 deaths Click HERE for a SWFL case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. *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. MONDAY COVID-19 HEADLINES Restaurants open their doors for service for the first time in 45 days Tuesday is stimulus check deadline for non-filers who receive VA benefits or claim dependents CenturyLink testing site opens; no appointment or doctor’s note needed to receive test UPCOMING BRIEFINGS: 6 p.m.: Gov. DeSantis briefing in Tallahassee – WATCH replay 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 May 4 Diocese of Venice allows churches to open during the day The Diocese of Venice said Monday it’s allowing its churches to open for several hours during the day to allow parishioners to enter for private prayer and visitation. No liturgical events or gatherings will yet be held in the churches and, for now, masses will continue livestreaming. All parishioners must wear a mask and practice social distancing when in the church. Also, parishioners should bring their own protection such as masks, hand sanitizer, etc. FSW announces virtual graduation ceremonies for collegiate HS Florida SouthWestern State College’s collegiate high schools in Lee and Charlotte (FSWC-Lee and FSWC-Charlotte) counties will hold virtual commencement ceremonies to honor their Class of 2020 graduates. FSWC-Lee will hold its virtual commencement ceremony at 5:15 p.m. May 9. FSWC-Charlotte will hold its virtual ceremony at 6 p.m. May 15. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed on FSW’s website at http://www.fsw.edu/livestream and video links will be available to view each ceremony following the livestream. SFWMD reopens its managed lands The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) announced it will reopen the remainder of closed district-managed lands beginning Monday at noon. Visitors must practice social distancing, including limiting group sizes to 10 or less and staying six feet apart from other visitors. District lands are only open for active recreation such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, kayaking and boating, based on site rules. Passive recreational activities, such as camping, picnicking and gatherings of more than 10 people, are not allowed at this time. For more information about recreational opportunities and a full list of the status of District lands, continue to visit SFWMD.gov/recreation. Restaurants begin opening for business again For the first time in 45 days, you can go out to breakfast and be waited on at a table. Businesses told WINK News that even though they can only operate at 25 percent, it’s better than nothing. “We’re probably going to try to be ready to go by 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. for lunch,” said Shannon Yates, owner of Nevermind Awesome Bar and Eatery in Cape Coral. Outdoor seating is a huge boost in business for restaurants like nevermind and Duval Street Grill in Cape Coral. But the big requirement for all businesses across the state: tables must be six feet apart. 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 <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.