Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into cityCrews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Milton.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Milton.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
Credit: Pixabay Diana Bortle said she has been anxious ever since finding out her mother Shirley tested positive for COVID-19. Shirley Cliff is one of 52 positive cases associated with Manorcare Nursing and Rehabilitation in Naples. The facility has more cases than any other in Collier County and the second-highest number of cases in Southwest Florida. Sixteen of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Southwest Florida that have had at least one case of COVID-19 have something else in common: a deficiency for infection control found in the past year. WINK News reviewed nursing home data from the centers for Medicaid studies and found sixteen places given the same deficiency tag: “Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.” A facility in Fort Myers that received this deficiency in July, is now reporting 76 cases of COVID-19 according to the Department of Health. A Charlotte county nursing home cited in March 2019, has 49 COVID-19 Cases. At the Manorcare facility where Bortle’s mother Shirley is staying in Naples, five residents who contracted the virus died. A review of Manorcare’s January inspection report from the Agency on Healthcare Administration stated that the facility was not minimizing the risk of waterborne pathogens. It also reported that Manorcare staff was not transporting linens in a way to prevent the spread of infection and employees were not using personal protective equipment when handling contaminated waste. Government records indicate Manorcare corrected problems by February. A Manorcare spokesperson said by email: “this center does not have any infection control issues.” In fact, the government data shows that all 16 facilities that WINK News located with this deficiency reported correcting their problems. Bortle questioned whether or not that actually happened at Manorcare. “They might have had a plan, but did they implement it? It doesn’t look like they implemented it from all of the COVID cases that they’ve had,” she said. Dallas based medical malpractice attorney Kay Van Wey said nursing homes having a problem with the coronavirus most likely already had a problem with infection control. “The question I would have in (Cliff’s) case, is how was she exposed? Was she exposed because it just couldn’t be helped or was she exposed because the nursing home didn’t follow proper infection control procedures,” said Van Wey. The first case at the Naples Manorcare facility was April 10. But according to the Department of Health, the facility waited three days to have other residents at the facility tested. Bortle said her mother was not tested until late April and it took even longer to test 100 percent of the residents, according to information relayed to her from Manorcare. “We have been symptom monitoring and checking since March. Any patients with symptoms, we would test,” wrote Julie Beckert, a spokesperson for Manorcare. “Now tests are much more readily available, and the department of health did select our Naples center to have full house testing. The Department of Health used the national guard to do the testing. We 100 percent support full house testing wherever we can get the supplies to do it. It helps us understand what is happening in the center and react quicker,” she said.