Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
Credit: WINK News. Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says it has a new feature to help you during your unemployment process, but people using the systems are only describing more frustration. We’ve been getting mixed reviews on what you think of the new virtual waiting room. Some of you say it’s smoother once you actually log on. Others say the website is still a mess. Either way, everyone who has reached out to us says more waiting isn’t what you need. What people want are their payments. Corinne Casazza of North Fort Myers waited for an hour and 45 minutes Monday morning to get on CONNECT to claim her weeks. We asked her if the process seemed to be improved. “Well, it’s never very smooth, right?” Casazza said. “So it was as smooth as it has been. Yes.” Her problem now? The system changed Casazza’s wages to zero, and she doesn’t know how to fix it. “I don’t know if I’m going to receive payment because they are claiming that they don’t have my salary information now,” Casazza said. Belinda Anderson of Port Charlotte waited 45 minutes to log on. But, in reality, she’s been waiting a lot longer for payment from the DEO. Anderson’s claim has been pending since April 11. “Nothing is changed on my status, and I have called endlessly,” Anderson said. “And it just hangs up on you. The DEO just hangs up on you.” The new virtual waiting room has users watch as it loads. After dozens of you reached out with your frustrations, WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard also tried it. She waited almost two hours for the progress bar to reach the end, only for the site to crash. She reloaded the page and eventually the log in page appeared. “I mean, you have no option other than to sit there and wait,” Anderson said. “And some people don’t have the time to keep your computer on, or keep checking back to do that.” WINK News also found, if users aren’t watching carefully, they can lose their spot. One woman told us she waited two hours, only to get kicked out of line. Keep in mind, the DEO has been limiting CONNECT users for a few weeks now. It says before the pandemic, only 1,000 users could be on it at once and it still run smoothly. That’s now up to roughly 80,000 people. DEO Statement on virtual waiting room: “DEO has launched a Virtual Waiting Room for the CONNECT system. When CONNECT was developed, it was designed to have 1,000 concurrent users at a time. With the system enhancements put into place over the last few months, CONNECT is now able to host 80,000+/- concurrent users and provide a positive experience for the users utilizing the system. The CONNECT Virtual Waiting Room allows claimants to reserve their place in line while other claimants access the system.” However, the state has received more than 1.8 million unique claims since March. One piece of advice: The DEO says less people log on later in the day, so users might have better luck then. The DEO recently updated its resource guide as of May 30. You can find it by clicking here. WINK News has been working to get answers to your questions. Over the weekend the DEO responded to a list of inquiries on how you can better navigate the unemployment system. We’ve posted all of them on our FAQ: Unemployment Resources page. For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the WINK News FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.