Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forwardPort Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
Photo via CBS News. The death of George Floyd at the beginning of last week sparked not only protests but put race at the forefront of American’s minds. Charlotte County is no different. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has been holding monthly meetings with the NAACP for the last 6 years but stopped recently due to the coronavirus. Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Davis said, “Our partnership with Reverend Anderson and the NAACP has had a very positive impact on the police department’s relationship with our community. It is so important that we continue to keep those lines of communication open with our community leaders during this difficult time.” The black community said they want to see accountability, and the sheriff’s department responded by saying there can be no accountability without proper reporting. “We believe there’s been a lot of proactive communication that we’ve had recently, ” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Claudette Bennett. Bennett expects it to continue. “We cannot do anything about these complaints if we’re unaware of it.” Being aware of these grievances helps not only members of the community but the sheriff’s office as well. Bennett said, “Our agency wants to know about these, say, negative counters you have with our deputies so that we can hold them accountable as well. “If a policy or procedure was not followed to the T, they are reprimanded.” Again, the biggest goal for people in the community is accountability. “Accountability. We want everybody to be treated the same, ” said Javon Spikes, founder of Unapologetically Black. “If you or I do something wrong, we are going to be punished, and that should go for everybody, no matter what they are wearing.” The first step toward that goal is actually having these difficult conversations. “When you were having these sorts of conversations, it’s going to be uncomfortable, it’s going to sting. But after the sting, then we can actually move forward and do something positive,” Spikes said. When members of the community can communicate their frustrations and experiences, Spikes said change can be made. He explained that “There were people in the crowd who felt like they were being silenced when they would come forward with these allegations. There is a way to make change and effectively change your situation. You just have to do it in the right way.” That way, according to Spikes, begins with talking, not starting fires. “We don’t want to be like everywhere else. Everywhere else is on fire right now. It’s chaos all around. Before it gets to chaos here, just trying to do a little bit of politicking.” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell agreed. “Nobody should be scared of the police. If they are, then we have a serious issue. What I’m hearing is I potentially have some deputies who may not be following our policies and procedures. That’s what I need to know about. What I said earlier is that I can’t fix what I don’t know is broken.” The NAACP, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and the Punta Gorda Police Department released a joint statement regarding community relations in Charlotte County that you can read here in its entirety. The Punta Gorda Police Department said it’s working on finally getting all of the body cameras it ordered over the next few weeks.