NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
Credit: via Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of North Carolina press release. The US Department of Justice is warning Americans about fraudulent cards distributed on Facebook by a group encouraging people to not wear masks during the Covid-19 pandemic. The laminated cards feature an image of an eagle and say “Face Mask Exempt Card” in bold letters across the top. They appear to be geared toward people trying to skirt state and business requirements to wear face masks in public, or to receive service. The card also references the DOJ and the Americans with Disabilities Act. But Freedom to Breathe Agency, the group that posted them on its website and distributed the cards, isn’t a federal or state agency. It’s a Facebook group that says on its website it’s trying to stop face mask orders “from spreading nationwide and globally.” Its founder, Lenka Koloma, told CNN it wasn’t making any recommendations to anyone and the group’s mission is “freedom and personal liberty.” But she went on to say that people should only wear masks, “whenever they wish to be silenced and muzzled.” The DOJ’s Civil Rights division and a US Attorney’s office have now posted warnings about the cards, calling them fraudulent. “Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle,” Matthew G.T. Martin, US attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said in a news release. “These cards do not carry the force of law. The ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency,’ or ‘FTBA,’ is not a government agency.” The warning comes as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise across the United States. Some 60% of states have seen increases in coronavirus cases in the last week. Scientific research continues to show that mask wearing is saving lives by helping prevent the spread of Covid-19 by infected and asymptomatic people. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people to wear them since early April. Still, Koloma and her group are pushing falsehoods — including that mask wearing dangerously limits oxygen. According to its Facebook page, the group had over 5,500 members. It’s unclear if the cards were presented anywhere by anyone. There are multiple versions of the main card, including specific ones for Colorado and California. “I am exempt from any ordinance requiring face mask usage in public,” one of the cards says. “Wearing a face mask poses a mental and/or physical risk to me.” The cards also give the impression of being issued by an official government agency. “Denying access to your business/organization will also be reported to FTBA for further actions,” it reads, in all capital letters, at the bottom. Some of the cards were even made to look more official, bearing the seal of the Department of Justice. Koloma and Fred DiDomenico, who are listed as the co-administrators of the Facebook group, confirmed to CNN the group distributed the cards with the DOJ seal. Koloma and DiDomenico would not say why the cards had the DOJ seal on them or why they removed them. The group disappeared from Facebook on Thursday afternoon. Koloma provided CNN with a screenshot with a notification saying Facebook removed the group for “fraud and deception.” Prior to its removal, CNN had reached out to Facebook for comment about the group. CNN has not received a response to the initial inquiry or to a follow-up inquiry about why the group’s page was removed. The group’s website, created and hosted by Wix, also disappeared from the internet Wednesday morning. Koloma says they are unsure why it disappeared. Wix has not responded to a request for comment. Koloma says although the group was asking for donations on the site, it was not taking in any money. She has since created a new group page on Facebook and says it plans to distribute new cards.