Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCUFGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
School District of Lee County seal. Credit: WINK News. School District of Lee County hosted a press conference on its school reopening plan Thursday. The next step falls on Lee County parents and guardians of students. They will receive a survey next week to choose how they want their kids to learn in the fall. That will tell the District where it needs to allocate teachers and resources. The four learning options include: Send kids back to school five days a week Enroll them in virtual school Home school them Enroll them in a new program “Lee Home Connect” There is a fifth option on the table for distance learning, but school officials say that will only be used if a school is shut down based on recommendations from the county health department. As for kids returning to the classroom, the District says there will be a number of safety protocols in place, including masks on buses and in places where social distancing is a challenge. There will also be temperature checks and frequent deep cleanings of the facilities. District leaders are also looking at the best way to keep students at least six feet apart while in the classroom. “So removing that extra equipment, that extra furniture and making sure that we spread desks out as much as we possibly can,” Superintendent Greg Adkins said. “We also want to look at utilizing other spaces like large spaces that can be used as classroom spaces. And we are also encouraging the use of outdoor classrooms.” And the District is planning to spend millions of dollars to keep kids safe this year. That includes utilizing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. “With our student population of over 83,000 students at our traditional schools, we are estimating an expenditure at this point of somewhere around $15 million,” said Ami Desamours, the District’s CFO. That’s the total amount being budgeted in the event all students were to return to in-person classes. “We can’t do that,” said Lloyd Duhon, who has three kids at Lee County schools. “The safety is just not there yet.” Duhon told us he has family members with compromised immune systems, so he’s leaning toward an online option for his kids. “Kudos to the school board for continuing to move this in the best direction they can with this crazy circumstance we’re living with,” Duhon said. Mother Sandra Stubblefield looks at recently canceled graduations and wonders how school can resume safely. “This was deemed a big enough issue to literally wipe out an entire quarter of our learning process last year,” Stubblefield said. “It seems like we’re seeing a constant uptick.” Stubblefield says she might feel better about sending her daughter back if she could see the changes in person. “I think they need to take and say, ‘Freshmen come in on this day and sophomores this day’ and stagger it out,” Stubblefield said. “But show everybody the safety precautions and have us take part in that so we understand what’s going on, so we can explain it to our kids.” For other parents, they’re more optimistic considering the mask requirements, temperature checks and social distancing. The District says it’s also looking at removing furniture from some classrooms to make more space or moving classes outside. We also heard from the school board during the press conference. Board members will be working to close the achievement gap for students who have fallen behind because of the pandemic. They say baseline tests will be done once students return, and they will compare that with where students were prior to the pandemic. Testing will show what kind of help is needed to get students back on track. Visit the school district’s YouTube page to watch. Ken Savage, the District’s chief operations officer, shared details about the cleaning process that will be implemented at schools in the District. “One of the most significant aspects is to increase the level of cleaning in our surfaces … Areas that are touched frequently by students or staff will be cleaned with much greater frequency than we currently do,” Savage said. Custodians will also be on a staggered schedule to increase the amount of cleaning that can be accomplished at schools during the day, Savage said. “So, rather than expecting teachers to take on that burden of cleaning, custodians will also be able to help with that and assist it at increased frequency, ” Savage said.