Cape Coral residents react as Tropicana Park construction startsBody camera footage released of deputy involved crash
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react as Tropicana Park construction starts Crews broke ground at Tropicana Park in Cape Coral on Monday, the first step toward the park’s future.
Body camera footage released of deputy involved crash A driver not paying attention to the road slams into several deputy patrol cars.
PUNTA GORDA Tow company denies access to boat owner after Hurricane Milton A woman’s boat sank during Hurricane Milton while she was in Michigan, but the company allegedly will not let her collect her belongings.
CAPE CORAL New billboard asks for help in solving Cape Coral cold case A new billboard towering over a busy Cape Coral intersection asks for your help in solving a 10 year old cold case.
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA’s deadline forces tough choices for Fort Myers Beach businesses FEMA’s deadline is Monday for temporary structures like shipping containers or trailers to get off the island.
NAPLES Naples tops the U.S. News & World Report list for places to retire in 2025 at number 1 spot If you could pick a place to retire, what city would you choose?
What are the impacts to southwest Florida if the U.S. Department of Education gets eliminated? A lot of changes are in store when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. One of those changes is the possible dismantlement of the U.S. Department of Education.
Southwest Florida International Airport How is Spirit’s bankruptcy announcement affecting RSW travelers? Spirit Airlines is heading to bankruptcy court right as we head into the busy holiday travel season, so how would this impact Southwest Florida travelers?
Victim in Collier house party shooting identified, killer still at large WINK News is learning the victim of a fatal house party shooting was a Collier County public school student.
Ultrasound technology shows promise for pain and depression treatment Chronic pain and treatment-resistant depression — both impact millions of people, both can be debilitating and both can leave people feeling hopeless.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Fire Department launches annual toy drive The Cape Coral Fire Department is collecting toys and gifts for children in need this holiday season.
Bruno’s of Brooklyn opens new downtown Fort Myers location The new Bruno’s of Brooklyn Italian Eatery opens the evening of Nov. 18 at 2149 First St. in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA deadline looms for Lee County: flood insurance discounts at risk FEMA will soon announce whether homeowners in five different areas of Lee County will keep that 25% discount on their flood insurance policies long term.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for grand theft at North Fort Myers Dollar Tree SWFL Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for committing grand theft at a Dollar Tree in North Fort Myers last week.
WINK NEWS 1 dead from e-coli outbreak due to carrots sold in popular grocery stores The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak of e-coli linked to tainted carrots.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react as Tropicana Park construction starts Crews broke ground at Tropicana Park in Cape Coral on Monday, the first step toward the park’s future.
Body camera footage released of deputy involved crash A driver not paying attention to the road slams into several deputy patrol cars.
PUNTA GORDA Tow company denies access to boat owner after Hurricane Milton A woman’s boat sank during Hurricane Milton while she was in Michigan, but the company allegedly will not let her collect her belongings.
CAPE CORAL New billboard asks for help in solving Cape Coral cold case A new billboard towering over a busy Cape Coral intersection asks for your help in solving a 10 year old cold case.
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA’s deadline forces tough choices for Fort Myers Beach businesses FEMA’s deadline is Monday for temporary structures like shipping containers or trailers to get off the island.
NAPLES Naples tops the U.S. News & World Report list for places to retire in 2025 at number 1 spot If you could pick a place to retire, what city would you choose?
What are the impacts to southwest Florida if the U.S. Department of Education gets eliminated? A lot of changes are in store when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. One of those changes is the possible dismantlement of the U.S. Department of Education.
Southwest Florida International Airport How is Spirit’s bankruptcy announcement affecting RSW travelers? Spirit Airlines is heading to bankruptcy court right as we head into the busy holiday travel season, so how would this impact Southwest Florida travelers?
Victim in Collier house party shooting identified, killer still at large WINK News is learning the victim of a fatal house party shooting was a Collier County public school student.
Ultrasound technology shows promise for pain and depression treatment Chronic pain and treatment-resistant depression — both impact millions of people, both can be debilitating and both can leave people feeling hopeless.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Fire Department launches annual toy drive The Cape Coral Fire Department is collecting toys and gifts for children in need this holiday season.
Bruno’s of Brooklyn opens new downtown Fort Myers location The new Bruno’s of Brooklyn Italian Eatery opens the evening of Nov. 18 at 2149 First St. in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA deadline looms for Lee County: flood insurance discounts at risk FEMA will soon announce whether homeowners in five different areas of Lee County will keep that 25% discount on their flood insurance policies long term.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for grand theft at North Fort Myers Dollar Tree SWFL Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for committing grand theft at a Dollar Tree in North Fort Myers last week.
WINK NEWS 1 dead from e-coli outbreak due to carrots sold in popular grocery stores The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak of e-coli linked to tainted carrots.
Florida’s unemployment rate for June dropped to 10.4%. But those gains might be short lived, as parts of the state closed yet again. We spoke to a man in Southwest Florida who is riding this unemployment rollercoaster. Musician Scott McDonald is out of work — again. He initially stopped performing at the Cielo, a restaurant on Sanibel Island, in late March, all the while trying to get unemployment benefits. “I probably put in 100 hours of trying to be on the telephone and also on the website trying to get it,” McDonald said. The restaurant brought him back in May. But, with coronavirus cases now rising, they recently went to take-out only. “I totally get that they want to shut down voluntarily,” McDonald said. “And it took a lot of nerve to do that because they’re losing income as well.” According to the latest report, the state says the leisure and hospitality sector gained the most jobs from May to June. The Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro area also saw the fastest rate of growth. June’s 10.4% unemployment rate is down from the revised rate for May, which was 13.7%. “There was a little bit of confusion on, if somebody was employed but they were furloughed, how they should be counted on survey,” Adrienne Johnston, chief of the Bureau of Labor Market Statistics for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said in a teleconference Friday. That confusion over who should be counted as unemployed has led to monthly revisions of those numbers. However, U.S. Department of Labor said it’s constantly improving the method. “Underestimates have gotten a little bit better each month, so they know in June it was much better,” Johnston said. But that means June’s rate could still be revised. The June rate doesn’t reflect recent measures taken against bars or rollbacks for certain businesses in Miami-Dade County. It also doesn’t count reopening theme parks. Johnston says the impact of those changes will be reflected in July’s unemployment rate, to be released in August 21. “It is still too early to tell exactly how long it’s going to last and what those long-term impacts are going to be on the labor market,” Johnston said. With cases rising in Florida, predictions for July and beyond are still up in the air. “I think safety should be first because, if everybody is sick or dying, there’s not gonna be anybody to go back to work,” McDonald said. MORE: DEO – Florida’s June Employment Figures Released 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.