Great Wolf Lodge helps grant Wish of 9-year-old girl with CancerNaples Young Marines honor Pearl Harbor anniversary in Hawaii
MARCO ISLAND Great Wolf Lodge helps grant Wish of 9-year-old girl with Cancer A nine-year-old girl gets her wish granted as she battles to beat bone cancer.
NAPLES Naples Young Marines honor Pearl Harbor anniversary in Hawaii The Naples Young Marines traveled to Hawaii for the 83rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, participating in ceremonies to honor the lives lost and sacrifices made during World War II.
ESTERO Intensive language program at FGCU helps students learn Academic English A new intensive language program at Florida Gulf Coast University is giving people a chance to learn the language tools they need to get jobs or attend college in the US.
NAPLES “Sanibel” film captures resilience of the island after Hurricane Ian The movie “Sanibel” premiered at the Naples International Film Festival in October. What began as a lighthearted documentary exploring Sanibel’s seashell culture took a sharp turn when Hurricane Ian hit the island six weeks into filming.
FORT MYERS New Year’s Eve preps in downtown Fort Myers It’s almost time to light up the night and enter the new year. We know one of the hot spots will be downtown Fort Myers.
NAPLES Hoffmann family gives back to Southwest Florida WINK News often reports on their donations, but this year, we got to hear why giving back is so important to them.
BONITA SPRINGS ‘Halo Law’ aims to protect first responders in 2025 With the new year comes plenty of new laws. Among them is a 25-foot-no-approach zone around first responders on the job.
Veterinarian shortage affecting SWFL shelters We all know how difficult it can be to see a doctor. It turns out that our pets may be facing the same dilemma.
IMMOKALEE Affordable housing transforms lives in Immokalee Affordable housing is not a common word in Southwest Florida; it is mythical, like a unicorn or Big Foot.
FORT MYERS BEACH FMB Strong still making a difference 2 years later In the days and weeks following Hurricane Ian, donations flowed into Fort Myers Beach. The group FMB Strong took on the task of organizing and distributing to people who live on or near Fort Myers Beach.
FORT MYERS Hometown athletes keeping to their roots There’s one thing that Southwest Florida produces at high levels, and that’s talent.
1 dead after FHP and Collier deputy pursuit ends in 5 vehicle crash A pursuit involving Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers ended in a five-vehicle crash that left several people injured and one dead.
Man leads Collier deputies on high-speed chase reaching over 100 mph The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who allegedly led deputies on a seven-mile chase, reaching speeds of over 100 mph.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man accused of attacking neighbor with knife A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies say he barged into his neighbor’s home with a knife and injured a woman.
port charlotte Man accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at occupied vehicle in Charlotte County The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an occupied vehicle in his driveway.
MARCO ISLAND Great Wolf Lodge helps grant Wish of 9-year-old girl with Cancer A nine-year-old girl gets her wish granted as she battles to beat bone cancer.
NAPLES Naples Young Marines honor Pearl Harbor anniversary in Hawaii The Naples Young Marines traveled to Hawaii for the 83rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, participating in ceremonies to honor the lives lost and sacrifices made during World War II.
ESTERO Intensive language program at FGCU helps students learn Academic English A new intensive language program at Florida Gulf Coast University is giving people a chance to learn the language tools they need to get jobs or attend college in the US.
NAPLES “Sanibel” film captures resilience of the island after Hurricane Ian The movie “Sanibel” premiered at the Naples International Film Festival in October. What began as a lighthearted documentary exploring Sanibel’s seashell culture took a sharp turn when Hurricane Ian hit the island six weeks into filming.
FORT MYERS New Year’s Eve preps in downtown Fort Myers It’s almost time to light up the night and enter the new year. We know one of the hot spots will be downtown Fort Myers.
NAPLES Hoffmann family gives back to Southwest Florida WINK News often reports on their donations, but this year, we got to hear why giving back is so important to them.
BONITA SPRINGS ‘Halo Law’ aims to protect first responders in 2025 With the new year comes plenty of new laws. Among them is a 25-foot-no-approach zone around first responders on the job.
Veterinarian shortage affecting SWFL shelters We all know how difficult it can be to see a doctor. It turns out that our pets may be facing the same dilemma.
IMMOKALEE Affordable housing transforms lives in Immokalee Affordable housing is not a common word in Southwest Florida; it is mythical, like a unicorn or Big Foot.
FORT MYERS BEACH FMB Strong still making a difference 2 years later In the days and weeks following Hurricane Ian, donations flowed into Fort Myers Beach. The group FMB Strong took on the task of organizing and distributing to people who live on or near Fort Myers Beach.
FORT MYERS Hometown athletes keeping to their roots There’s one thing that Southwest Florida produces at high levels, and that’s talent.
1 dead after FHP and Collier deputy pursuit ends in 5 vehicle crash A pursuit involving Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers ended in a five-vehicle crash that left several people injured and one dead.
Man leads Collier deputies on high-speed chase reaching over 100 mph The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who allegedly led deputies on a seven-mile chase, reaching speeds of over 100 mph.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man accused of attacking neighbor with knife A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies say he barged into his neighbor’s home with a knife and injured a woman.
port charlotte Man accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at occupied vehicle in Charlotte County The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an occupied vehicle in his driveway.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at Orlando Regional Medical Center Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. DeSantis spoke about Florida’s caseload of coronavirus topping 100,000. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis citing reasons why children should not be back in classrooms next month. Many of the parents and school administrators in Southwest Florida are hoping that the word of doctors will help sway the governor’s position on schools reopening. Susan Patti, an elementary school counselor in Lee County, said, “I think it really clearly defines what the risks are and I think that’s super important because parents are making a life or death decision in some cases.” In the letter FCAAP released on Thursday, doctors said the governor and the education commission misconstrued the words of the American Academy of Pediatrics. When they said “children do best when they are in schools,” the president of FCAAP meant when schools are safe to go to. The letter also mentions that in the past two weeks, positive viral infection rates have been at 14.2%. Doctors say children should return to school when rates are between 3 and 5 percent in a two-week period and warn that rates could skyrocket if schools reopen too early. Many parents think that the advice of these pediatricians means they should have a say in whether or not they send their children back to school. “If this is their advice then that is going to play a big impact in the way parents choose to have their children attend school,” said Eva Ruiz, a parent and special education teacher in Lee County. One teacher hopes the word of several pediatricians will change the decision to reopen schools come August. “I definitely hope that it will change people’s views,” said Julie Abalos, an eighth grade history teacher in Collier County. Even members of the Lee County School Board are taking a look at the letter sent out by FCAAP and hope that the governor is willing to do the same. “I hope the governor listens. I hope he sees that it’s coming from professionals that are in the health care business,” said Gwynetta Gittens, a school board member. Another school board member, Mary Fischer, added, “I think it should impact not only the state level but all of us locally.” While a lot of parents, like Diana Smith, have not decided whether or not their children will be back in school this fall, she thinks parents should definitely take the words of the pediatricians into account when making their decisions. “Each parent needs to look at it with a critical eye,” said Smith. Also in the letter, FCAAP mentions that kids may not get as severe of symptoms with the coronavirus as adults do but there’s still much unknown about how the virus acts in children. For that reason, there are also concerns about how the virus may impact kids. At Saturday’s press conference, DeSantis was asked about the letter to which he replied that he has not yet reviewed it.