Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopeningDolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm with a few showers this Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking the continuing stretch of warmer conditions along with a few rain showers this Monday.
DeSoto County teen faces sentencing for killing teen at fair A teenager will face sentencing Monday for shooting and killing another teenager at the DeSoto County Fair.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm with a few showers this Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking the continuing stretch of warmer conditions along with a few rain showers this Monday.
DeSoto County teen faces sentencing for killing teen at fair A teenager will face sentencing Monday for shooting and killing another teenager at the DeSoto County Fair.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
Seal of the School District of Lee County. Credit: WINK News. Lee County school superintendent Gregory Adkins said Monday he will recommend the school year start two to three weeks later than scheduled. Public schools in the district are scheduled to start Aug. 10, but Adkins wants to delay the start to Aug. 24 or 31. How The School District of Lee County handles the pandemic impacts every student, their family, their teachers and the whole community around them. Few know that as well as school counselor Susan Patti in Lee County. “Let’s see if we can minimize those visits to the classroom, where myself, as a counselor, has to come in and talk about why so and so’s dad, is no longer with us,” Patti said. And specially-trained counselors are just one part of recommendations on how to go back to school in Lee County. “Meeting the social-emotional needs of students because we know that this is having an impact,” Adkins said. “It’s raising anxiety across the community and our nation.” Adkins told WINK News very much depends on how many students stay home. “This is unprecedented,” Adkins said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before, and I think, at the end of the day, we don’t know until the end of the day how many are actually going to show up.” Adkins says they do have a plan if there’s a spike in cases. That plan includes steps like closing classrooms or even whole schools if need be. Adkin’s made it clear the district will adjust recommendations to stay consistent with the latest research. “We are going to continue to keep examining our mask policy,” Adkins said. “And I would look forward to possibly a change in that in the very near future.” And those headed back to school told us they hope they’re trained well on how to handle this future school year. “It’s going to be even better now that we’re going to be given this time to get better training and given the time to do that,” teacher Carolyn Staehle said. The mother of a Lee County student we spoke to said the start date should be pushed back even further. “The numbers are just getting bigger and bigger each day,” Rachael Ballard said. “I don’t think it’s safe for anybody to be going back to school right now.” Meanwhile, Adkins told us he believes his recommendation is the only proper way to reopen for the 2020-21 school year in Lee County. “A prudent course of action because it gives us an opportunity to really work more on our guidelines. How do we reopen school,” Adkins said. “It also gives hopefully an opportunity for the spread of this virus to take a downward trend and give us a safer reopening.” Adkins admits the District is still working on its guidelines The school board is holding an emergency meeting on Thursday and will discuss the issue. “Let’s not add a layer of trauma to what we’re doing now to try and get through this pandemic,” Patti said.