New billboard asks for help in solving Cape Coral cold caseFEMA’s deadline forces tough choices for Fort Myers Beach businesses
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.
FORT MYERS Lee County Library System announces annual Fandom Fest The Lee County Library System is inviting people of all ages to bring cosplay and pop culture fun to its annual Fandom Fest.
FORT MYERS Lee County opens Royal Palms Avenue parking lot for downtown Fort Myers workers Lee County has announced the opening of the Royal Palms Avenue parking lot, which will be used by downtown workers and become paid public parking on nights and weekends.
NAPLES Naples sculptor makes memorable busts for 9 locations You may notice some new, massive statues that have been placed in popular areas around Naples, like Waterside Shops and Maserati Naples.
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.
FORT MYERS Lee County Library System announces annual Fandom Fest The Lee County Library System is inviting people of all ages to bring cosplay and pop culture fun to its annual Fandom Fest.
FORT MYERS Lee County opens Royal Palms Avenue parking lot for downtown Fort Myers workers Lee County has announced the opening of the Royal Palms Avenue parking lot, which will be used by downtown workers and become paid public parking on nights and weekends.
NAPLES Naples sculptor makes memorable busts for 9 locations You may notice some new, massive statues that have been placed in popular areas around Naples, like Waterside Shops and Maserati Naples.
Credit: WINK News. Lee Health hospitals were at 99% staffed bed capacity on Wednesday. It was at 100% Tuesday as doctors are admitting our neighbors faster than we’ve ever seen. Although the hospitalizations graph shows the numbers dipped in early June, right now we’re at the highest point in the pandemic. As of Wednesday, 24% of beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, with 24 new COVID-19 admissions on Tuesday. Lee Health also said Wednesday that a total of 1,660 COVID-19 patients have been discharged since the beginning of the pandemic. Scott Kashman, Lee Health’s chief of hospital operations, said that while 99% and 100% capacity sounds scary, it’s no cause for alarm. These are typical of the numbers Lee Health sees during season, so they’re working on bringing back staff members who are currently on sabbatical. “We know that when it comes to the season that we would be able to ramp up to over 1,500 patients, so today we had over 1,292 patients in the hospital,” Kashman said. “We know that we would have the ability, if we were seeing the trends, to get up to a little over 1,500 patients we could have in the hospital. Keep in mind the majority of the patients who are being treated for coronavirus are not staying in the hospital.” Kashman said the hospital is like any other business in the sense that you don’t want to have too much staff standing around doing nothing, so they’ll monitor the numbers closely and keep bringing on more staff as we head into the season. “Since we’ve seen the rise in cases over the past several weeks is bringing staffing up to the level that we need,” he said. That’s a stark difference from a couple months ago when Lee Health asked staff members to go on sabbatical – or leave entirely. “That was really an effort to make sure that we were saving jobs because you just saw a huge drop in census.” In the hospital, Dr. Luis Apante said he and the rest of the staff take the capacity numbers seriously. “When there’s not staff, the care becomes a little bit more challenging because the load on physicians and nurses are a little bit more than usual.” But, right now, even at 99% to 100% staffed capacity, he said Kashman is right. “I think the conditions right now are still to a point where the care being provided is standard of care,” Apante said. Lee Health is expected to receive more remdesivir Wednesday. They received a 16-day supply on Tuesday. The drug has been shown to help COVID-19 patients. Lee Health is expecting an additional shipment on Monday.