Community comes together to support father battling cancerWoman accused of breaking into hangar, steals car from Page Field Airport
ENGLEWOOD Community comes together to support father battling cancer Kevin Kuznar has spent years working as a barber to build a life for his son in Englewood.
FORT MYERS Woman accused of breaking into hangar, steals car from Page Field Airport A woman has been accused of stealing a car from an airport hangar and going on a crime spree.
NAPLES ‘Love, peace and taco grease’: Guy Fieri brings Flavortown spirit to Naples ‘Culinary rock star’ Guy Fieri was in town Tuesday night to promote his additive-free tequila brand.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life celebrates 2024 Men and Women of the Year event Gulfshore Life celebrated the 26th annual Men and Women of the Year gala event on Wednesday night, honoring 10 recipients for their contributions to the Southwest Florida community.
Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouse Charlotte County commissioners are trying to keep the historical importance of the Placida bunkhouse alive.
Conservation easement helps to preserve Naples coastline A new beach resort to unwind and relax is on its way and there’s going to be a giant green space to help with that.
PUNTA GORDA 81-year-old SWFL veteran celebrated with Honor Flight Among the 100 Southwest Florida veterans headed to Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight is Bob Carpenter, an 81-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.
SANIBEL Sanibel eyes new hurricane protections amid recovery It should come as no surprise that parts of Southwest Florida, especially Sanibel Island, have a long way to go in their recovery from this year’s hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Facebook post helps find good Samaritan in Cape Coral A Cape Coral man is relieved to discover good people still exist.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell Beach Resort seeks expansion on Fort Myers Beach The face of Fort Myers Beach could look different as the Pink Shell Beach Resort wants to expand.
NAPLES Owner of Johnsonville named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year From king of sausage to best-selling author, Johnsonville owner Ralph Stayer has been named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year.
Fired FEMA worker speaks out The FEMA team leader who was fired for telling her crew to skip properties with signs supporting Donald Trump in a Highlands County mobile home park is pushing back.
FORT MYERS Water quality testing continues in Fort Myers waterways Water quality has been an ongoing issue for parts of southwest Florida, and two notoriously bad spots fall within the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO New mixed-use development proposed in Estero A new entertainment and living experience may be going right in the middle of a place you’ve never seen before.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for using stolen credit card to buy gift cards in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking the public for information on a male suspect seen making purchases with a stolen credit card in North Fort Myers.
ENGLEWOOD Community comes together to support father battling cancer Kevin Kuznar has spent years working as a barber to build a life for his son in Englewood.
FORT MYERS Woman accused of breaking into hangar, steals car from Page Field Airport A woman has been accused of stealing a car from an airport hangar and going on a crime spree.
NAPLES ‘Love, peace and taco grease’: Guy Fieri brings Flavortown spirit to Naples ‘Culinary rock star’ Guy Fieri was in town Tuesday night to promote his additive-free tequila brand.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life celebrates 2024 Men and Women of the Year event Gulfshore Life celebrated the 26th annual Men and Women of the Year gala event on Wednesday night, honoring 10 recipients for their contributions to the Southwest Florida community.
Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouse Charlotte County commissioners are trying to keep the historical importance of the Placida bunkhouse alive.
Conservation easement helps to preserve Naples coastline A new beach resort to unwind and relax is on its way and there’s going to be a giant green space to help with that.
PUNTA GORDA 81-year-old SWFL veteran celebrated with Honor Flight Among the 100 Southwest Florida veterans headed to Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight is Bob Carpenter, an 81-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.
SANIBEL Sanibel eyes new hurricane protections amid recovery It should come as no surprise that parts of Southwest Florida, especially Sanibel Island, have a long way to go in their recovery from this year’s hurricanes.
CAPE CORAL Facebook post helps find good Samaritan in Cape Coral A Cape Coral man is relieved to discover good people still exist.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell Beach Resort seeks expansion on Fort Myers Beach The face of Fort Myers Beach could look different as the Pink Shell Beach Resort wants to expand.
NAPLES Owner of Johnsonville named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year From king of sausage to best-selling author, Johnsonville owner Ralph Stayer has been named one of Gulfshore Life’s Men of the Year.
Fired FEMA worker speaks out The FEMA team leader who was fired for telling her crew to skip properties with signs supporting Donald Trump in a Highlands County mobile home park is pushing back.
FORT MYERS Water quality testing continues in Fort Myers waterways Water quality has been an ongoing issue for parts of southwest Florida, and two notoriously bad spots fall within the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO New mixed-use development proposed in Estero A new entertainment and living experience may be going right in the middle of a place you’ve never seen before.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for using stolen credit card to buy gift cards in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking the public for information on a male suspect seen making purchases with a stolen credit card in North Fort Myers.
Credit: WINK News. According to the state’s unemployment dashboard, it’s paid more than $8.5 billion in CARES Act benefits to unemployed Floridians. But, as of last Saturday, that extra $600 a week is over. We looked at how the decrease in unemployment benefits is impacting workers Southwest Florida Monday. For Bonnie Armstrong, losing the extra $600 in federal unemployment benefits is going to make life much harder. “I won’t make enough to pay my rent,” Armstrong said. Armstrong’s rent is $1,200 a month, and receiving $275 weekly from the state won’t cut it, let alone her other bills. Armstrong was furloughed in March from her server job in Naples. The restaurant reopened but not 100%. “Right now, they’re running a skeleton crew,” Armstrong said. “On nights we would normally have 14 servers, they’re working with five.” Armstrong has been spending her time taking care of her mother in Minnesota and helping other people deal with Florida’s unemployment system, running a support group on Facebook. “We’re all looking out for each other, all trying to help each other,” Armstrong said. “I think that’s exactly why I’ve been able to get through this. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know what I would do.” As Congress debates what the next relief bill will look like, Armstrong says she’s tired of hearing that people don’t want to work because they make more collecting benefits. “The fact is if you’re offered your position back and you say no, you don’t get any more unemployment,” Armstrong said. “And I don’t think people understand that.” Armstrong says she’d gladly return to work if they’d take her. “For every job, there are hundreds of people applying,” she said. “It’s gonna be difficult.” Monday, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s CONNECT website now allows people to track and review their previous $600 payments. According to viewer comments, some think it’s a little late considering those payments ended July 25. We emailed the DEO to ask what took so long, and Communications Manager Trip Farmer provided the following statement: “Over the weekend, the department was able to update benefit payment statuses to reflect the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments in CONNECT. To better understand a claimant’s Reemployment Assistance weekly benefit payment status, view the step by step guide, here.” 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.