CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
LEE COUNTY East Lee County football off to best start in school history There’s a new energy in the halls of East Lee County High School, because a 3-0 start is a first for Jaguar football.
RSV vaccine for mothers can help baby Now, a new FDA-approved vaccine can protect your baby, even before the little one is born.
Harris’ past debates: A prosecutor’s style with narrative flair but risks in a matchup with Trump Harris faces former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, who will participate in his seventh general election debate since 2016 for an event that will be seen by tens of millions of viewers just as early voting in November’s election starts around the country.
Collier commissioners approve tax rates, consider repaying Conservation Collier Collier County commissioners on Sept. 5 tentatively approved the $2.98 billion 2024-25 budget, but didn’t resolve whether to repay $29.6 million they took from Conservation Collier to help cover a more than $60 million shortfall last year.
LEE COUNTY Jury finds man guilty of molesting child in Lee County A jury has found a Lehigh Acres man guilty of sending inappropriate messages and molesting a child following a three-day trial.
CAPE CORAL 2 teens plead not guilty in murder of 15-year-old Cape Coral girl Two teens accused of murdering a 15-year-old girl in Cape Coral have both entered a plea of not guilty.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
LEE COUNTY East Lee County football off to best start in school history There’s a new energy in the halls of East Lee County High School, because a 3-0 start is a first for Jaguar football.
RSV vaccine for mothers can help baby Now, a new FDA-approved vaccine can protect your baby, even before the little one is born.
Harris’ past debates: A prosecutor’s style with narrative flair but risks in a matchup with Trump Harris faces former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, who will participate in his seventh general election debate since 2016 for an event that will be seen by tens of millions of viewers just as early voting in November’s election starts around the country.
Collier commissioners approve tax rates, consider repaying Conservation Collier Collier County commissioners on Sept. 5 tentatively approved the $2.98 billion 2024-25 budget, but didn’t resolve whether to repay $29.6 million they took from Conservation Collier to help cover a more than $60 million shortfall last year.
LEE COUNTY Jury finds man guilty of molesting child in Lee County A jury has found a Lehigh Acres man guilty of sending inappropriate messages and molesting a child following a three-day trial.
CAPE CORAL 2 teens plead not guilty in murder of 15-year-old Cape Coral girl Two teens accused of murdering a 15-year-old girl in Cape Coral have both entered a plea of not guilty.
Robert Duboise hugs his mother after being released from prison Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Bowling Green, Fla. Duboise, who spent the last 37 years in prison on a rape and murder charge, was ordered released after officials discovered new evidence that proved his innocence. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP) A Florida man who spent the last 37 years in prison on a rape and murder charge was released Thursday, hours after officials revealed dramatic new evidence that proved his innocence. Robert DuBoise walked out of the Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Florida, shortly after 2 p.m. With him were his mother and sister. “It’s an overwhelming sense of relief,” Robert DuBoise told reporters outside the prison. “I prayed to God every day and hoped for it.” The 56-year-old was serving a life sentence, having been convicted in 1983 for the murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams. She had been raped and beaten while walking home from her job at a Tampa mall. DuBoise’s conviction centered on one piece of evidence: an alleged bite mark on the victim’s face. A jailhouse informant’s testimony also helped convict him. On Thursday, a lawyer from the Innocence Project and a lawyer from the Hillsborough County Conviction Review Unit spoke during an online court hearing and addressed the false evidence that led to DuBoise’s conviction. Experts proved the mark wasn’t from a bite, and the jailhouse informant was not credible. Judge Christopher Nash ruled that DuBoise, who was serving his sentence in Hardee County, Florida, should be released immediately. DuBoise said he will have to learn many modern things, such as how to use a computer and how to shop at a Walmart. But he added he bears no ill will toward those involved in his long incarceration. “If you keep hatred and bitterness in your heart, you don’t have room for anything else,” he said. “I’m just very grateful.” His mother, Myra DuBoise, said she prayed every day for this outcome. “It’s a wonderful gift from the lord,” she said. Harriet DuBoise, his sister, said it’s great to be able to hug her brother again. “I always had faith. I always saw him getting out,” she said. “I never lost hope. Never.” Teresa Hall, the supervising attorney for the conviction review unit — a team dedicated to reviewing potential wrongful convictions — said during an online court hearing that she spent months combing through 3,500 pages of documents in the case. She found that much of the physical evidence in the case had been destroyed. But she was able to track down rape kit evidence at the county medical examiner’s office and process that for DNA. Within a week, that evidence excluded DuBoise. “Robert knew the DNA would vindicate him,” said Susan Friedman, the Innocence Project lawyer. “Even though he was told over a decade ago that the biological evidence was destroyed, he wouldn’t give up.” The case has since been reopened and authorities have a suspect in Grams’ rape and murder. Hall said the person “does not pose a threat to public safety at this time.” The state and defense are handling the process in two steps. The hearing Thursday was to reduce DuBoise’s sentence to equal the amount of time he already served behind bars. The judge also scheduled Sept. 14 to hear a motion to overturn DuBoise’s entire conviction. “He is kind, patient, and deeply committed to his faith,” Friedman said. “Today marks the first day that the system is starting to recognize what he has been saying for 37 years — that he is an innocent man, wrongfully convicted.”