SANIBEL 36th annual Sanibel Luminary Festival begins The Luminary Festival kicked off on Sanibel Island on Friday. This community-wide holiday event puts residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.
FORT MYERS Future unsure for Rachel at the Well During Hurricane Ian, Rachel at the well was uprooted from its spot in front of the Edison Park neighborhood.
NAPLES Naples Yacht Club appoints first woman commodore After 78 years, the Naples Yacht Club has appointed its first woman commodore. Kathy Parks King is her name.
FORT MYERS Mano Santa Tattoos, a woman-owned tattoo shop, opens in Fort Myers Mano Santa Tattoos is the newest tattoo studio in Fort Myers, offering an immersive tattoo experience to clients. The shop is woman-owned and women-staffed.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents awaiting Gilchrist Park repairs The City of Punta Gorda has yet to complete repairs or remove the boats that remain stranded in Gilchrist Park after Hurricane Milton.
Unlocking Alzheimer’s mysteries Research shows that some older adults have signs of the disease in their brains after they die, even though they never had symptoms while they were alive. These cases could be key to developing new treatments.
IMMOKALEE 64-year-old drug dealer sentenced in Collier County A 64-year-old drug dealer has been sentenced in Collier County for possession and distribution of cocaine.
WINK NEWS Disaster tax relief bill passed after over 2 years After more than two years of uncertainty, victims of Hurricane Ian and other disasters are getting some financial relief.
Elevate Social Lounge opens Kava bar at University Village near FGCU For almost four years, Mitra 9 has marketed itself as the Budweiser of Kava, trying to make mainstream a growing trend of Kava-infused drinks that are said to help reduce anxiety.
ESTERO Funeral procession held for former Lee County firefighter Hundreds joined to pay their respects to a beloved firefighter who passed away in November.
FORT MYERS Will new developments along SR 82 cause traffic problems? New developments are coming to State Road 82 near the Forum, the biggest of which is Amazon’s new robotics fulfillment center.
FORT MYERS FGCU student arrested, accused of making social media threat against university Florida Gulf Coast University police have arrested a student accused of sending a threat to the university through Snapchat.
SANIBEL Sanibel annual 10K/5K race begins this weekend Sanibel’s annual food programs, island-based social services and Helping Hands’ JOG N JAM 10K/5K race will close several roads this Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Teen accused of stealing vehicle from Cape Coral driveway A 16-year-old with a history of stealing cars has been arrested after allegedly stealing a vehicle from a Cape Coral driveway.
Tim Aten Knows: Work begins for new Publix at Wiggins and U.S. 41 Work began in late November to prepare for a Publix supermarket at the Gateway Shoppes at North Bay on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Wiggins Pass Road in North Naples.
SANIBEL 36th annual Sanibel Luminary Festival begins The Luminary Festival kicked off on Sanibel Island on Friday. This community-wide holiday event puts residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.
FORT MYERS Future unsure for Rachel at the Well During Hurricane Ian, Rachel at the well was uprooted from its spot in front of the Edison Park neighborhood.
NAPLES Naples Yacht Club appoints first woman commodore After 78 years, the Naples Yacht Club has appointed its first woman commodore. Kathy Parks King is her name.
FORT MYERS Mano Santa Tattoos, a woman-owned tattoo shop, opens in Fort Myers Mano Santa Tattoos is the newest tattoo studio in Fort Myers, offering an immersive tattoo experience to clients. The shop is woman-owned and women-staffed.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents awaiting Gilchrist Park repairs The City of Punta Gorda has yet to complete repairs or remove the boats that remain stranded in Gilchrist Park after Hurricane Milton.
Unlocking Alzheimer’s mysteries Research shows that some older adults have signs of the disease in their brains after they die, even though they never had symptoms while they were alive. These cases could be key to developing new treatments.
IMMOKALEE 64-year-old drug dealer sentenced in Collier County A 64-year-old drug dealer has been sentenced in Collier County for possession and distribution of cocaine.
WINK NEWS Disaster tax relief bill passed after over 2 years After more than two years of uncertainty, victims of Hurricane Ian and other disasters are getting some financial relief.
Elevate Social Lounge opens Kava bar at University Village near FGCU For almost four years, Mitra 9 has marketed itself as the Budweiser of Kava, trying to make mainstream a growing trend of Kava-infused drinks that are said to help reduce anxiety.
ESTERO Funeral procession held for former Lee County firefighter Hundreds joined to pay their respects to a beloved firefighter who passed away in November.
FORT MYERS Will new developments along SR 82 cause traffic problems? New developments are coming to State Road 82 near the Forum, the biggest of which is Amazon’s new robotics fulfillment center.
FORT MYERS FGCU student arrested, accused of making social media threat against university Florida Gulf Coast University police have arrested a student accused of sending a threat to the university through Snapchat.
SANIBEL Sanibel annual 10K/5K race begins this weekend Sanibel’s annual food programs, island-based social services and Helping Hands’ JOG N JAM 10K/5K race will close several roads this Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Teen accused of stealing vehicle from Cape Coral driveway A 16-year-old with a history of stealing cars has been arrested after allegedly stealing a vehicle from a Cape Coral driveway.
Tim Aten Knows: Work begins for new Publix at Wiggins and U.S. 41 Work began in late November to prepare for a Publix supermarket at the Gateway Shoppes at North Bay on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Wiggins Pass Road in North Naples.
Credit: WINK News. Four seats were up for grabs on Cape Coral City Council in the 2020 general election, and three new members joined the council with one councilwoman winning re-election, paving the way for the future of the city. We spoke to the winners, who say they’re ready to get to work Robert Welsh won the race for District 5. “The first thing I wanna do when I takeoff this is just learn more about how the city works,” Welsh said. “I want to be involved with a lot of the department heads. I want to meet with the city manager. I want to figure out what we can do to keep your profile in for the future” Councilwoman Jessica Cosden won re-election for her seat. She won in a landslide for District 7. “I’m happy that I won, but I’m happy that I won by such a big margin. I feel like it’s a good message from the voters,” Cosden said. Dan Sheppard won his bid for District 2 by a healthy margin. “I’m very passionate about doing good things for this city and my community,” Sheppard said. Tom Hayden narrowly edged out his opponent in the race for District 3. “It was an incredibly nerve-racking day, but I’m really excited because, you know, this election gave me the opportunity to come out and talk with voters and residents about their issues and concerns for the city,” Hayden said. Issues the council will be taking up that will shape the city moving forward include Chiquita Lock, the Seven Islands development and water quality of canals. Victoria Keller-Massello is looking for direction. “My biggest concern is always the waterways,” Keller-Massello said. “We live on the water on the canal in the southeast Cape, and we’re boaters, and a huge concern is how do we keep the waters clean.” We also spoke to Councilman John Carioscia of District 2 who is set to retire. “I’m going to miss the people,” Carioscia told WINK News on the phone. “It was an honor and a privilege of serving the residents for nine years.” Carioscia agrees the new council will have some important decisions to make. “This pandemic didn’t only put a lot of people out of work, but it impacted sales tax; it impacted gasoline tax; people haven’t been driving around or going many places countywide and statewide,” Carioscia said. “And everything trickles down to the local level.” “They are going to have to take a hard look at the Chiquita Lock, which is one that escaped me during my nine years,” Carioscia said. “We also have seven islands and the Bimini Basin, and we also have to look for a new police chief,” Carioscia said. Lynn Miracle told us he wants to see traffic and speeding become a priority. “The biggest thing down here it seems like it’s a speed on the roads, and the traffic fatalities, and not only with drivers for pedestrians, school kids,” Miracle said. Carioscia said his advice to new council members in Cape Coral is to make decisions based on what they think is right.