Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort MyersCharlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during their Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
2 airboats crash between mile markers 74 and 75 in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 East between mile markers 74 and 75.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park Park officials are performing a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT opens all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge are open, a year ahead of its original pedestrian sidewalk project estimate.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during their Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
2 airboats crash between mile markers 74 and 75 in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 East between mile markers 74 and 75.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park Park officials are performing a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT opens all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge are open, a year ahead of its original pedestrian sidewalk project estimate.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
Pharmacist Sam Patel of Carrell Pharmacy in Fort Myers. Credit: WINK News. Many people would likely agree the prices for prescription medications are too high. A potentially affordable option is making itself available to people near and far and could make filling your prescriptions a bit easier. Amazon has officially entered the pharmacy game, and it’s delivering prescriptions to Amazon Prime members with two-day delivery. Amazon says, without Prime, its prices with insurance, “should be similar to those at any retail pharmacy.” With Prime, drugs and prescriptions available through Amazon Pharmacy could be anywhere from 40% to 80% off. “I wasn’t surprised,” Pharmacist Sam Patel said. “I was ready, at one point they were going to come out and launch this service.” Patel, who owns Carrell Pharmacy in Fort Myers, says he’s not worried. He says Amazon could be some steep competition for traditional retail pharmacies, but as a small business, he offers something big box stores don’t. “We know all of our customers by their name … We know their drugs, we know where they live, what their families do,” Patel said. “You cannot buy the personalized service.” Amazon is pushing convenience with 24/7 help, free “PillPacks” for daily doses and extra perks for Prime members that includes the two-day shipping and member savings. Patel says low prices and customer service are his specialties, and he offers free daily dose packs and same-day or next-day delivery too, and no special membership is required. “Cost, convenience and customer service,” Patel said. “And we’re just gonna stick with our basics, no change at all.” Amazon lets customers type in just about any drug and look up the price they would pay, with or without insurance. For example, a 30-day supply of the generic version of Lipitor, a common cholesterol drug, is listed at $86.10 without insurance. Prime members could get 85% off. Amazon won’t prescribe opioids though, and Patel says that could make things difficult for people who take those along with other medications. “Because any pharmacy would like to fill all of their medicine at one place because so they can check the drug interaction,” Patel said. “A lot of pharmacies will not only fill controlled prescriptions because of certain government restrictions.” Patel says he’s concerned about how Amazon will transport medicine and how responsive they’ll be to customers. He also hopes customers will opt to support small businesses first. “We can beat them in prices every day, anytime,” Patel said. If you have a crazy story about the cost of prescriptions drugs, or maybe your own tricks to save, email them to us at costofcare@winknews.com.