Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta GordaFirefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park
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 Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
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 to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
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.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
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 Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
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 to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
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.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
Credit: MGN This year was a roller coaster of a year as Americans dealt with hurricanes, quarantine, unemployment, travel restrictions, remote learning, elections and the loss of loved ones to COVID-19. We take a look back at the stories you read most on winknews.com. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control. Lee County resident dies from coronavirus, one of first in the state; another presumptive case confirmed A 70-year-old Lee County resident, who was a patient at Gulf Coast Medical Center in south Fort Myers, died of COVID-19 on March 5. ––> READ MORE File: Unemployment website FAQ: Unemployment Resources Unemployment issues as a whole were one of our most-read topics of 2020. WINK News assigned reporter Sara Girard as a full-time unemployment reporter. She went to work getting you answers and created an unemployment page to include complete coverage and a Q&A to help navigate the complex reemployment system. ––> READ MORE A helicopter unit responds to the fire at the rental overflow area of RSW airport Friday, April 3, 2020. Credit: John Broadhead. Fire destroyed nearly 4,000 cars at RSW rental lot, causing $100M in damage A huge fire damaged thousands of rental cars near the Southwest Florida International Airport in April, and investigators have ruled the fire accidental, citing potential hot exhaust over dry grass. The 15-acre fire on April 3 destroyed 3,991 vehicles parked at an overflow rental car parking lot. ––> READ MORE 12-year-old Buddah. Credit: WINK News. SWFL dog owner says possible serious side effects from flea/tick medication A Southwest Florida pet owner has a warning for others about possible side effects from a popular flea and tick medication. The local dog owner says people’s dogs could end up with lost mobility and limping. We also spoke to a veterinarian about the commonality of these side effects. ––> READ MORE Now hiring (WINK News) Companies hiring in SWFL In March, the coronavirus lockdowns started putting people in Southwest Florida out of work, but the shutdown didn’t negatively impact every business. Grocery stores and delivery are some of the industries that flourished. In response, we created a list of companies that were hiring, and that quickly became one of our most visited pages of the year. If you’re still in need of work, check it out. ––> READ MORE DJ Conrad Buchanan Beloved DJ in Lee County dies of coronavirus DJ Conrad Buchanan died from COVID-19 on March 26. Buchanan was in his late thirties and left behind his wife and two children. He shared a Facebook post about his diagnosis of COVID-19, urging everyone to take the virus seriously. Buchanan’s death was the fourth confirmed in Lee County due to coronavirus. ––> READ MORE FWC Officer Julian Keen (Credit: FWC) Off-duty FWC officer shot and killed in LaBelle An officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was shot and killed in LaBelle on June 14. Authorities said 30-year-old Julian Keen Jr. was off-duty in the area of Nobles Road and Apache Circle when he was shot. This is near the intersection of SR-78. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office later arrested Eliceo Hernandez, 20, and charged him with negligent homicide for his death. Keen had been with the FWC since 2014. ––> READ MORE STATE / NATIONAL Social Security recipients will automatically get stimulus checks, Treasury says in a reversal The Treasury Department said that Americans on Social Security will not be required to file a “simple tax return” to receive a stimulus check from the U.S. government. The announcement reversed an earlier statement from the Internal Revenue Service that participants in the federal retirement program would need to file such a return to get the funds. ––> READ MORE Counting on a stimulus check? Here’s what could affect how much money you get In April, we reported roughly 9 in 10 American households would soon receive a federal stimulus check to help them stay afloat financially during the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The report details certain factors that could affect how much you got and how fast you receive payment. ––> READ MORE Sheriff: Arrests made in ‘massacre’ of 3 fishing buddies in Polk County Two brothers and a woman were arrested in connection with the “massacre” of three best friends who set out on a fishing trip at a Central Florida lake. One of the suspects, Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, had previously been charged with 230 felonies and had been consistently arrested since he was 12. His brother William Robert Wiggins, 21, and girlfriend Mary Whittemore, 27, were also arrested. ––> READ MORE ‘Beast of a snake’ breaks record for largest Burmese python captured in Florida An invasive Burmese python captured in the Everglades in October broke the state record, measuring 18.9 feet long. The previous record was 18.8 feet long. Ryan Ausburn, a contracted python hunter with the South Florida Water Management District, and Kevin “Snakeaholic” Pavlidis, a contracted python hunter with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, captured the monster-sized python Oct. 2 along the L-28 Tieback Canal about 35 miles west of Miami. ––> READ MORE CDC shows COVID-19 has high survival rate; doctor still wants to see precautions take A CDC update in September stated individuals are more likely to survive the coronavirus after contracting it. The health agency says if you have the virus between the ages of 0 to 70, you have a 99% survival rate. And if you’re over 70, the survival rate is nearly 95%. ––> READ MORE