LCSO cutting down law enforcement response timesHow Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
Demolition begins on former Winn-Dixie grocery in Estero The walls of the former grocery store at the northwest corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Coconut Road started coming down last month after reaching an agreement with nearby residents who filed suit to stop the project.
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis announces illegal immigrant enforcement collaboration with ICE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken another step in tackling illegal immigration by announcing the state’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
LCSO cutting down law enforcement response times The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up to implement “Prepared 9-1-1,” a new tool designed to enhance emergency response times.
How Harry Chapin Food Bank supports struggling families In the heart of Dunbar, a neighborhood in Fort Myers, the STARS Complex becomes a place of hope as the Harry Chapin Food Bank supports families in need.
MOORE HAVEN African American family breaking barriers in Moore Haven politics Breaking barriers is a family tradition for Rashondra Croskey and her godmother, Gloria Reese.
Charlotte County unlicensed contractor accused of fraud The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that a contractor has been arrested after he was hired to build a room in a home without a license.
Studies show that menopause is linked to heart risks Menopause is a natural part of life for middle-aged women, typically occurring between ages 45 and 55. However, it can bring serious health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease.
FORT MYERS Local band Shy Blossom to open up for ’90s rockers Sister Hazel at The Ranch A Southwest Florida-based band will be opening for the legendary ’90s rock fusion group Sister Hazel.
golden gate Bear Brawl: Black bears duke it out in Golden Gate backyard Two black bears were caught on camera tussling for garbage in the backyard of a Golden Gate home.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man accused of possessing child pornography A Cape Coral man has been arrested after allegedly possessing several files of child pornography on devices.
fort myers 7 people, 3 dogs displaced following house fire in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Fire Department responded to a house fire that has left seven people and three dogs without a home.
CAPE CORAL Island Coast High School employee accused of inappropriate behavior with 2 students We now have new details about the arrest of a Cape Coral instructional support aide at Island Coast High School accused of inappropriate relations with students.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman reunites with husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman has been reunited with her husband’s ashes after struggling with the U.S. Postal Service to find them.
Tim Aten Knows: The Avenue set to break ground on Fifth An upscale mixed-use redevelopment project — The Avenue — will begin construction this quarter on a nearly two-block area of Fifth Avenue South from the former longtime property of St. George & the Dragon restaurant.
Demolition begins on former Winn-Dixie grocery in Estero The walls of the former grocery store at the northwest corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Coconut Road started coming down last month after reaching an agreement with nearby residents who filed suit to stop the project.
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis announces illegal immigrant enforcement collaboration with ICE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken another step in tackling illegal immigration by announcing the state’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
Credit: Getty Images via CBS News. After weeks of deliberations, congressional Democrats and the White House on Thursday unveiled an immigration overhaul bill that would reshape U.S. immigration laws and allow millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization to obtain legal status. The 353-page U.S. Citizenship Act would create a two-tier legalization program which would automatically make farmworkers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children eligible for green cards, according to a 66-page summary of the legislation. After three years, they could apply to become U.S. citizens. All other eligible unauthorized immigrants would be able to request temporary deportation relief and work permits while being placed on an eight-year pathway towards U.S. citizenship. Petitioners would all need to undergo background and national security checks, as well as file taxes and pay application fees. The plan would not benefit new arrivals, as all prospective applicants would need to prove they were in the U.S. before January 1, 2021. The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be allowed to issue humanitarian waivers to this requirement for immigrants deported during the Trump administration as long as they prove they lived in the U.S. for at least three years before their deportation. California Congresswoman Linda Sánchez and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, two Democrats with past experience crafting immigration policy, will introduce the proposal in the House and Senate, respectively. During a call with reporters on Thursday, Sánchez said the bill’s passage would mark “the full realization of the American dream” for millions of immigrants. “They are our teachers, our classmates, entrepreneurs and small business owners, parents, students, members of the military who take an oath to defend us, they are our neighbors and yes, they are the essential workers that are carrying our community forward during this COVID crisis,” Sánchez said. “They deserve permanent relief.” NEW YORK, NY – MAY 30: Immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Queens office on May 30, 2013 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The branch office is located in an area heavily populated by immigrants and processes thousands of Green Card and U.S. citizenship applications each year. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) via CBS News. The bill, based on parameters unveiled by the Biden administration last month, is expected to be championed by the White House as one of President Biden’s domestic policy priorities during his first year in office. However, the sweeping proposal will need to garner unanimous Democratic support and at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate under current Senate rules — a threshold that has previously doomed other immigration reform plans. Asked whether the White House would be open to considering potential Republican-led amendments to the bill that would increase any type of immigration enforcement, an administration official didn’t rule it out. “If Republicans want to come forward and work on immigration, I think the president is open to working with anyone who wants to get something done and get a bill to his desk,” the official said during a call with reporters late Wednesday. The official, who requested anonymity during the briefing, said Mr. Biden is “restarting a conversation” about “sensible and effective border security.” “We know that a majority of drugs are coming through the ports of entry. And so, we’re authorizing technology and also repairing infrastructure but we’re really trying to get at the root causes of why people are coming and addressing legal channels (of immigration),” the official continued. “We’re open to a conversation with anyone about this but we think this is a much more comprehensive way to deal with this issue than just simply, you know, a wall.” Discussing the possibility of splitting the massive legislation into separate bills, Menendez said Democrats are prioritizing “bold, inclusive and lasting immigration reform” during this Congress, saying previous efforts were thwarted because Democratic lawmakers capitulated to fringe voices. “We know the path forward will demand negotiations with others. But we’re not going to make concessions out of the gate. We’re not going to start with 2 million undocumented people, instead of 11 million,” Menendez said during the call on Thursday. “We will never win an argument that we don’t have the courage to make.” In addition to the legalization provisions, the bill would scrap Clinton-era sanctions that bar undocumented immigrants who leave the U.S. from reentering the country for three or 10 years, as well as curb the president’s power to issue categorical bans on groups of immigrants. It would also substitute all references to “alien” in immigration laws with the term “noncitizen.” Another centerpiece of the bill is an expansion of legal immigration. The plan would raise the current per-country caps for family and employment-based immigrant visas and reassign unused visas. It would render spouses and children of green card holders “immediate family members,” exempting them from the per-country caps. The bill would increase the annual allocation of employment-based visas from 140,000 to 170,000, as well as the yearly ceiling for diversity visas from 55,000 to 80,000. An additional 10,000 visas would be reserved for a pilot program designed for immigrants who will contribute to the economic development of local communities. The plan would give the Biden administration $1 billion annually between 2022 and 2025 to finance efforts to reduce the violence, poverty, crime and corruption that fuel U.S.-bound migration from Central America. It would also require the establishment of processing centers in the region where Central Americans, including at-risk children, could apply for parole or refugee status to come to the U.S. legally. Other provisions ask DHS to implement “smart” border security measures and allocate funds to expand the infrastructure that ports of entry have to process asylum applicants and intercept illicit drugs. DHS would be required to issue new guidelines governing the care of migrant minors that would prohibit the department from separating children from their parents for the purposes of deterring migration or encouraging compliance with U.S. immigration law. The plan would also allocate 30,000 visas for victims of serious crimes who assist law enforcement; eliminate the current 1-year deadline asylum-seekers have to apply for U.S. refuge; and instruct DHS to expand alternatives to detention for migrants in deportation proceedings, particularly families with children. Congressman Byron Donalds statement to WINK News “The political payback agenda of the Biden Administration is putting the American people on the back burner, and this latest immigration reform package continues down this disastrous path. President Biden needs to focus his attention on distributing vaccines and getting our economy back on its feet. This Administration’s immigration policies are laying out the red carpet for caravans that will only exacerbate our immigration crisis. Right now, we must prioritize the pandemic and protect our Southern Border,” Donalds shared in a statement to WINK News.