ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Lauren Martinez. Credit: WINK News. A working mother is fighting back after she says she was fired for taking care of her kids. Lauren Martinez of Cape Coral filed a lawsuit against her former employer. She claims her company laid her off because she needed to miss work to care for her sick kids at the height of the pandemic. Like so many mothers, Martinez prides herself on working while raising her children. “You know, it’s your job; it’s your identity,” Martinez said. “It’s important to me, for myself. I like to work.” Martinez is not working anymore. Instead, she’s suing her former employer, Aspen Dental, and the owner of the practice where she used to work, R. Dustin Dixon DMD Holdings, PLLC. The lawsuit claims those former employers fired Martinez unlawfully after her two kids, including her newborn baby, became sick, and her daughter’s school closed. “I had texted my manager to ask if I could obviously work from home, which had been previously offered to me,” Martinez said. “So I don’t think I was asking anything unreasonable, and shortly after, I was terminated by text message also.” We asked Martinez what the text message said, and her lawyer spoke to us about that. “Unfortunately, Lauren received a text message that said if you can’t come in due to childcare, the position is vacated, meaning you no longer have a job here,” Benjamin Yormak, Martinez’s attorney. Yormak argues Martinez’s employers violated Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA), which extended workplace family accommodations during the coronavirus. “That allowed working parents to take additional unpaid leave where childcare was the problem,” Yormak said. We asked Martinez how it made her feel as a working mother. “It felt really horrible and kind of did a number on my head,” Martinez said. “I lost a lot of sleep. I had to do a lot of reflection.” Martinez shared her story with Time Magazine along with a number of other American mothers filing similar lawsuits. Martinez is at home now, pregnant once again, still no job and young kids to raise. When we asked her about her children and how she will teach them about her experience during this time, Martinez said, “I want them to stand up for what’s right. I want them to use their voice … You just continue to move forward and do what’s right.” Both Aspen Dental and R. Dustin Dixon DMD Holdings, PLLC in their response to the lawsuit denied any wrongdoing. While R. Dustin Dixon DMD Holdings, PLLC refused to comment, Aspen Dental sent a statement saying, while it will not comment on active litigation, this practice provided extra protections to their employees that went beyond federal rules. Aspen Dental statement While this is an active litigation that cannot be commented on, the dentists who own and operate Aspen Dental branded practices are confident and proud of the way leave requests and pandemic-related operations were handled including the comprehensive COVID-19 specific benefits and programs offered to all employees: COVID-19 related leave, enhanced sick pay and company paid benefit continuation. Assistant Office Managers are key non-clinical, but essential workers who are critical in-office staff responsible for helping triage patients and getting them the acute care they need. Although employees like the ones from this practice are exempt from FFCRA, this practice provided extra protections to their employees that went beyond the federal rules. Since the start of the pandemic and before the FFCRA Act was made effective, the dentist owners of Aspen Dental practices, which are independently owned practices, made it a priority to add a number of COVID-19 specific benefits and programs for their employees, including: COVID-19 Related Leave – Up to 30 days were offered to employees as a personal leave for COVID-19 related reasons including closure of daycares/schools and high risk health conditions Enhanced Sick Pay – In 2020, employees of the independently owned practices were offered up to 14 days of additional sick pay, to be used for quarantining and testing related to the pandemic. If employees had multiple occurrences, they were re-eligible for this benefit Company Paid Benefit Continuation – In 2020, Aspen Dental independently owned practices paid for 100% of the cost of benefits for any employee that was on unpaid leave – whether personal, medical, or furlough Patients in pain with dental emergencies are no different than patients dealing with medical emergencies like a broken arm. They do not have the luxury of waiting out COVID-19, so Aspen-branded, independently owned dental practices worked tirelessly to keep their doors open and deliver quality care to patients with emergency, immediate care needs throughout the pandemic while keeping patients and staff safe. During this pandemic, the nation has seen the heroic efforts of essential workers on the frontlines including the individuals who work at Aspen Dental branded practices.