Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma AwarenessCDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
FILE- In this Oct. 23, 2018, file photo, students walk on the campus of Miami Dade College, in Miami. The nine companies and organizations tasked with servicing the accounts of the nation’s 30 million student loan borrowers repeatedly failed to do their jobs properly over a period of years and their regulator neglected to hold them responsible, a new report finds. The report released Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, by the Department of Education’s independent Inspector General’s office shows some borrowers weren’t getting the guidance and protection they needed as they sought the best plan for paying off their student loans. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) In an apparent victory for opponents, the Senate this week could drastically overhaul a controversial proposal aimed at reducing state Bright Futures scholarships for students in degree programs deemed unlikely to lead to jobs. The measure (SB 86), sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, initially included a proposal that would have eliminated Bright Futures scholarships for students who didn’t pursue certain degrees. It was changed by Baxley last week to, in part, propose reducing scholarship amounts for students not seeking degrees on approved lists of programs. But an amendment filed Monday by Baxley would no longer tie scholarship award amounts to certain degrees. The measure is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “My goal in filing Senate Bill 86 was to begin the discussion about both the cost and the value of the degrees and programs within our higher education system. Based on your feedback, and with that goal in mind, I have filed an amendment that represents a concrete step forward in this discussion, while at the same time preserving the merit-based financial aid benefits our students earned in high school, regardless of which undergraduate path the student chooses,” Baxley wrote in a letter to senators Monday. Under Baxley’s amendment, the state university system’s Board of Governors, the State Board of Education and Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida would craft and publish lists of degrees they deem not likely to lead to employment. However, the lists would have no bearing on how Bright Futures scholarships and Benacquisto Scholarships for National Merit scholars are awarded. Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, credited the many people who spoke out against the measure, mostly students, with prompting the change. “I am glad to see that public opposition was enough to stop this awful legislation for now, but we must remain vigilant to ensure this language doesn’t show up hidden in the back of the budget,” Cruz wrote in a tweet Monday. The proposed amendment also would remove part of the bill that would have reduced the amount of credit hours covered by Bright Futures for students who took “accelerated credits” in high school, like Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. Some pieces of Baxley’s bill would remain if the amendment is approved. That includes changing the current system of providing Bright Futures aid at either 75 percent or 100 percent of tuition and fees to tying scholarship levels to the amount of money appropriated in the state budget. In Twitter posts Monday, some students indicated they were still leery of the bill because it would remove guaranteed funding levels for scholarships. “We still got more to fight about. Even with this amendment, the bill still removes the guarantee that 100% and 75% of tuition is funded. We gotta keep the pressure up. Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee meets tmw at 1030am at the Tuck. I’ll be there, will you? #FlaPol,” wrote Jack Rowan, parliamentarian for Florida State University’s student senate, referring to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, where people can remotely testify at Senate meetings. The amendment also would maintain a requirement for state university boards of trustees to “adopt procedures to connect undergraduate students to career planning, coaching, and related programs during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment.” In addition, the Board of Governors would be required under the amendment to publish an online dashboard featuring data on graduates of various fields of study, including post-graduation median salaries and student loan debts. “I believe we should encourage all students to pursue their passions, but the fact remain (sic) that higher education comes at a significant cost to both students and taxpayers and there needs to be at least some element of career planning involved,” Baxley wrote in his letter. Baxley also described in the letter an addition to the bill that could be coming with his amendment. “A requirement that, as part of the state university procedures to release a hold on the student’s registration after the first year, that the student affirmatively indicate that he or she has received required career information and indicates awareness of future employment and wage prospects based on his or her declared major,” Baxley said of the potential addition. The amendment was filed less than a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced his support for the Bright Futures program, telling reporters that he wants to fully fund the scholarships. “I’ve made very clear, I think Bright Futures is something that Florida families have relied upon. It’s something that I support. I fully funded it in my budget, and we hope that the Legislature follows suit with that as well,” DeSantis said Wednesday during a news conference in Collier County. Even as he proposed changes to his bill, Baxley wrote Monday that he still wants to strengthen a connection between higher education and the workforce. “We have awakened a giant. We have to reconnect the education and economic model and we have begun that process,” Baxley wrote.