PORT CHARLOTTE Connecting service dogs with veterans A 76-year-old veteran is transforming lives by connecting fellow veterans with support dogs, and the results have been life-changing.
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
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.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm with a few showers this Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking the continuing stretch of warmer conditions along with a few rain showers this Monday.
DeSoto County teen faces sentencing for killing teen at fair A teenager will face sentencing Monday for shooting and killing another teenager at the DeSoto County Fair.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
PORT CHARLOTTE Connecting service dogs with veterans A 76-year-old veteran is transforming lives by connecting fellow veterans with support dogs, and the results have been life-changing.
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
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.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm with a few showers this Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking the continuing stretch of warmer conditions along with a few rain showers this Monday.
DeSoto County teen faces sentencing for killing teen at fair A teenager will face sentencing Monday for shooting and killing another teenager at the DeSoto County Fair.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Puppy Bowl highlights shelter’s need for loving homes The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its third annual Puppy Bowl late Sunday morning. The event aimed to highlight puppies in need of homes.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Car crashes into Lehigh duplex A car crashed into a duplex early Sunday morning in Lehigh Acres causing confusion for the building’s residents.
WINK News Photos of the Week Feb. 2 – Feb. 8 This Week’s edition features live music, some familiar faces wearing red and a fabulous charity event
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (Photo via CBS News) A mother with a promising career in a wealthy area became the target of a cruel crime, one that has no boundaries of age, social status or wealth. Jeffrey Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, have been accused of violent sex crimes in Naples. Both are mentioned in a lawsuit saying they raped a 26-year-old real estate broker in front of her child, and Epstein threatened that if she spoke up, she’d be fed to alligators. The pair is accused of trafficking the woman to other men. When people think of Naples, they think of wealthy people living in mansions, but human trafficking is not uncommon there, and some experts say money can make a person more vulnerable. For 14 years, Linda Oberhaus has run The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples. She never really thought about the location – until someone asked her. “And so, I reached out to a human trafficking survivor, and because I was stumped, why Naples? And her response to me was because that is where the wealthy men are,” Oberhaus said. But where there’s money, Oberhaus said, there’s often even more risk. Trafficking victims aren’t just runaways, prostitutes, drug dealers or drug users. They can be mothers and daughters. Oberhaus wasn’t surprised to hear about the lawsuit against disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. A woman claims he took her to Naples and raped her, then trafficked her to other men. “We need to keep in mind that it’s the buyers that are driving the demand for these traffickers to really manipulate and get their hooks in these girls,” Oberhaus said. She said every child is vulnerable, no matter where they live or who’s raising them, because traffickers target victims online, forge romantic relationships, trap them and threaten them. “Many moms think that, that it couldn’t happen to my child. Well, I’m here to tell you, Yes, it can. Because I know victims who were born and raised in very good families right here in the Naples community who have been trafficked,” Oberhaus said. That’s a scary reality, but the point of this story isn’t to scare; it’s a reminder to stay alert. Oberhaus said her best advice for parents is to not let kids take their phones to bed. So much of the luring happens after hours, over the course of many hours, online. PDF download: Human Trafficking Prevention & Teens – The Shelter for Abused Women & Children https://winknews.com/wp-content/uploads/HT-Parent-guide-005.pdf