Englewood Chamber of Commerce donates $88,000 to hurricane relief fundEarly voting ends Saturday for several Southwest Florida counties
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Chamber of Commerce donates $88,000 to hurricane relief fund The Englewood Chamber of Commerce announced that they are making a significant donation to the chamber’s community hurricane relief fund.
Early voting ends Saturday for several Southwest Florida counties Saturday is the last day of early voting for several counties throughout Southwest Florida. Early voting turnout has been huge for several counties, from Lee to Collier County.
Lee County Sheriff investigates crash injuring pedestrian at University Village The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that injured a pedestrian at the University Village Shops in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Gunshots heard in a Cape Coral neighborhood Neighbors have reported hearing multiple gunshots in the early hours of the morning in Cape Coral.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Tracking the Tropics: Patty forms in North Atlantic, tracking Caribbean development An area in the Southwestern Caribbean has a high, 80% chance of developing over the upcoming week.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Warm weekend with spotty showers, daylight saving time ends tonight The Weather Authority says Saturday is starting nice and dry with some passing clouds and pleasant conditions.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Chamber of Commerce donates $88,000 to hurricane relief fund The Englewood Chamber of Commerce announced that they are making a significant donation to the chamber’s community hurricane relief fund.
Early voting ends Saturday for several Southwest Florida counties Saturday is the last day of early voting for several counties throughout Southwest Florida. Early voting turnout has been huge for several counties, from Lee to Collier County.
Lee County Sheriff investigates crash injuring pedestrian at University Village The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that injured a pedestrian at the University Village Shops in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Gunshots heard in a Cape Coral neighborhood Neighbors have reported hearing multiple gunshots in the early hours of the morning in Cape Coral.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Tracking the Tropics: Patty forms in North Atlantic, tracking Caribbean development An area in the Southwestern Caribbean has a high, 80% chance of developing over the upcoming week.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Warm weekend with spotty showers, daylight saving time ends tonight The Weather Authority says Saturday is starting nice and dry with some passing clouds and pleasant conditions.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
While on her honeymoon, doctors told Marissa Arvonio she was in kidney failure. She went from a happy newlywed to being on a survival mission, waiting for a match. (Photo courtesy of Marissa Arvonio) A Southwest Florida woman’s years-long journey to find a donor has come to an end. While on her honeymoon, doctors told Marissa Arvonio she was in kidney failure. She went from a happy newlywed to being on a survival mission, waiting for a match. 911 calls, feeding tubes and surgeries were regularities of Arvonio’s life for as long as she can remember. Then, it got worse. “Over a two- or three-week period very rapidly, I just began getting very weak and unable to use my lower extremities and then all the way up through my stomach and my arms.” After a rare autoimmune disorder damaged her nerves, Arvonio was told she’d never walk again – during what was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life. “I actually got that call on my honeymoon from my last set of labs that my kidneys were in failure. So there is no longer medication to treat this – transplant should be looked into as soon as possible.” “As soon as possible” turned into years, until, “I was gifted with my kidney-pancreas transplant on my 35th birthday. Despite the pandemic and everything happening in the world, I received that miracle.” 2020 proved to be a record year for LifeLink, with 295 organ donors resulting in 913 organs transplanted. “We have about 11.5 million people registered to save lives through donation; that actually makes us the third largest registry in the country,” said Ashley Moore, chair of Donate Life Florida. Moore said even if everyone signs up to become an organ donor, there still wouldn’t be enough matches to save everyone in need, which is why stories like Arvonio’s are so important. “The more transparent we can be and talk about donation and educate people, the more likely somebody is going to register and sign up,” Moore said. “A lot of myths and misconceptions about donation is truly what holds people back. And so when we talk about it and bring it to the forefront, more people will register because it’s not so scary.” Arvonio is happy her wait has finally ended and she has her life back. “I am living my life for the first time and I’m about to be 36 years old. It’s a completely different feeling that I could never explain.” Since the transplant, she’s no longer diabetic, her autoimmune disorder is in remission, and she traded her wheelchair in for a new set of wheels. “The week after transplant, I began walking one mile, and as of today I biked 15 miles every single day.” All because someone here in Southwest Florida checked a box. Donate Life Florida said what holds people back from becoming donors are misconceptions, like the idea that you have to be perfectly healthy to donate. That isn’t true: Even if your kidneys only function at about 80%, that can help someone whose kidneys function at only 5%. There also isn’t an age limit for donors. Donate Life Florida said their oldest donor was 92. For more information on organ donation and how you can sign up, click here.