Stars shine in 36th annual Rotary South All-Star Football ClassicPurring and persevering: Neighborhood cat survives bullet wound
FORT MYERS Stars shine in 36th annual Rotary South All-Star Football Classic Blue beats Gold 27-7 in the 36th annual Rotary South Football Classic, which brings the top senior high school football players in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Purring and persevering: Neighborhood cat survives bullet wound Purring and persevering through the pain, a neighborhood cat named Tommy survived being shot in the leg.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach lights up with resilience and Christmas spirit The poinsettia tree in Times Square is now shining bright; the community joined together Monday evening for the second annual tree lighting ceremony.
Miracle Moment: Two kids celebrating being cancer-free It’s time for a miracle moment. Two kids are celebrating being cancer-free this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Street name dedicated to Fort Myers Civil Rights Activist Reverend Isadore Edwards may be gone but his legacy will be forever tied to the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO Several motorcycles stolen near Florida Gulf Coast University There is a trend of motorcycles being taken from parking lots. In Estero, two men unlocked a bike and then loaded it in the back of a van.
FORT MYERS Suntex provides update on Fort Myers Yacht Basin makeover The City of Fort Myers has promised that the Yacht Basin downtown will get a makeover, and the company running the show gave an update at the city council meeting.
BOKEELIA Popular Bokeelia restaurant demolished following damage from Milton There was hope for Capt’n Con’s Fish House in Bokeelia after the damage from Hurricane Helene in September.
NAPLES Grace Place raises more than $1.8 million at gala An organization dedicated to helping children and families just raised a whole lot of money.
NAPLES Naples parking problems frustrating residents Naples has a parking problem, but city leaders are stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to find a solution. The city’s rapid growth makes it harder every day to find a place for everyone to park.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO deputies use Taser to de-escalate armed standoff in North Fort Myers Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies de-escalated a dangerous situation by using a Taser to save lives.
Trump’s comments bring hope for Dreamers President-elect Donald Trump said he wants to work out a plan for Dreamers to stay in America.
World War II veteran celebrates 100th birthday A World War II veteran just turned 100 years old and celebrated with his community.
PUNTA GORDA Crews make last sweep for hurricane debris in Punta Gorda Clean-up from Hurricane Milton debris is wrapping up two months after the storm in Punta Gorda.
Charlotte Co. commissioners to review new townhome development, district Charlotte County commissioners will consider Dec. 10 the approval of homebuilder Lennar Home’s preliminary plat plan that proposes several hundred new townhomes in the South County area.
FORT MYERS Stars shine in 36th annual Rotary South All-Star Football Classic Blue beats Gold 27-7 in the 36th annual Rotary South Football Classic, which brings the top senior high school football players in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Purring and persevering: Neighborhood cat survives bullet wound Purring and persevering through the pain, a neighborhood cat named Tommy survived being shot in the leg.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach lights up with resilience and Christmas spirit The poinsettia tree in Times Square is now shining bright; the community joined together Monday evening for the second annual tree lighting ceremony.
Miracle Moment: Two kids celebrating being cancer-free It’s time for a miracle moment. Two kids are celebrating being cancer-free this holiday season.
FORT MYERS Street name dedicated to Fort Myers Civil Rights Activist Reverend Isadore Edwards may be gone but his legacy will be forever tied to the city of Fort Myers.
ESTERO Several motorcycles stolen near Florida Gulf Coast University There is a trend of motorcycles being taken from parking lots. In Estero, two men unlocked a bike and then loaded it in the back of a van.
FORT MYERS Suntex provides update on Fort Myers Yacht Basin makeover The City of Fort Myers has promised that the Yacht Basin downtown will get a makeover, and the company running the show gave an update at the city council meeting.
BOKEELIA Popular Bokeelia restaurant demolished following damage from Milton There was hope for Capt’n Con’s Fish House in Bokeelia after the damage from Hurricane Helene in September.
NAPLES Grace Place raises more than $1.8 million at gala An organization dedicated to helping children and families just raised a whole lot of money.
NAPLES Naples parking problems frustrating residents Naples has a parking problem, but city leaders are stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to find a solution. The city’s rapid growth makes it harder every day to find a place for everyone to park.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO deputies use Taser to de-escalate armed standoff in North Fort Myers Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies de-escalated a dangerous situation by using a Taser to save lives.
Trump’s comments bring hope for Dreamers President-elect Donald Trump said he wants to work out a plan for Dreamers to stay in America.
World War II veteran celebrates 100th birthday A World War II veteran just turned 100 years old and celebrated with his community.
PUNTA GORDA Crews make last sweep for hurricane debris in Punta Gorda Clean-up from Hurricane Milton debris is wrapping up two months after the storm in Punta Gorda.
Charlotte Co. commissioners to review new townhome development, district Charlotte County commissioners will consider Dec. 10 the approval of homebuilder Lennar Home’s preliminary plat plan that proposes several hundred new townhomes in the South County area.
Dr. Teresa Sievers. (Credit: WINK News) Attorneys for one of the men convicted in the murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers filed an appeal on his behalf Thursday. Jimmy Rodgers was convicted of being involved in the killing of Sievers inside her Bonita Springs home in 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. Her husband Mark Sievers was found guilty of first-degree murder and orchestrating the murder and is now on death row. Curtis Wayne Wright, Mark’s best friend, took a plea deal for a 25-year prison sentence where he admitted to killing Teresa with a weapon. His plea was contingent on the successful prosecution of Mark. Rodgers was originally indicted on first-degree murder, but a jury acquitted him of that and instead found him guilty of second-degree murder without a weapon. They also acquitted him of conspiracy to commit murder and burglary with a weapon while finding him guilty of misdemeanor trespass. Judge Bruce Kyle, who presided over the trial, found the verdict befuddling, according to the appeal. Rodgers’ attorney told us comments from Judge Bruce Kyle at the sentencing sum up why the case should be overturned. “I guess it is somewhat of a conflicting verdict given the fact he’s been found guilty of murder as a principal but without a weapon, but a weapon clearly was used from the evidence, and I don’t know if that was an intent by the jury to – because they feel your client was taken advantage of because he’s younger or they felt he wasn’t as culpable or involved, or that they didn’t like the fact that Mr. Wright got second-degree murder because there was no mention of a weapon, but a mention of what his charge was and what he pled to was mentioned,” Kyle said, according to the appeal brief. FILE Photo of convicted killer Jimmy Rodgers during his December 2019 sentencing in Lee County court for the 2015 murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers at her home in Bonita Springs. Credit: WINK News. The defense attorney says it’s because Rodgers was found guilty of murder without a weapon, but evidence showed a weapon was clearly used in the crime. The appeal describes the verdict as “legally inconsistent.” Rodgers’ defense team were also not allowed to question Wright about his motive in the killing, the appeal states. “The trial court rules that Curtis Wright was already a murderer, so any specific additional questioning that the defense wanted to pursue in this regard was irrelevant,” the appeal states, meaning the jury was unable to hear why Wright “might have wanted to kill (Teresa Sievers) by himself.” “The trial court denied Mr. Rodgers constitutional right to confront witnesses,” it adds. Rodgers’ attorney also argues there was insufficient evidence in the case. She says no fingerprints, blood, DNA, email or cellphone records link him to the crime. Walmart surveillance cameras captured images of Rodgers shopping in Lee County the day before Teresa Sievers’ murder. A group of judges will ultimately review the argument made by Rodgers and his attorneys and rule on the appeal.