City of Sanibel to open time capsule for 50th anniversaryLee Commission approves contract to restore 2 waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach
SANIBEL City of Sanibel to open time capsule for 50th anniversary It’s a chance to see what the past was like. 41 years ago, the city of Sanibel put items in a time capsule to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. On Tuesday, WINK News was there to see what people had to say about the island decades ago.
FORT MYERS BEACH Lee Commission approves contract to restore 2 waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award a contract for the design of the restoration of two waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach.
Direct approach to hip replacement Surgeons in the United States perform more than 500,000 hip replacements every year, and that number is only expected to increase as our population ages.
ARCADIA DeSoto County Jail employee accused of trafficking contraband into facility An employee at the DeSoto County Jail has been arrested after allegedly trafficking illegal contraband into the jail.
Soluna Restaurant & Bar launches at Bayfront in Naples Emulating its namesake fusion of the sun and moon, Soluna Restaurant & Bar has arisen to illuminate the Naples dining scene.
NAPLES CFO Jimmy Patronis reminds Floridians to check their constructor contracts for post-storm fraud The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, will hold a news conference in Naples on post-storm fraud prevention.
Know where your voting precinct is in Southwest Florida Election Day is only one day away, so it is important to know where to go and if you qualify to vote in Southwest Florida.
The Weather Authority Tracking Tropical Storm Rafael; expected to become hurricane The Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later Tuesday night.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms on this Election Day The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms along with warm temperatures throughout this Election Day Tuesday.
Where to drop off your mail-in ballots on Election Day Those who still have their mail-in ballots in Southwest Florida have two options on Election Day: vote in person or drop them off at a specified location.
WINK NEWS Lee County race for Sheriff It is now Election Day, and two candidates for the Lee County Sheriff are vying for the position.
WINK NEWS Floridians to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana With Election Day in full swing, WINK News is monitoring the results of the most controversial amendments on the ballot, including Florida’s Amendment 3.
WINK NEWS How Floridians are voting on Constitutional right to abortions Besides Amendment 3, another of the more controversial amendments on the ballot is Amendment 4, which would limit government interference in abortions.
Collier County commission race As the 2024 general election gets underway, WINK News is monitoring the election results in several local races, including the Collier County Commission race.
Cape Coral 5 seats in Cape Coral City Council to be decided on Election Day The Cape Coral City Council election will be decided on Tuesday. Five seats are up for grabs.
SANIBEL City of Sanibel to open time capsule for 50th anniversary It’s a chance to see what the past was like. 41 years ago, the city of Sanibel put items in a time capsule to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. On Tuesday, WINK News was there to see what people had to say about the island decades ago.
FORT MYERS BEACH Lee Commission approves contract to restore 2 waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award a contract for the design of the restoration of two waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach.
Direct approach to hip replacement Surgeons in the United States perform more than 500,000 hip replacements every year, and that number is only expected to increase as our population ages.
ARCADIA DeSoto County Jail employee accused of trafficking contraband into facility An employee at the DeSoto County Jail has been arrested after allegedly trafficking illegal contraband into the jail.
Soluna Restaurant & Bar launches at Bayfront in Naples Emulating its namesake fusion of the sun and moon, Soluna Restaurant & Bar has arisen to illuminate the Naples dining scene.
NAPLES CFO Jimmy Patronis reminds Floridians to check their constructor contracts for post-storm fraud The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, will hold a news conference in Naples on post-storm fraud prevention.
Know where your voting precinct is in Southwest Florida Election Day is only one day away, so it is important to know where to go and if you qualify to vote in Southwest Florida.
The Weather Authority Tracking Tropical Storm Rafael; expected to become hurricane The Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later Tuesday night.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms on this Election Day The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms along with warm temperatures throughout this Election Day Tuesday.
Where to drop off your mail-in ballots on Election Day Those who still have their mail-in ballots in Southwest Florida have two options on Election Day: vote in person or drop them off at a specified location.
WINK NEWS Lee County race for Sheriff It is now Election Day, and two candidates for the Lee County Sheriff are vying for the position.
WINK NEWS Floridians to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana With Election Day in full swing, WINK News is monitoring the results of the most controversial amendments on the ballot, including Florida’s Amendment 3.
WINK NEWS How Floridians are voting on Constitutional right to abortions Besides Amendment 3, another of the more controversial amendments on the ballot is Amendment 4, which would limit government interference in abortions.
Collier County commission race As the 2024 general election gets underway, WINK News is monitoring the election results in several local races, including the Collier County Commission race.
Cape Coral 5 seats in Cape Coral City Council to be decided on Election Day The Cape Coral City Council election will be decided on Tuesday. Five seats are up for grabs.
20-year-old shooting victim Evereonna Sankey. A family is heartbroken and in tears as a shooter remains on the loose. The loved ones of 20-year-old Evereonna Sankey simply want to know who shot and killed her, and why. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office recently released the report detailing Saturday night’s shooting. WINK News has been asking the sheriff’s office for answers after it expressed concerns about security at the festival. The public information officer emailed the almost 18-page report to WINK News reporter Breanna Ross but it is heavily redacted. There are no details about how Evereonna died but they do have suspects in mind. The Sheriff’s office isn’t saying who they are to where they’re from. Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden did say that finding the person or people who killed the 20-year-old is his top priority. “Our guys are on the ground and they are looking at all the leads right now and they are doing what they can to get this solved. We want to get this one solved I mean this is, this is a travesty,” said Whidden. The sheriff wouldn’t be specific about the number of suspects only saying there is “more than one.” But, they do seem confident about who they’re looking into. “We are pretty confident right now but we just have to get the groundwork done to make everything stick,” sid Sheriff’s Whidden. Teresa Sankey, Evereonna’s mother, is no stranger to Hendry County’s Brown Sugar Festival. She used to serve as the vice president of the event and even helped organize it. So, she knows how much security is necessary for the festival to run smoothly. “Normally they have police officers walking in the crowds. I know how it goes,” Sankey said. “We’ve got to get consent from. We have police officers come from Fort Myers, Palm Beach, and everywhere normally.” But, when Sankey left her daughter, 20-year-old Evereonna Sankey, at the festival she noticed the lack of law enforcement right away. “I seen two police officers,” she said. “That’s the only two police I seen with all of those people out there.” Many in the community, including Sankey, are wondering why there wasn’t a heavier law enforcement presence. After sifting through April meeting minutes from the Hendry County Board of Commissioners meeting, WINK News found out that festival organizers presented over 300 signatures. All of these to show the board just how much the community wanted The Brown Sugar Festival back this year. Commissioners then asked if the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office could cover the festival. Hendry County’s Chief Deputy Kevin Nelson said “they would be ill-prepared to protect residents.” Commissioners ultimately approved the festival to give the Harlem community a positive event to look forward to. But, the county’s board of commissioners did this under the premise that the event would be much smaller than it was in past years. That premise didn’t hold. 2,000 people showed up to celebrate the Brown Sugar Festival. The festival embraces Black heritage and provides scholarships to young people. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office is usually given six months to prepare for the event, which is just enough time to ask for help from neighboring departments. The late approval made securing the necessary reinforcements next to impossible. Yet, Sheriff Whidden did say that he had 50 to 60 deputies on duty at the festival, which is almost everyone in his agency. “It’s when we have such short notice that we physically can’t get the bodies here and we tell them that and get a permit it, that’s when bad things happen,” Whidden said. Sheriff Whidden wants Evereonna Sankey’s family to know that his investigators won’t let her killer get away. “Just want the family to know that we are working diligently on this and we are not going to stop until the person responsible or persons are in jail,” said Whidden. Sheriff Whidden did say sheriff’s deputies will be prepared for upcoming events like the Juneteenth Celebration in Clewiston. Hendry County Sheriff’s Office posted a message on the HCSO Facebook page asking people to share its post to submit any related photos or videos from the shooting. The post has a link to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office – FL Evidence Submission Portal for submissions.