LABELLE Fatal crash on State Road 29 in LaBelle According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a fatal crash occurred on State Road 29 on Tuesday evening.
NAPLES Naples on alert but staying calm ahead of potential storm It’s understandable to get anxious whenever we hear about the possibility of severe weather with Tropical Storm Rafael gaining strength in the Caribbean.
BONITA SPRINGS Florida’s Rick Scott reelected to US Senate Florida incumbent Rick Scott has been reelected to the U.S. Senate.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda RV residents concerned about hurricane damage The people at the Harbor Belle RV Resort had concerns about their homes before hurricanes Helene and Milton.
WINK NEWS How Hispanic voters in SWFL are casting their ballots The Hispanic community in Southwest Florida is seemingly divided as they cast their votes for the next president of the United States.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump and supporters gear up for election night in West Palm Beach All eyes are on the presidential election between Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
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 Rafael strengthens into Cat 1 hurricane The Weather Authority meteorologists are now watching Hurricane Rafael in the Caribbean.
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.
LABELLE Fatal crash on State Road 29 in LaBelle According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a fatal crash occurred on State Road 29 on Tuesday evening.
NAPLES Naples on alert but staying calm ahead of potential storm It’s understandable to get anxious whenever we hear about the possibility of severe weather with Tropical Storm Rafael gaining strength in the Caribbean.
BONITA SPRINGS Florida’s Rick Scott reelected to US Senate Florida incumbent Rick Scott has been reelected to the U.S. Senate.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda RV residents concerned about hurricane damage The people at the Harbor Belle RV Resort had concerns about their homes before hurricanes Helene and Milton.
WINK NEWS How Hispanic voters in SWFL are casting their ballots The Hispanic community in Southwest Florida is seemingly divided as they cast their votes for the next president of the United States.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump and supporters gear up for election night in West Palm Beach All eyes are on the presidential election between Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
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 Rafael strengthens into Cat 1 hurricane The Weather Authority meteorologists are now watching Hurricane Rafael in the Caribbean.
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.
Lake Okeechobee. Credit: WINK News Trying to keep Southwest Florida waterways clear of algal blooms makes it tricky to manage the release of water from Lake Okeechobee. On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give an update on how well the releases are working. Right now, the water level for Lake Okeechobee is at around 12.5 feet, which is the Army Corps of Engineers’ desired level, so this is a good sign. Much of it probably has to do with the fact that the Corps strategically decided to release lake water in the dry season. Doing those releases ahead of time, when it’s not wet and rainy, not only helps keep the lake from overflowing but it keeps a balance of lower salinity in the Caloosahatchee River. It’s a delicate balance, though, as too much freshwater could damage the ecosystem in the estuary. Experts say it’s something that will always be a work in progress. “During the wet season, you typically see warmer temperatures, massive algal blooms on Lake Okeechobee; we’ve seen, you know, several 100-square-mile toxic cyanobacteria blooms this year on Lake Okeechobee,” said Daniel Andrews with Captains for Clear Water. “We get those releases in the wet season when we’re already getting a lot of water just from local watershed runoff. They’re very, very damaging to Southwest Florida. So we don’t… we don’t ever want to see releases… in the summertime.” Other than some isolated incidents in the canals, we haven’t seen any blooms in the lower part of the Caloosahatchee, so the strategy to lower Lake Okeechobee levels before we reach hurricane season seems largely to be a success. “The estuary is responding very well,” said Eric Milbrandt with Sanibel Captiva Conservation. “There’s… like I say, there the water is clear. The sea grass looks pretty good. And just in general, there’s a lack of large, you know, algae blooms occurring.” The Army Corps of Engineers is planning to complete the Herbert Hoover Dike restoration, as well as the Lake Okeechobee system operating manual, which will be an entirely new schedule for the Lake Okeechobee releases, in 2022. The Corps will give its update at 1:30 on Friday.