ENGLEWOOD Indian Mound Park left in ruins, residents look to rebuild People living in Englewood’s Indian Mound Park community are cleaning up what’s left of their homes.
CLEWISTON Two arrested in Clewiston teen’s murder Two people are in jail Tuesday night for the murder of 16-year-old Ja’yhanna Johnson.
FORT MYERS NWS surveys tornado damage as Lee County residents share their loss The National Weather Service got a firsthand look at what people in one Lee County neighborhood have been dealing with for a week.
NAPLES Naples stormwater project to reduce street flooding The project aims to improve water quality and reduce flooding in city streets that often experience heavy rainfall.
CAPTIVA How the South Seas Resort in Captiva is recovering after Milton At the South Seas Resort in Captiva, dozens of crews are working hard to restore power, remove trees and clear roads.
TWIN PALMS Twin Palm’s tornado was the strongest tornado ever recorded in southwest Florida A tornado from Hurricane Milton left a Glades County community in pieces. WINK News has confirmed that the tornado that hit the Twin Lakes Resort was the strongest tornado ever recorded in southwest Florida, according to the National Weather Service.
FORT MYERS BEACH Harry Chapin Food Bank on Fort Myers Beach after Milton People on Fort Myers Beach were feeling the love on Tuesday. Harry Chapin Food Bank set up a distribution site on the island.
IMMOKALEE Collier County woman arrested for shooting another woman in the face A woman has been arrested in Collier County after shooting another woman in the face, killing her.
FGCU FGCU athletic director speaks exclusively on House v. NCAA settlement FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis spoke exclusively with WINK News about how the House v. NCAA settlement impacts the athletic department.
MANASOTA KEY Residents let back onto south side of Manasota Key WINK News is getting a look at the south side of Manasota Key for the first time since Hurricane Milton.
BOCA GRANDE LCSO tours damage on Boca Grande after Milton An island community was almost completely underwater after Hurricane Milton.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda reels from destruction, clings to hope The community of Riverside Drive in Punta Gorda was hit hard and mangled by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
CAPE CORAL Police searching for pair suspected of gift card fraud in Cape Coral and Fort Myers The Cape Coral and Fort Myers police departments are asking for the public’s help in identifying two individuals suspected of conducting fraudulent transactions.
Key permitting information by county for hurricane recovery If you’re recovering from Hurricane Milton, you need to pay attention to some critical permitting information in our area.
CLEWISTON New tips received in Clewiston teen’s murder; Two people arrested People are providing tips on the murder of a Glades County teenager.
ENGLEWOOD Indian Mound Park left in ruins, residents look to rebuild People living in Englewood’s Indian Mound Park community are cleaning up what’s left of their homes.
CLEWISTON Two arrested in Clewiston teen’s murder Two people are in jail Tuesday night for the murder of 16-year-old Ja’yhanna Johnson.
FORT MYERS NWS surveys tornado damage as Lee County residents share their loss The National Weather Service got a firsthand look at what people in one Lee County neighborhood have been dealing with for a week.
NAPLES Naples stormwater project to reduce street flooding The project aims to improve water quality and reduce flooding in city streets that often experience heavy rainfall.
CAPTIVA How the South Seas Resort in Captiva is recovering after Milton At the South Seas Resort in Captiva, dozens of crews are working hard to restore power, remove trees and clear roads.
TWIN PALMS Twin Palm’s tornado was the strongest tornado ever recorded in southwest Florida A tornado from Hurricane Milton left a Glades County community in pieces. WINK News has confirmed that the tornado that hit the Twin Lakes Resort was the strongest tornado ever recorded in southwest Florida, according to the National Weather Service.
FORT MYERS BEACH Harry Chapin Food Bank on Fort Myers Beach after Milton People on Fort Myers Beach were feeling the love on Tuesday. Harry Chapin Food Bank set up a distribution site on the island.
IMMOKALEE Collier County woman arrested for shooting another woman in the face A woman has been arrested in Collier County after shooting another woman in the face, killing her.
FGCU FGCU athletic director speaks exclusively on House v. NCAA settlement FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis spoke exclusively with WINK News about how the House v. NCAA settlement impacts the athletic department.
MANASOTA KEY Residents let back onto south side of Manasota Key WINK News is getting a look at the south side of Manasota Key for the first time since Hurricane Milton.
BOCA GRANDE LCSO tours damage on Boca Grande after Milton An island community was almost completely underwater after Hurricane Milton.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda reels from destruction, clings to hope The community of Riverside Drive in Punta Gorda was hit hard and mangled by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
CAPE CORAL Police searching for pair suspected of gift card fraud in Cape Coral and Fort Myers The Cape Coral and Fort Myers police departments are asking for the public’s help in identifying two individuals suspected of conducting fraudulent transactions.
Key permitting information by county for hurricane recovery If you’re recovering from Hurricane Milton, you need to pay attention to some critical permitting information in our area.
CLEWISTON New tips received in Clewiston teen’s murder; Two people arrested People are providing tips on the murder of a Glades County teenager.
This Feb. 13, 2017 photo shows the tattoo on the right arm of U.S. veteran Hector Barajas, who was deported, as he sits in his office at the Deported Veterans Support House, nicknamed “the bunker” in Tijuana, Mexico. Barajas, a former paratrooper who was born in Zacatecas state, crossed illegally into the United States at age 7 and served in the Army from 1995 to 2001. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) The Biden administration on Friday announced it is formalizing a new process to allow immigrants who served in the U.S. military and were later deported to return to the country legally. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ordered the nation’s immigration agencies to craft a “rigorous, systematic approach” to review the cases of immigrants whose deportations “failed to live up to our highest values.” “Together with our partner the Department of Veterans Affairs, we are committed to bringing back military service members, veterans, and their immediate family members who were unjustly removed and ensuring they receive the benefits to which they may be entitled,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “Today we are taking important steps to make that a reality.” In a memo sent to Mayorkas on Friday and obtained by CBS News, top DHS immigration officials said they would use prosecutorial discretion and “other legal authorities” to facilitate the return of eligible veterans and immediate family members of U.S. service members. Returning to the U.S., the DHS officials argued, would grant deported veterans access to Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, lawyers and the U.S. immigration system, where they could reopen their deportation cases and seek forms of relief to remain in the country legally. The overall objective is to “support humane and consistent outcomes,” the memo said. “Those who have served in our military have performed the noblest and most selfless service,” the memo said. “Our policies and practices must reflect this fundamental principle.” Mayorkas said he also instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “immediately conduct a review of policies and practices” to ensure immigrant service members can remain in the U.S. and access immigration benefits, including naturalized citizenship. In their memo, the top DHS immigration officials told Mayorkas that military service should be “proactively identified and given due consideration” when deportation agents decide whether to detain immigrants. Prosecutorial discretion could be used in such cases, the officials said. Deported veterans typically enlisted in the U.S. military as green card holders and later found themselves in deportation proceedings after being convicted of certain crimes — including non-violent ones — that render immigrants deportable under U.S. immigration law. Once deported, immigrants can be banished from the U.S. for three or ten years, even if they served in the military. The new process to adjudicate requests for the return of banished U.S. military veterans is part of a broader Biden administration initiative aimed at assisting immigrant service members and their families. DHS will establish an online resource center to help U.S. services members and their families with immigration matters, according to Friday’s memo. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is working with U.S. immigration officials to identify deported veterans and allow them to access government benefits and COVID-19 vaccination.