Tracking Tropical Storm Rafael; expected to become hurricaneScattered rain and storms on this Election Day
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.
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.
WINK NEWS How Floridians are voting on Consitutional right to abortions As Election Day ramps up, WINK News is monitoring the results of the most controversial amendments on the ballot, including Florida’s Amendment 4.
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.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council race for 2 wards The 2024 elections are looking to be a tense battle that will have every American on the edge of their seats. In Southwest Florida, the feeling is no different.
Lee County Superintendent election; School Board District 7 Voters in Lee County are going to the polls to fill some crucial seats in the school district.
PUNTA GORDA The race for Punta Gorda City Council November 5 is election day, as politicians across the country compete for office, with Southwest Florida being no different.
Lee County commission race for districts 3 and 5 The 2024 elections include several local Southwest Florida races, among them are races for two districts on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
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.
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.
WINK NEWS How Floridians are voting on Consitutional right to abortions As Election Day ramps up, WINK News is monitoring the results of the most controversial amendments on the ballot, including Florida’s Amendment 4.
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.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council race for 2 wards The 2024 elections are looking to be a tense battle that will have every American on the edge of their seats. In Southwest Florida, the feeling is no different.
Lee County Superintendent election; School Board District 7 Voters in Lee County are going to the polls to fill some crucial seats in the school district.
PUNTA GORDA The race for Punta Gorda City Council November 5 is election day, as politicians across the country compete for office, with Southwest Florida being no different.
Lee County commission race for districts 3 and 5 The 2024 elections include several local Southwest Florida races, among them are races for two districts on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
FILE – In this Aug. 21, 2015, file photo, Army 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, center, and Capt. Kristen Griest, right, pose for photos with other female West Point alumni after an Army Ranger school graduation ceremony at Fort Benning, Ga. Haver and Griest became the first female graduates of the Army’s rigorous Ranger School. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) Air Force Major Lauren Daly landed a dream job on an aircraft that flies top government officials. “Our top five is our primary customer and why we exist. So that’s the first lady, the vice president, the chairman of the joint chiefs, the secretary of defense, and the secretary of state,” said Maj. Lauren Daly. At home she has a different title: mom, juggling life with newborn, Hope, and toddler, Jacob. “When I first got into the military 10 years ago, there were not a lot of females in the higher ranks. And the ones that were did not have children or did not choose to have a family — to make it to where they were. And now you’re kinda starting to see, like, more women in the wing commander positions and squadron commander who have done it,” said Daly. That’s helping to shape new policies, such as one enacted in 2019 requiring nursing mothers have access to private and sanitary lactation areas. “Policy sets culture, so that’s a significant win for us,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Jessica Ruttenber. “I think change takes time. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I’m very optimistic.” The recent progress was not in place when Lt. Col. Ruttenber was pregnant with her first child, nine years ago. She realizes now she had been experiencing pregnancy bias. “Conversations went away from, ‘would you like to take this more competitive job that is more demanding to accelerate your career,’ to ‘would you like to separate at the end of your service commitment or take this less demanding job to be home more with your children?'” described Ruttenber. “They didn’t ask my husband the same question … and that’s when I started realizing that motherhood sometimes had a little bit of a barrier in the institution,” she said. The mother of three who is married to a fellow Air Force pilot says the military is taking steps to combat pregnancy bias including a memo from former Defense Secretary Mark Esper last year that said, “The Department will update its military equal opportunity policy to prohibit pregnancy-based discrimination.” Another key change is increased maternity leave to 12 weeks across the joint forces, and a one-year deferment from deployment and physical fitness testing in the Air Force. A new bill proposes to increase leave to 12 weeks for both parents and also aims to make postpartum policy uniform across the branches. The War Department was designed ”for sort of a 1950s model, right, for a male and a stay-at-home wife. And that has changed now,” said Major Alea Nadeem, who chairs the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team. “So, we’re still working through those changes. But every day, it’s getting better.” The group’s not-so secret motto is “get stuff done.” “I am super proud of that because we don’t just talk about it, we actually do it,” said Nadeem. That includes getting hairstyle standards eased. For years, servicewomen said having to wear their hair in tight buns, especially under helmets, caused headaches and hair loss. Now, ponytails or braids are allowed. Another recent development was maternity flight suits, the prototype tested just last year. Major Nadeem says the changes will make the military stronger. “We know women, at the ten-year mark, get out at higher rates than their male peers. Why is that? And we did some research. And one of them is family planning; lack of access to child care.” It’s been a slow climb to top leadership levels. Retired General Ann Dunwoody became the military’s first four-star female military officer in 2008. The list of four-star females in military history is less than ten so far: Gen. Dunwoody, Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, Adm. Michelle Howard, Gen. Lori Robinson, Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, Gen. Maryanne Miller, and Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost who is currently serving. In June, Adm. Linda Fagan became the first female four-star Admiral in U.S. Coast Guard history. In March, President Joe Biden nominated General Van Ovost and Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson to prestigious four-star commands. If confirmed by the Senate, they will be just the second and third women to lead U.S. military combatant commands. Lt. Col. Ruttenber says female representation and leadership will help retain more women and moms in uniform. “If you want to keep women in the military for a full career cycle, 20 years, you’re going to have to accept that they’re going to want to have children at some point. Most of them are,” said Ruttenber. “The second reason is I think it’s essential for our national security to have a more inclusive military. I think it makes us more lethal.” Service members including Lt. Col. Ruttenber and Major Daly are rising the ranks and realizing motherhood has not grounded their careers but rather has made them better leaders. “So now people my age and younger are kinda seeing like, ‘maybe I can do both. I don’t have to make a choice and get out when my commitment’s over or when I want to start having a family,'” said Daly.