Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continueHeavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
WINK NEWS Gov. DeSantis signs tax relief package for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has renewed the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday among other tax-free incentives for Floridians.
Fort Myers debates future of police review board A new law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will change oversight with local police departments and the citizens they protect.
FORT MYERS Lifting weights brings Bishop Verot’s football team together Football teams are spending their days in the iron paradise as spring practice is on for high school football.
LEHIGH ACRES Traffic signal for Lee Blvd. and Joan Ave. North approved The Lee Board of County Commissioners approved measures to install a traffic signal, new lighting, upgraded drainage, and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Van catches fire after crash with trailer in North Fort Myers Several crews are responding to a crash that involved a work van and a truck pulling a trailer in North Fort Myers this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2nd teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to be arraigned A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities said he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court.
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
WINK NEWS Gov. DeSantis signs tax relief package for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has renewed the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday among other tax-free incentives for Floridians.
Fort Myers debates future of police review board A new law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will change oversight with local police departments and the citizens they protect.
FORT MYERS Lifting weights brings Bishop Verot’s football team together Football teams are spending their days in the iron paradise as spring practice is on for high school football.
LEHIGH ACRES Traffic signal for Lee Blvd. and Joan Ave. North approved The Lee Board of County Commissioners approved measures to install a traffic signal, new lighting, upgraded drainage, and more.
NORTH FORT MYERS Van catches fire after crash with trailer in North Fort Myers Several crews are responding to a crash that involved a work van and a truck pulling a trailer in North Fort Myers this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2nd teen accused in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case to be arraigned A 16-year-old is facing adult charges for his alleged role in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
the weather authority Hotter and drier day ahead with isolated storms staying inland The Weather Authority is tracking a hot and dry Tuesday morning with inland isolated storms expected in the afternoon.
WINK News Lee County School Board to hold a transportation workshop With one month left for the academic year, parents’ concerns have turned to frustration as buses struggle to get kids to and from school.
Readying for hurricane season with Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Hurricane season is rapidly approaching as Floridians prep for potential storms with the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities said he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court.
In this July 23, 2021, family photograph provided by Joshua Sutton, 5-year-old Harvey Sutton raises his arms on a mountain top in Bigelow Preserve, Maine, while hiking the Appalachian Trail with his Mom and Dad. Know by the trail name as “Little Man,” Harvey tagged along with his parents over more than 2,100 miles over 209 days to complete the family feat. (Joshua Sutton via AP) Harvey Sutton, or “Little Man,” as he is known on the Appalachian Trail, won’t have long to bask in the glory of hiking its full length. After all, he starts kindergarten Friday. At 5 years old, Harvey is one of the youngest — and the latest of several youngsters in recent years — to complete the trail, after tagging along with his parents over more than 2,100 miles in 209 days. It was hard work, but it was fun checking out frogs, lizards and other wildlife. So was sprinkling Skittles onto peanut butter tortillas as fuel for the walk, he said. “The rock scrambles were really fun and hard. We were not bored,” he said cheerfully in a phone interview from Virginia, where he lives with his parents, Josh and Cassie Sutton. His parents were so busy keeping him engaged and entertained that it distracted them from the physical pain of trudging over so many miles. “It gave us a bond and a strength that we hadn’t realized before,” Cassie Sutton said. Other youngsters have hiked the 2,193-mile (3,530 kilometers) trail that starts at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and ends atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. Some babies have even been carried in backpacks by their determined parents. Harvey was 4 years old when he and his parents began their walk in January and he turned 5 before the family completed the journey last week in Maine. He’s several months younger than “Buddy Backpacker,” a boy who held the record for youngest to complete the trail in 2013, Harvey’s parents say. But the youngest of all may be Juniper Netteburg, who finished the trail at age 4, wearing a Wonder Woman costume, with her parents and three siblings on Oct. 13, 2020, said her parents, who are missionary doctors. Her family hiked sections over a period of months, but that still counts as long as they didn’t skip any part of the trail, said Ken Bunning, president of Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. It may seem extreme for a kid, but a pediatrician sees no harm. Kids are resilient enough to handle the experience as long as parents keep their social and emotional development in mind and scale the hike to kids’ abilities, said Dr. Laura Blaisdell, a pediatrician and medical adviser to the American Camp Association. For Harvey’s hike, his parents decided to take a “mini retirement” from their real estate jobs in Lynchburg, Virginia. They’d been hiking with Harvey since he was 2, so the Appalachian Trail made sense to them. It was mostly smooth sailing after a snowstorm in the Smoky Mountains forced them to backtrack more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) to safety over 2 1/2 days. The family became accustomed to sleeping in a tent, waking at 5:30 a.m. and hiking all day. There was a simplicity to the routine and a camaraderie with other “thru hikers” that kept it from getting boring, Josh Sutton said. Karl Donus Sakas, a hiker known as “Sugar Man” who accompanied the Suttons from Pennsylvania to the end in Maine, said Harvey had boundless energy. “He’s pretty strong and tough. So often we’d get to camp and I’d be beaten and tired. And Little Man would say, ‘Let’s play freeze tag!’” he said. The parents said the biggest challenge was keeping their son’s imagination engaged. Harvey made plans to build homes, construct space ships and host a lava party in discussions over miles and hours of hiking, Sakas said. Sakas helped out by setting up a treasure hunt with faux maps, hidden toys and glow sticks on the trail over several days in New Jersey. Some other thru hikers gave Little Man toys, including a pet rock, Hot Wheels and a pocket watch. At a Dollar General store, the boy bought a calculator to keep track of the miles. The hike showed the strength of teamwork and further solidified the Suttons’ relationship, Cassie Sutton said. “We’re closer than ever before,” she said. They completed the hike Aug. 9 atop Mount Katahdin. Now it’s off to kindergarten for Little Man and back to work for his parents. Harvey’s journey earned accolades from another hiking legend, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders, the oldest person to hike the trail, at age 82 in 2017. “It’s going to change his life forever, and his parents’ life, too. The kid went through some hardships, but don’t we all? Hardships make us stronger,” said Sanders, now 86, of Bartlett, Tennessee. “That kid is going to smile through life.”