ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
DUI arrests are on the rise in the cities of Cape Coral and Fort Myers. (CREDIT: WINK News) A WINK News investigation shows Southwest Florida is on pace to set records for drunken driving this year. It’s a trend law enforcement and drunk driving victims are both desperate to change. Cecilia Chester-Hamm is one of the many people living in Southwest Florida affected by a drunk driving incident. “It’s crazy,” Chester-Hamm said. “I don’t understand.” In April 2019, Chester-Hamm’s husband Kevin Wayne Hamm, 46, and stepson 20-year-old Christian Wayne Hamm were in a head-on collision with an impaired driver. “Both of them were killed,” Chester-Hamm said. The impaired driver, William Frederick Bohl, 37, is serving a 20-year sentence for the crime. Less than a year after that crash, Chester-Hamm’s son walked away from a Cape Coral crash where a drunk driver hit him after his car broke down more than 10 feet off a busy road. “People don’t realize that when you do things like this, it affects you and everything else,” Chester-Hamm said. “With DUI crashes, the tragedies, you see a victim, whoever was struck by the impaired driver. But then you have the offender who ends up suffering some kind of loss,” said Sgt. Kristi Neroni, Fort Myers Police Department. “You ultimately see tragedies on both ends of the spectrum.” Through July, there have been 428 DUI arrests in Cape Coral compared to 452 in all of 2020. In Fort Myers, through July, there have been 241 DUI arrests, compared to 250 for all of 2020. Statistics show arrests for DUI are up in Cape Coral and Fort Myers this year. (CREDIT: WINK News) “This year’s definitely seen an upward rise, so we’re trying to get that prevention and trying to get out there and make sure people understand, you’ve got to be cautious in all aspects on the roadway,” Neroni said. Chester-Hamm knows she can never get her husband and stepson back but she hopes by becoming a voice against impaired driving, their memories can live on. “They’re involved with our daily lives still,” Chester-Hamm said. “There’s always a memory.” The increase in impaired driving incidents is a reminder of the heartbreak she’s endured but she still has hope. “Please, for you, for your family, for other families, reach out, call somebody, call an Uber, call Lyft,” Chester-Hamm said. “Something good has to come out of such tragedy. I think that with anything tragic that happens, we have to find something positive, something to carry on through everybody’s life. “If just one person changes their mind, I think we’ve been successful.”