Bicyclist killed following motorcycle crash on Three Oaks ParkwaySanibel church evades hurricane damage despite having no protection
Bicyclist killed following motorcycle crash on Three Oaks Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash involving a bicyclist and two motorcycles on Three Oaks Parkway.
SANIBEL Sanibel church evades hurricane damage despite having no protection The St. Michael and All Angels Church in Sanibel has miraculously evaded serious damage from hurricanes despite its lack of structural protection.
The Weather Authority Cold front brings cooler and breezy conditions this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking an approaching cold front, which will bring cooler and breezier afternoon conditions.
FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof active for Charlotte and DeSoto counties If you suffered roof damage to your home from Hurricane Milton, you can now get help for free if you live in Charlotte or DeSoto counties.
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.
Bicyclist killed following motorcycle crash on Three Oaks Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash involving a bicyclist and two motorcycles on Three Oaks Parkway.
SANIBEL Sanibel church evades hurricane damage despite having no protection The St. Michael and All Angels Church in Sanibel has miraculously evaded serious damage from hurricanes despite its lack of structural protection.
The Weather Authority Cold front brings cooler and breezy conditions this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking an approaching cold front, which will bring cooler and breezier afternoon conditions.
FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof active for Charlotte and DeSoto counties If you suffered roof damage to your home from Hurricane Milton, you can now get help for free if you live in Charlotte or DeSoto counties.
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.
Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller in the hospital. Screenshot from TikTok. Struggling to breathe and visibly exhausted lying in a hospital bed, Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller pleaded with her followers in her final TikTok video last month to get vaccinated. She had not — and nine days after posting the final video, she died. “I don’t have a lot of energy for talking,” Blankenbiller, who went by Alex, said in the final video, posted on Aug. 15. “… I did not get vaccinated. I’m not anti-vax, I was just trying to do my research. I was scared.” Blankenbiller, who lived in Jacksonville, said she waited to get vaccinated because she wanted her and her family to all get vaccinated at the same time. That decision, she said, “was a mistake.” “I shouldn’t have waited,” she said in the video, which has been viewed nearly 900,000 times. “If you are even 70% sure that you want the vaccine, go get it. Don’t wait. Go get it, because hopefully if you get it, you won’t end up in the hospital like me.” @atasteofalex**Also, Tonic Water. Nasty stuff but good for you!! Stay safe out there guys!♬ original sound – It’s Alex, Betch. 💋 Blankenbiller was hospitalized on the morning of August 13, just two days before her final video. On that day, she posted a TikTok of her hooked up to monitors. Screaming could be heard in the background. A day later, from the hospital bed, she urged her followers to “just take care of you” and not delay getting the vaccine because of other people. “All I’ve been hearing are the moans and screams of people in pain,” she said. “People I’m assuming that have lost people that they love.” Exactly one week after Blankenbiller went to the hospital, her younger sister wrote on Facebook that she was in “critical” condition and had been placed on a ventilator. She died the next day, according to her family. Blankenbiller’s sister, Cristina Blankenbiller, told WebMD their family had finally agreed to get vaccinated but shortly before their appointments, they all got sick. A friend of Blankenbiller’s posted on Facebook that she was “one of the kindest people” the friend had worked with. The two were part of the Jax Treblemakers, an A capella group in Jacksonville. “As soon as she walked into a rehearsal, that rehearsal became a party,” her friend wrote. “She was only 31 and she died because of Covid. 31. She spent her last few days pleading with people to get the vaccine from a hospital bed. I am so tired of losing people to this damned virus.” Florida has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the U.S., with more than 583,000 in the past 28 days alone, according to Johns Hopkins University. Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, is among the top 10 counties in the state for the number of cases.