Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
On a sunny southwest Florida afternoon, we asked the public to tell us what they wanted to know. A white dry erase board with the question “What questions do you have?” greeted sidewalk pedestrians in downtown Fort Myers. Joanne Miller responded to the question with the following: “I’m really concerned about what’s going to happen 9/11 with everything in Kabul. Here and over there. I don’t think it’s a question anyone can answer but I really am concerned,” Miller said. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks that took the lives of 2,977 people. It is also the day President George W. Bush declared a global war on terror promising to fight and defeat terrorists before they could launch another attack. While we are not free from domestic terrorists at home, we have not seen another foreign attack like 9/11 on American soil. Joanne Miller We asked retired FBI agent Daniel Morrison what he would tell Miller about the potential for more terrorism around this vulnerable time. “Anniversary is a date, it’s a reference point. But it doesn’t mean at any given point throughout every day for the last 20 plus years that we’re not in a heightened state of awareness of these possible threats that are constantly being monitored,” says Morrison. He points to the wide communication between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that we did not have before 9/11. He expects every FBI field office in the country will have a command center ready for the threats of more attacks. The United States Department of Homeland Security released a new advisory bulletin on August 13, 2021 warning of a heightened threat environment across the United States. “The Homeland continues to face a diverse and challenging threat environment leading up to and following the 20th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks as well religious holidays we assess could serve as a catalyst for acts of targeted violence. These threats include those posed by domestic terrorists, individuals and groups engaged in grievance-based violence, and those inspiring or motivated by foreign terrorists and other malign foreign influences. These actors are increasingly exploiting online forums to influenece and spread violent extremist narratives and promote violent activity. Such threats are also exacerbated by impacts of the ongoing global pandemic, including grievances over public health safety measures and perceived government restrictions.” Homeland Security even calls for Americans to use “Digital Media Literacy” to determine real news from fake articles created to stoke fear. “They just beheaded a woman, an airline pilot over there today. That was on the news today and it’s just, it’s just horrible. I take that back I think they stoned her,” Miller recalled. “It was on Facebook and people were following it and posting it. I have a lot of friends that are posting things like that.” WINK News found the story Miller was describing online that claimed to have a photo of a female Afghan Air Force pilot being stoned to death for being a female pilot. We found the picture used is actually a photo shared in 2015 by Al Jeezera and the New York Times of a 27-year-old woman named Farkhunda Malikzada killed by a mob outside a shrine in Kabul falsely accused of burning the Qu’ran. There is no evidence of any attacks against female Afghan Air Force pilots. Morrison says misinformation is increasingly being used by terror organizations to stoke fear and division. “So much of it is really hard to identify, I think following the news that you can trust and know rather than some of these tangential sites that can lead you down, down these paths that look legitimate, sound legitimate, but really, they are nothing more than kind of spouting some sort of rhetoric that is promoting violence and or discord,” Morrison said. Morrison says if you see something that just seems off or threatening – say something to your local law enforcement. You can also report a tip directly to the closest FBI Field Office online or leave a message on their phone line 1-800-CALL-FBI. Report suspicious activity and threats of violence, including online threats, to local law enforcement, FBI Field Offices, or local Fusion Center. If you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues or may be a danger to themselves or others, support is available. If you have a question that you’d like WINK to help answer – give us a call on our hotline (239) 344-5055 or email lisa.hutson@winknews.com