The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropicsWoodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Credit: WINK News. Lee Health says coronavirus cases are down in its hospitals Wednesday, but, following the past Labor Day weekend, they could go back up. Doctors say, if there is a Labor Day surge, we’ll see the impacts by the end of this week. Hospitals are still experiencing double-digit death numbers. We went behind a Southwest Florida hospital’s closed doors to see and hear how empty and alone it really feels. When the doors opened to Cape Coral Hospital’s second floor ICU, we expected people, noise and a lot of activity, but there was none of that. The hallways were mostly empty and mostly quiet, just some chatter among doctors and nurses and beeps from some machines. Every COVID-19 patient in the ICU was unconscious, and every COVID-19 patient was alone. “With most patients on the ventilator, a lot of times, it is, you know, fairly quiet,” said Dr. Jordan Taillon, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist. Taillon is the individual who must tell people their only chance to beat COVID-19 is to go on a ventilator, and the chances are not good. “A lot of people ask that question, ‘Am I going to die?’” Taillon explained. “Before we put them on the ventilator. And you know, you have to be completely honest with them. And really all you can say is we’re going to do the best to get you off.” Once patients are on, it goes quiet again. At 10 a.m., rounds begin. A team of about 10 doctors and nurses make their way from room to room, and sound starts to pick up a little more. “A lot of times, there’s kind of that busy hum,” Taillon said. “That busy noise.” We followed ICU nurse supervisor Theresa King during her rounds. “We go over lab work; we go over X-rays; we go over vent settings,” Theresa King said. “I had a patient pass a few days ago. The wife came in and said goodbye. Emotionally, she wasn’t able to stay with him. So I sat with him, and we played Kenny G and Jimmy Buffet songs until he passed. Because that’s what we do. And it’s difficult.” King has watched many people die, so has social worker Jenny Drew. “I’ve noticed a lot of the wives, in particular, they don’t know how the bills are paid. They don’t know how to access their bank accounts. So we have FaceTime to teach the wives how to get into a phone and access bank accounts. So they are able to pay their bills or hurry up to get a power of attorney paperwork, come here, while they can still find it while they’re still on BiPAP.” “Even though we’re just a voice on the other side of the phone, they know us by name,” King explained. “Because the sincerity in our voices carried enough, even though they could walk right by us now, and I wouldn’t know who they are.” Those calls can be tough, but nothing is tougher for these health professionals than when that sound becomes complete silence. “When you turn the 10 IV pumps off and you turn the ventilator off, it’s just kind of quiet and sad, because it’s finally over,” King said. “And it’s just absolutely defeating.”’ King might feel defeat during these moments, but she has faith. “I’m catholic,” King said. “I believe that I will see people again.” King prays one day she’ll hear the sound of her patient’s voices again and hear the sound of their favorite songs again. “We’ll be able to play a song together and talk about it, and he can explain why he chose Jimmy Buffet as his favorite musician,” King said. Better yet, King prays no one else will ever see the mostly empty, mostly quiet hallways in Cape Coral Hospital’s second floor ICU. “Because this is the one place you don’t want to be. Once you cross these doors, it’s very difficult to come back out,” King said. King told us every time a parent dies, she goes home, gets into bed with her children and holds them tight because that is an honor so many of her patients will never have again. We also noticed at the ICU we did not see a single family. We learned they are permitted to sign a waiver to go into the hospital when someone is very near end of life. But we also learned many do not. When families do visit and they watch their person die, those sounds are the worst sounds.