Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCUFGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
Amal Bernal pictured with one of her sons while she was in an abusive marriage. Credit: WINK News Domestic violence does not discriminate. People of every age, race, religion and tax bracket are abused. Sometimes, even people whose lives might inspire envy at first sight are undergoing a traumatic struggle. 10 years ago, Amal Bernal was one such woman. She curated a collection of more than 123 pairs of shoes, but they were for holding emergency cash. “They came in handy because I learned that they were good hiding places,” Bernal said. “Even though we made millions, I was given $5 spending money and a tank of gas a week. That was a way to control me.” And that was not the only way. Bernal says besides her three beautiful boys, there was very little to envy about her life and absolutely nothing to envy about her marriage. “He would open-hand slap me on different parts of my body… or he would dump ice buckets on me while I was in the shower,” Bernal said. “On one occasion, he retrieved me from the shower, in the middle of winter in Salt Lake City, and threw me outside—naked—of our house and locked the doors… the threat was, ‘Your body will be cold in Mexico before anybody even knows you’re gone.'” She says it is impossible to describe every instance of abuse she suffered over 20 years, though she does describe the last. “He threw me out of the car, the moving car, and then tried to run over me,” Bernal said. She went to the hospital and he went to prison. He called her from a jailhouse phone to deliver this message: “I will see you and the children in a cardboard box under a bridge before I give anybody a cent.” Bernal says he kept his promise: He drained every last dollar, every last cent from their finances. “Millions declared bankruptcy right away,” Bernal said. “So all the debt fell on me.” All she had left were her shoes. She sold all 123 pairs and used the money to support her boys, moving to the Naples Shelter for Abused Women and Children. “I’ll tell you, they were so patient with me, because I was mortified that I was in there,” Bernal said. “And I just, I couldn’t get out of bed. I was so depressed.” To encourage women to get out of bed and back into the world, the shelter requires everyone to get a job or go to school, so Bernal applied for a job at Macy’s. “They hired me for $8.25 as a part-time fragrance clerk in their fragrance department,” Bernal said. “It gave me a reason to get up and get out of bed. And you put your hair and makeup on and your high heels and you walk out of the shelter into the world. As a person who is ready to do what’s necessary, even though it was $8.25 an hour, that wasn’t the value of that job. The value was reminding me that I’m capable, that it’s okay to start over.” 10 years later, Amal Bernal has started over and has a life truly worth envying: She remarried a wonderful man who she says loves her unconditionally, who met her when she had nothing and waited 13 dates to kiss her. Together, they adopted a son. Bernal is now a therapist who specializes in trauma, with a practice of her own. “Amal,” it has been pointed out, is an Arabic name, meaning “hope.”