FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence at park in Tice Deputies and K9s are investigating Schandler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
FORT MYERS Lee County STET team protecting our schools with cameras There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them?
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Six-week abortion ban to take effect soon A stricter abortion ban will take effect in Florida on Wednesday.
Estero’s Golf Coast Driving Range shuts down, visitors devastated A place to relax, let loose and hit a few drives, has come to the end of an era for this community. “This is the first place we came to,” said Roxanne Henningsen, a Bonita Springs resident. “And it like became our second home. The people are wonderful. It’s just a great atmosphere. And we’ve […]
CAPE CORAL Business owners reeling after massive fire in Cape Coral “Very scary” are the words Denise Creacy used to describe what she felt when she saw plumes of black smoke, firefighters, and police fill her neighborhood.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
NAPLES Fight to save the trees in Naples neighborhood When Sue Canfield looks up in her front yard she sees light shining through the sprawling branches of a 25-year-old Oak towering above her. The trees, which line every road in the waterways of naples, is why she choose this neighborhood but soon those very trees will be taken down.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
Credit: WINK News Southwest Florida stepped up to give a 16-year-old girl with autism a very special birthday. WINK News first introduced you to Emilie last week. Emilie’s mom is asking people to write birthday cards for Emilie in hopes of cheering her up. The past year has been full of challenges for Emilie and they ended with her room being destroyed in a flood. A student at FGCU saw the original story about Emilie Orta and felt a tug on her heart. She says she has a sister who is very much like Emilie. So, she decided to go above and beyond to make sure Emilie knows that students on Florida Gulf Coast Univesity’s campus and people across Southwest Florida wish her the happiest of birthdays. It’s often said that the simplest things in life can make all of the difference. For Shaylin Orta’s daughter, Emilie, those simple things include birthday cards. “It’s really hard for her to make friends. So when she sees cards coming in the mail for her, I think, to her, it’s like ‘I’m loved.’ ‘Somebody cares about me,’ ‘this is for me’ and to her, that’s her friends,” said Shaylin. Emilie has autism. And, when FGCU student Angelena Rios saw Emilie’s story on WINK News, she felt like she need to do more than just send a card. Angelena’s sister Elena has an intellectual disability as well. “I want to make sure that if anything, I did everything that I could to make sure that she had a good birthday,” Angelena said. “Make sure that she knew she had people and she had friends whether they knew her or whether they didn’t, people know about her and people are constantly looking out for her.” So, on Friday, Angelena, along with her sister Elena, set up a card table on campus. They asked students to sign birthday cards for Emilie and write messages to her to show that they care. “She struggled with making friends. It’s really hard and I also struggle sometimes,” Elena said. Abigail Hernandez is a junior at FGCU. “I think that words go a long way, actions too but sometimes you don’t know saying little things really means a lot for somebody,” Hernandez said. Gracie Dougherty is a senior at FGCU. “It takes 2 seconds to sign a card so why not do something to make someone feel really good and loved,” Dougherty said. Just a small act of kindness that is sure to put a big smile on Emilie Orta’s face. WINK News Reporter Breana Ross signed a card for Emilie and wrote a note while on FGCU’s campus on Friday. So many WINK News viewers have already sent cards to our station for Emilie. Emilie’s birthday is Nov. 21, and her mom hopes more WINK News viewers might send her a card, a small note. She’s sure that will put a smile on her face and keep it there. That way she can add cards to her room, maybe put them on the bare walls. If you’d like to see how to send a card to Emilie, you can do so below. To send a card, mail to: WINK News Attn: Emilie Orta 2824 Palm Beach Boulevard Fort Myers, FL 33916. We’ll collect them, package them up and deliver them to her on her birthday.