Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for ChristmasCape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
What’s open and closed on Christmas Day in SWFL On Christmas Day, many businesses and services are closed, including most retail stores, offices, and government buildings.
NAPLES Celebrating Christmas Eve with the Magic of Lights Across southwest Florida, people have been feeling the Christmas spirit. In Collier County, families at the Magic of Lights experience counted down the minutes to Santa’s arrival in awe of the spectacular display.
FORT MYERS BEACH Beachgoers enjoy Fort Myers Beach on Christmas Eve Whether you’re a full-time Floridian, a snowbird or just vacationing here for Christmas, it was a great day to go to the beach.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
What’s open and closed on Christmas Day in SWFL On Christmas Day, many businesses and services are closed, including most retail stores, offices, and government buildings.
NAPLES Celebrating Christmas Eve with the Magic of Lights Across southwest Florida, people have been feeling the Christmas spirit. In Collier County, families at the Magic of Lights experience counted down the minutes to Santa’s arrival in awe of the spectacular display.
FORT MYERS BEACH Beachgoers enjoy Fort Myers Beach on Christmas Eve Whether you’re a full-time Floridian, a snowbird or just vacationing here for Christmas, it was a great day to go to the beach.
Michael retirement statement. Credit: WINK News The president of the Support Personnel Association of Lee County (SPLAC) has signed her retirement papers. This comes in the midst of a bus driver shortage and an ongoing fight for better pay and treatment for drivers. Jamie Michael says that with COVID-19 and everything else that’s been happening, she’s just tired. Michael says she planned to retire at the end of the year anyway. Bus drivers say they have mixed feelings about their union president leaving now. This is in the middle of contract negotiations. It’s not even November and it’s already been a long school year for bus drivers in the Lee County School District. There’s an ongoing bus driver shortage and the district claims they need about 100 more drivers. The School District of Lee County is also currently in the middle of contract negotiations. On top of all of this chaos, the district has already had three drivers die due to COVID-19 complications. Through all of that, some drivers believe union president Michael didn’t have their backs. “If our union president won’t do the right thing, then we will do what’s best for us as a whole,” one said at a meeting last week. That driver seems to have gotten their wish. Effective on November 1, Jamie Michael will be the union’s former president. She announced her retirement on Thursday. She says it’s “time to enjoy free time instead of 10 hour days for eight hours of pay.” Many drivers admit that they are not exactly saddened by Michael’s announcement. One driver asked that WINK News conceal their identity but says they aren’t sad to see her go. “I was happy. We have all been trying to get her out for a really long time,” they said. “I feel that there should be an investigation on Jamie because it’s really a coincidence that she’s retiring all of a sudden.” When drivers say “all of a sudden,” they mean right in the middle of contract talks. Michael says negotiations set for Monday, November 1 will not take place because the Lee County School Board did not allocate money to negotiate. Drivers are worried that without a union president, negotiations will drag on and on for months. “We’re supposed to get a raise and we were hoping for, you know, a better raise because the past 11 years it’s only been like a 2% raise,” said one driver. “I just would like to see everybody getting treated fairly,” they said. The Florida Education Association told WINK News that local unions have systems in place to ensure that a smooth transition will take place when someone steps down. Therefore, those contract negotiations will continue. Jamie Michael served as union president since 2012.