WINK NEWS Palisades Wildfire devastates SWFL family Just hours after evacuating their Malibu home, the Wohl family learned they would never go back.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral expands with development The Cove at 47th The Cove sits in south Cape Coral between Cape Coral Parkway and Southeast 47th Terrace right next to Cork Soakers.
ESTERO 1 injured after shooting at Coconut Point Mall According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person has been injured after a shooting at the Coconut Point Mall on Friday.
FORT MYERS ‘Operation Ghost Buster’: 16 arrested in Fort Myers drug operation The Fort Myers Police Department Narcotics Unit conducted an operation targeting drug traffickers and individuals unlawfully selling and possessing firearms in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS ‘A Distinctive Honor’: Bank of America award benefits FSW Nursing Program Bank of America has been awarded Florida Southwestern State College the 2024 Neighborhood Champion Award.
CAPTIVA Judge upholds decision in fight over building heights and density on Captiva Island After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge said he stood by his earlier decision in favor of the Captiva Civic Association.
Governor signs death warrant for man accused of 1997 killing of 2 in Charlotte County Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a man accused of killing two people in Charlotte County in 1997.
Community input needed for renaming Challenger Boulevard While Lee Health continues construction on the area’s newest hospital, there are decisions to be made.
ESTERO SWFL Lady Hammerheads find community through rugby The southwest Florida Lady Hammerheads are the Florida Women’s Rugby Union’s newest team.
Heavy law enforcement presence near Arcadia Popeyes According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, there is a heavy law enforcement presence near a Popeyes restaurant.
Punta Gorda City Council searches for new home Punta Gorda City Council sought a temporary solution when it was unable to meet Jan. 9 at the Military Heritage Museum because elevators weren’t working, which would have been a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Heavy metal drummer turns Winkler House into Stet’s Bar rock venue Stet Howland, who as a drummer has an affinity for heavy metal music, bought a longtime Fort Myers dive bar and then transformed it into a haven for rock and roll.
CAPE CORAL 40th annual Cape Coral Art Festival to close roads Cape Coral Parkway will close off Coronado Parkway to Del Prado Boulevard for this weekend’s 40th annual Art Festival.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County man arrested after holding woman at knifepoint The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for holding a woman at knifepoint during a domestic disturbance.
2 accused of multiple thefts while using stolen vehicle in Charlotte County The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men accused of multiple thefts and driving a stolen vehicle.
WINK NEWS Palisades Wildfire devastates SWFL family Just hours after evacuating their Malibu home, the Wohl family learned they would never go back.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral expands with development The Cove at 47th The Cove sits in south Cape Coral between Cape Coral Parkway and Southeast 47th Terrace right next to Cork Soakers.
ESTERO 1 injured after shooting at Coconut Point Mall According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person has been injured after a shooting at the Coconut Point Mall on Friday.
FORT MYERS ‘Operation Ghost Buster’: 16 arrested in Fort Myers drug operation The Fort Myers Police Department Narcotics Unit conducted an operation targeting drug traffickers and individuals unlawfully selling and possessing firearms in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS ‘A Distinctive Honor’: Bank of America award benefits FSW Nursing Program Bank of America has been awarded Florida Southwestern State College the 2024 Neighborhood Champion Award.
CAPTIVA Judge upholds decision in fight over building heights and density on Captiva Island After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge said he stood by his earlier decision in favor of the Captiva Civic Association.
Governor signs death warrant for man accused of 1997 killing of 2 in Charlotte County Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a man accused of killing two people in Charlotte County in 1997.
Community input needed for renaming Challenger Boulevard While Lee Health continues construction on the area’s newest hospital, there are decisions to be made.
ESTERO SWFL Lady Hammerheads find community through rugby The southwest Florida Lady Hammerheads are the Florida Women’s Rugby Union’s newest team.
Heavy law enforcement presence near Arcadia Popeyes According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, there is a heavy law enforcement presence near a Popeyes restaurant.
Punta Gorda City Council searches for new home Punta Gorda City Council sought a temporary solution when it was unable to meet Jan. 9 at the Military Heritage Museum because elevators weren’t working, which would have been a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Heavy metal drummer turns Winkler House into Stet’s Bar rock venue Stet Howland, who as a drummer has an affinity for heavy metal music, bought a longtime Fort Myers dive bar and then transformed it into a haven for rock and roll.
CAPE CORAL 40th annual Cape Coral Art Festival to close roads Cape Coral Parkway will close off Coronado Parkway to Del Prado Boulevard for this weekend’s 40th annual Art Festival.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County man arrested after holding woman at knifepoint The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for holding a woman at knifepoint during a domestic disturbance.
2 accused of multiple thefts while using stolen vehicle in Charlotte County The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men accused of multiple thefts and driving a stolen vehicle.
Credit: WINK News There is a national shortage of paramedics, and Southwest Florida is included in that. Lehigh Acres Fire Rescue says it is getting thousands of more calls this year than last year. And, now, Lee County EMS is hiring 21 new medics. But, this prolonged shortage has already begun to take its toll mentally and physically on our first responders. Firefighter and paramedic Christopher Cazanas starts every shift at 8 a.m. But, he’s been coming in earlier to make sure that everything for his day is ready to go. Friday morning, by 7:50 a.m., calls had already begun to come in. The timing of these calls isn’t a surprise considering each fire station in Lehigh Acres, on average, now runs 20 calls per 24-hour shift. “It’s causing a lot of overtime with the high demand in call volume. So we want to keep our units up and running 24 hours. We want to keep them all up as much as possible. Especially with all these medical calls that have been inflating these days,” Cazanas said. The increase in calls also comes at the same time as a national shortage of cross-trained paramedics. Lehigh Acres Fire Rescue has seen a 21% call increase within the last year. For first responders, this means shifts can gradually become more exhausting. “It’s more of a challenge, so psychologically and physically it’s been a lot more demanding on us,” said Cazanas. To combat this issue, Leigh Fire has put several firefighters through paramedic school. Lee County has put its money from the American Rescue Plan to good use at the county level. Brian Hamman is a Lee County Commissioner. “By doing this and bringing in 21 people, it gives our existing team the time they deserve, the time off they’ve been working for,” said Hamman. “It helps us be prepared for a next wave, but it also helps prepare for the growth that’s coming to our county,” Hamman said. “Regardless of the call volume and the stress levels of having this job, I’m so very happy to be here, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” said Cazanas. For first responders, it’s all about being there for the community. Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue currently has 14 firefighter EMTs in its paramedic school. If you’d like to apply for one of the paramedic positions with Lehigh Acres, you can follow this link.