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.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
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.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Aldo Bidini (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons Passengers from two planes bound for Punta Gorda were left stranded. Dense fog forced Allegiant to land these flights at other Florida airports. But that meant these passengers had to find their own way home. WINK News reporter Zach Oliveri spoke to some of those passengers who described the ordeal as a “nightmare.” Flying in the middle of a pandemic has been challenging. Flying during the holidays is a challenge as well. But, for Craig Wormald, it has been a nightmare. “It was like they dropped you in a ghost town and just walked away from you,” said Wormald. He was all set to fly home on Thursday night after visiting family in Providence, RI. Wormald’s Allegiant flight was supposed to land in Punta Gorda. Unfortunately, fog was awaiting them. Allegiant says that in the interest of safety and compliance with FAA regulations, they diverted the flight to St. Petersburg. That meant Wormald had to find his own way home. “I thought when you bought an airline ticket like that. It was a contract. They had to get you from point A to point B. Not point A to point C,” he said. Wormald received a text message with compensation of $100 for ground transportation. Jim Gargiulo received $150 when his Allegiant flight from Albany was redirected to Sanford. “We tried getting a Lyft or an Uber. No cars available,” said Gargiulo. Both men decided to take taxis back to Southwest Florida in a last-ditch effort to get home. “I have to tell you it… it was not the most pleasant drive in the world,” Gargiulo said. “Instead of getting home at midnight, I got home around 3-3:30 in the morning,” said Wormald. Gargiulo said, “Got here about 5:30 in the morning.” Not only were these rides unexpected and caused delays in getting home, but they also weren’t cheap. “It cost me $350,” Wormald said. “Just shy of $600 with a tip,” said Gargiulo. Both men may now be back home, but they are still dealing with the frustrations from their diverted flights. “The crew just wasn’t honest with the people,” Gargiulo said. “I don’t know how they can do that take you to an airport, dump you off and leave no resources for you,” said Wormald. Gargiulo says he and his wife were able to share a cab with a couple from Cape Coral. A spokesperson from Allegiant did tell WINK News that distance from the original destination is a factor when issuing compensation. You can read Allegiant’s complete statement below: Flight 1609 scheduled from Albany to Punta Gorda was diverted to Orlando/Sanford due to weather conditions in Punta Gorda. The diversion was made in the interest of safety and per FAA regulations regarding visibility. There were 177 passengers on the flight. Although this was an unanticipated situation which was not in Allegiant’s control, due to the unusual circumstance of being unable to continue on to PGD that night due to the continuing unsafe weather conditions, all passengers were issued immediate compensation to assist with transportation costs via a secure online portal. If passengers who have contacted you did not receive that information or have additional questions, they should contact Allegiant customer care (assistance is available by phone, webchat and on social media via direct message on Twitter and Facebook).