Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zonesAggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
Credit: WINK News Messes are piling up outside of some Southwest Florida homes. Some Cape Coral residents say they haven’t had their yard waste picked up in almost four weeks. WINK News looks into why they’re seeing those delays. Waste Pro told WINK News they’re experiencing significant disruptions in their service since employees are calling off. And, the company says, COVID-19 is to blame for why employees aren’t coming to work. Jim Lucarelli of Cape Coral had something to say about that. “They said, ‘well they’re short-handed and there’s a lot of stuff to pick up’. I said, ‘we’ve got stuff that’s been here three weeks, four weeks… and it’s still on the yard,'” said Lucarelli. Neighbors say they are fed up since the yard waste pickup is a service they still have to pay for without getting the benefits of it. “I’m not ready to rip anybody’s head off, just let me know and I’ll work with you. Like I said, I won’t put it out this week if I know you’re not coming for two weeks. I’ll keep it behind the fence,” said Dave Ambrozewicz. Residents say the piles are becoming unsightly and killing the grass beneath them. Waste Pro says it is committed to finding solutions to mitigate these disruptions. Bett Lucarelli said, “It can be every other week, just let us know so, you know, we don’t leave our stuff out there.” Lee County is also asking its customers to brace for the same possible yard waste collections delays beginning Monday. But the county says trash pickup will not be affected. “Cape Coral wants to keep their homes nice-looking. This is not it,” said Vicki Ambrozewicz. Waste Pro says it is monitoring the situation every day and is in constant communication with the City of Cape Coral and Lee County. They’re still working to find a solution. Waste Pro sent a statement to WINK News and you can read the full statement is below: “Millions of workers across the United States in all industries are taking sick days due to the omicron variant. Our solid waste employees are working hard to perform collections but are not immune to the virus. These dramatic increases in time off significantly disrupt our service schedules. Waste Pro is committed to proactively finding ways to mitigate service disruptions. Our local management is monitoring this situation daily and are regularly communication with the Lee County and Cape Coral. We appreciate your patience. The safety and service of our communities are our number one priority.” Lee County also sent a statement to WINK News ahead of possible delays: “Lee County Solid Waste is asking customers to be aware they may experience delays in pickup of some yard waste beginning Monday because the county’s contracted haulers are reporting critical staffing shortages due to COVID-19. Solid Waste customers should continue to put out their garbage, recycling and yard waste on their normally scheduled days. To help mitigate the haulers’ current staffing challenges, Lee County has asked the haulers to prioritize placing the majority of available staff on garbage collection from both residential and commercial areas. The next priority will be recycling, and then yard waste.Customers should know: If you do not have your yard waste or recycling picked up on your regularly scheduled day, there is no need to call your hauler or Solid Waste; those routes will be noted and haulers will collect on a later day. If your garbage is not collected, visit www.leegov.com/solidwaste to find your collection area and your hauler’s contact number; customers can also complete a Request For Action form to notify Solid Waste. (Garbage typically is considered waste from household kitchens, for example.) You may also experience delayed recycling service, depending on the volume of garbage curbside and available staff. If recycling is not picked up on your regularly scheduled day, contact Solid Waste. Solid Waste and the haulers are asking residents to be mindful of the amount of yard waste they place at the curb and reduce it, if possible. Solid Waste will have staff inspectors in the field to monitor the situation. Regular collections will resume as soon as collection crews are able to return to work. Lee County Solid Waste residential customers reside in unincorporated Lee County as well as the City of Bonita Springs, the Village of Estero, City of Sanibel and the Town of Fort Myers Beach. Please note: There will be no change to collection schedules on the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, which is Monday, Jan. 17.”