New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashesNew leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
FILE: Outside of a Center for Covid Control test site in Southwest Florida (Credit: WINK News) The FBI has raided the Center for Covid Control’s headquarters in Illinois. WINK News has been investigating the company’s practices here in Southwest Florida for the past couple of weeks. An FBI spokesperson confirmed to WINK News that agents conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.” That is where the Center for Covid Control maintains its headquarters. The spokesperson would not share the reason for the raid. The FBI raid comes two weeks after WINK News began its investigation into the Center for Covid Control at the test site in Bonita Springs that sent people results before they actually took the test. The person who claimed to run that location blamed a computer glitch for the mistakes. There were two other Center for Covid Control locations in Southwest Florida. One was in Cape Coral and the other was at the Edison Mall. On Saturday, WINK News found all three sites shut down. In Bonita Springs, FPL shut off the electricity for non-payment. At the Edison mall, the city of Fort Myers put a sign saying, “You cannot open until you have a business tax receipt,” and in Cape Coral, the company appears to have moved out. For weeks, WINK News witnessed the site do business. The first week of January saw car after car waiting in line. The manager of the Edison Mall testing location said the site opened in October and did business for two months and 24 days until the company put operations on pause on Jan. 14. On Monday, WINK News spoke to the City of Fort Myers public information officer and asked her how a business could be open for so long without a business tax receipt. She said she was under the impression the Center for Covid Control wasn’t open for that long. WINK News reached out to Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, who said a code violation is not all that uncommon. “In this case, my guess is that they saw this story, and they did the research and saw that it didn’t have they didn’t have the BTR (business tax receipt), and they went and issued the citation.” Anderson said, “anytime we have a business that is operating in the city, and they don’t seem to be operating in accordance with the industry standards, that is a concern. I mean, we’re talking about people’s health and safety.” Anderson said he’s very concerned about the news of the FBI raiding the Center for Covid Control headquarters in Illinois. WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko spent 21 years with the FBI. He explained if the FBI is interested, this investigation has gone to a new level. “What they had to do is gather enough probable cause to get a judge to sign a search warrant to look for elements of criminal activity. So that’s what they’re doing at the headquarters in one of these search warrants, trying to find information that might be available on computers, in mail financial transactions, telephone records,” said Kolko. The raid at the Center for Covid Control headquarters took place just days after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed its own investigation into the company, and one of the labs it uses, after the state of Minnesota sued, claiming misleading, deceptive, and fraudulent activity. The Florida attorney general will not confirm whether it is investigating the Center for Covid Control. The Center for Covid Control paused operations on Jan. 14, the company saying at the time it would retrain its people and establish new procedures, then reopen Saturday the 22nd. That did not happen in Southwest Florida or at any of the company’s 275 locations nationwide. WINK News has reached out to the Center for Covid Control for comment and is waiting to hear back.