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.
CAPE CORAL CCPD cruiser damaged after officer involved crash An officer-involved crash leaves a Cape Coral police cruiser smashed.
PORT CHARLOTTE Sweet’s Diner in Port Charlotte reopens After months of fundraising and rebuilding, this diner, which had a car fly-through it, is back open.
FWC pushing to protect Florida’s endangered manatees Florida Fish and Wildlife is pushing to protect endangered manatees. One danger that animals face is when boats bash into them, leaving deep scars across their backs.
FORT MYERS The Fort Myers Fire Department looks towards new year Fighting fires is always top of mind for the Fort Myers Fire Department. The Fort Myers Fire Department leads the way when it comes to protecting your property when a fire breaks out.
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.
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 One step closer to decision on South Seas building density 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.
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.
CAPE CORAL CCPD cruiser damaged after officer involved crash An officer-involved crash leaves a Cape Coral police cruiser smashed.
PORT CHARLOTTE Sweet’s Diner in Port Charlotte reopens After months of fundraising and rebuilding, this diner, which had a car fly-through it, is back open.
FWC pushing to protect Florida’s endangered manatees Florida Fish and Wildlife is pushing to protect endangered manatees. One danger that animals face is when boats bash into them, leaving deep scars across their backs.
FORT MYERS The Fort Myers Fire Department looks towards new year Fighting fires is always top of mind for the Fort Myers Fire Department. The Fort Myers Fire Department leads the way when it comes to protecting your property when a fire breaks out.
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.
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 One step closer to decision on South Seas building density 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.
Bill Banker needed a spinal fusion while elective surgeries were paused. His doctor found a way to treat him amidst the pandemic. (CREDIT: WINK News) When hospitals paused elective surgeries during the pandemic many people were left in a whole lot of hurt. That created an opportunity to find a way to perform complex operations in an outpatient setting. Bill Banker looms large on the court, whether it’s pickleball or basketball, golf or running, the former college athlete is always on the move. But repeated sports injuries that damaged his spine threatened to sideline him for good. “I had to have diskectomy once had another diskectomy to relieve the pain. And the surgeons that did those surgeries said that, eventually, I was going to need a more serious surgery to correct it permanently,” Banker said. In the midst of the pandemic, Banker realized it was time for a spinal fusion. “I couldn’t walk 15 steps without almost buckling over,” he said. As hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients, many elective surgeries were tabled. Banker’s surgeon Jeffrey Henn decided to take a different approach. Skilled in minimally invasive spine procedures, he thought Banker was a great candidate to undergo spinal fusion as an outpatient. “After we’d kind of perfected the smaller surgeries, then the question became, could we safely and reasonably treat somebody with a surgery as large as a lumbar fusion? And I think the simple answer is absolutely we can,” said Dr. Jeffrey Henn, a neurosurgeon at Joint Implant Surgeons of Florida in Fort Myers. In Banker’s case, a collapsed disc compressed the nerve. Fixing it required going into his back and adding spacers and screws to straighten and support the spine. A major operation, Henn felt he could get the same outcome using small incisions. “With the right anesthesia, with the right minimally invasive techniques, you essentially are now doing a big surgery and having somebody who’s comfortable enough that they can go home,” Henn said. Using the less invasive approach and pain blocks that don’t involve opioids, Banker had his surgery. He went home hours after surgery and three months after major back surgery, he fully regained his bounce. “The pandemic actually, I think, sped up the outpatient surgery for major spinal surgery. I think I was on the cusp of being a pioneer,” Banker said. A traditional spinal fusion typically meant several days in the hospital recovering. Going home the same day is actually a deciding factor for some people who might be toughing out pain and putting off surgery.