Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County homeFort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno looks to almost double his narcotics detectives as drug-related crime has increased. (CREDIT: WINK NEWS) The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is looking to double its narcotics unit. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno likes to talk tough especially when it comes to drugs. “It’s literally poison on our streets and when you take it off it saves lives,” Marceno said in a one-on-one interview with WINK News in Oct. 2020. The sheriff’s office said there are more drugs on the streets of Lee County and more people are dying. Cocaine seizures are up 479 percent from 2020 to 2021. Crystal meth seizures are up 352 percent and fentanyl is up by 256 percent. The effect of all those drugs on the streets last year? 190 deadly overdoses. “Since they have a narcotics task force, can we be proactive and continue to invest in this so we can get in front of the curve so we can continue to be one of the safest counties,” said Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane. Ruane points to one more statistic: the increased population in the county. More people equals more drugs and more deaths. Ruane said he is on board with the sheriff’s office to almost double its narcotics unit from 24 detectives to 44. And the state attorney’s office has also requested a budget increase of $460,000 to investigate more drugs cases. While people come to Southwest Florida for its beaches, they don’t want to see more of the drug scene. “We don’t want to paint the picture that there is some massive drug problem in our community but our community is not immune either,” said Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman. The increase in detectives will cost the county $2 million a year. Hamman said that’s a small price to pay when you consider the LCSO budget is $200 million. The sheriff’s office declined an interview request because Marceno will make his case on Tuesday at the commissioners’ meeting. However, they sent us the following statement: “Sheriff Carmine Marceno is committed to fighting the opioid crisis, and keeping residents safe from deadly narcotics. As one of his initiatives, Sheriff Carmine Marceno has dedicated resources to remove a significant number of drug dealers, as well as large quantities of narcotics and firearms off the streets of Lee County. The number of overdose deaths and seized narcotics has consistently increased over the last four years, which is why Sheriff Carmine Marceno is petitioning the Board of County Commissioners to approve funds that would double the size of our current Narcotics Unit. We are grateful for the continued support from the Lee County Manager, Roger Desjarlais, and all of the Lee County Commissioners who are instrumental in our mission.” Statewide Medical Examiners Commission 2020 Report State-wide: 42% increase in opioid caused deaths (6,089 cases) 63% increase in deaths caused by fentanyl (most illegal narcotics-related deaths were caused by fentanyl – 5,302) 21st District (Glades, Hendry & Lee) 269 deaths caused by fentanyl 184 of those deaths were people between the age 18 to 50 Overdose Deaths worked by LCSO: 2019 – 118 cases 2020 – 166 cases 2021 – 190 cases 2022 – Over 20 cases (currently on pace for over 200 cases) LCSO Narcotics Statistics for 2021: Seized 17,706 grams (17.7 KILOS) of Cocaine – 478% increase since 2020 Seized 10,288 grams (10.2 KILOS) of Crystal meth – 352% increase since 2020 Seized 6,597 (6.5 KILOS) grams of Fentanyl – 265% increase since 2020 Seized 91 firearms – 35.8% increase from 2020