ORLANDO Naples falls to Jones in state semifinals One win stood in between the Golden Eagles and a trip to the state title as Naples competed in its 12th state semifinal.
ESTERO 1 dead after crashing into tree in Estero According to the Florida Highway Patrol, one person is dead after crashing into a tree in Estero on Friday night.
IMMOKALEE 1 dead after hit-and-run crash in Immokalee Authorities are investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred Friday night in Immokalee.
NAPLES Vigil held for teen shot and killed at Collier party Family, friends and loved ones gathered at a candlelight vigil to remember and honor the life of 18-year-old D’eisha Arthur.
FORT MYERS Florida Gulf Coast University holds “Night at the Nest” fundraiser FGCU is holding its “Night at the Nest” fundraiser and gala on Friday. The money raised will go toward university scholarships.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda Veterans Village helping veterans during the holidays Residents and businesses at the Punta Gorda Veterans Village are stepping up to make military transitions a little easier this holiday season.
NORTH PORT Family pushes for class action against Heritage Insurance A North Port family is battling against Heritage Insurance over the damage Hurricane Ian did to their home.
Trails End Drive suspected double murder hit man and organizers back in court There are new developments in the murder-for-hire case that made headlines for weeks at the start of the year. The defendants are back in court.
CAPE CORAL 4 arrested on drug-related charges after FBI investigation Some Cape Coral residents woke up in the early morning hours to their neighbors’ homes being raided by federal agents.
Hope Card program protects victims of domestic violence in Lee County Lee County has implemented the Hope Card Program, a new statewide initiative to help victims of domestic violence.
SANIBEL 36th annual Sanibel Luminary Festival begins The Luminary Festival kicked off on Sanibel Island on Friday. This community-wide holiday event puts residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.
FORT MYERS Future unsure for Rachel at the Well During Hurricane Ian, Rachel at the well was uprooted from its spot in front of the Edison Park neighborhood.
NAPLES Naples Yacht Club appoints first woman commodore After 78 years, the Naples Yacht Club has appointed its first woman commodore. Kathy Parks King is her name.
FORT MYERS Mano Santa Tattoos, a woman-owned tattoo shop, opens in Fort Myers Mano Santa Tattoos is the newest tattoo studio in Fort Myers, offering an immersive tattoo experience to clients. The shop is woman-owned and women-staffed.
ORLANDO Naples falls to Jones in state semifinals One win stood in between the Golden Eagles and a trip to the state title as Naples competed in its 12th state semifinal.
ESTERO 1 dead after crashing into tree in Estero According to the Florida Highway Patrol, one person is dead after crashing into a tree in Estero on Friday night.
IMMOKALEE 1 dead after hit-and-run crash in Immokalee Authorities are investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred Friday night in Immokalee.
NAPLES Vigil held for teen shot and killed at Collier party Family, friends and loved ones gathered at a candlelight vigil to remember and honor the life of 18-year-old D’eisha Arthur.
FORT MYERS Florida Gulf Coast University holds “Night at the Nest” fundraiser FGCU is holding its “Night at the Nest” fundraiser and gala on Friday. The money raised will go toward university scholarships.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda Veterans Village helping veterans during the holidays Residents and businesses at the Punta Gorda Veterans Village are stepping up to make military transitions a little easier this holiday season.
NORTH PORT Family pushes for class action against Heritage Insurance A North Port family is battling against Heritage Insurance over the damage Hurricane Ian did to their home.
Trails End Drive suspected double murder hit man and organizers back in court There are new developments in the murder-for-hire case that made headlines for weeks at the start of the year. The defendants are back in court.
CAPE CORAL 4 arrested on drug-related charges after FBI investigation Some Cape Coral residents woke up in the early morning hours to their neighbors’ homes being raided by federal agents.
Hope Card program protects victims of domestic violence in Lee County Lee County has implemented the Hope Card Program, a new statewide initiative to help victims of domestic violence.
SANIBEL 36th annual Sanibel Luminary Festival begins The Luminary Festival kicked off on Sanibel Island on Friday. This community-wide holiday event puts residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.
FORT MYERS Future unsure for Rachel at the Well During Hurricane Ian, Rachel at the well was uprooted from its spot in front of the Edison Park neighborhood.
NAPLES Naples Yacht Club appoints first woman commodore After 78 years, the Naples Yacht Club has appointed its first woman commodore. Kathy Parks King is her name.
FORT MYERS Mano Santa Tattoos, a woman-owned tattoo shop, opens in Fort Myers Mano Santa Tattoos is the newest tattoo studio in Fort Myers, offering an immersive tattoo experience to clients. The shop is woman-owned and women-staffed.
James Tennant (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office) A sex offender disguised himself in plain sight behind a long list of fake names. Investigators say the man used the aliases to make it by background checks and, in turn, got jobs around your children. WINK News first told you last week that investigators say James Tennant, a sex offender, went undetected and wound up working at the Lee County Fair. Rule number one for sex offenders, you can’t be in places with lots of kids. Deputies say Tennant didn’t care about that. He used a fake name, James Martino, to land a job at the Lee County Fair. WINK News uncovered documents to show Tennant’s history of using fake names to get near kids. The state attorney had those same documents and tried to increase Tennant’s bond following his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender, but prosecutors were too late. Tennant already bonded out of jail. “When people try and do this, they often use different names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and then, when law enforcement or human resources does a background check, they can usually put the dots together,” said WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko. That didn’t happen this time. State records show Tennant used many different names; James Raymond Cornol, James Raymond Campbell, and Skits Tennant, among others. James Martino was his favorite. He had used that name when deputies arrested him in Manatee County in 2016. “A basic human resources check should find that, but it just depends how hard they dig into it,” said Kolko. Last week, leaders of the fair said that they asked the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to run the name James Martino. Nothing came back. On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said they ran James Randal Martino’s name through the national sex offender predator database, and nothing came up there either. WINK News even tested it out by typing James Randal Martino in the National Sex Offender Database, and nothing comes up, but when you type in James Martino, with a little bit of scrolling, you find James Tennant and see that he is a sex offender. Can someone give a fake name and bypass a background check? Former law enforcement officer and FGCU Professor Doctor David Thomas said yes. He also said there is one test no one can beat. “If you’re doing fingerprints, and there’s no way to hide your identity,” said Thomas. Fingerprints are not usually required in doing a background check. Tennant registered as a sex offender in Virginia after bonding out of jail last week.