Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival ParkLee County student accused of making school threat
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida Ag Expo brings agriculture and fun to Fort Myers Fort Myers is holding the Southwest Florida Ag Expo, which promises a mix of agriculture, entertainment, and education this year.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival Park Right now, the Cape Coral City Council members are discussing the transformation of a plot of land into Festival Park.
Lee County student accused of making school threat A student from Cypress Lake High School is facing charges for making school threats.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm and breezy this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday with increased cloud coverage.
miami beach Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference in Miami Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Miami Beach.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida Ag Expo brings agriculture and fun to Fort Myers Fort Myers is holding the Southwest Florida Ag Expo, which promises a mix of agriculture, entertainment, and education this year.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival Park Right now, the Cape Coral City Council members are discussing the transformation of a plot of land into Festival Park.
Lee County student accused of making school threat A student from Cypress Lake High School is facing charges for making school threats.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm and breezy this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday with increased cloud coverage.
miami beach Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference in Miami Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Miami Beach.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FILE – Two Polish Air Force Russian made Mig 29’s fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16’s fighter jets during the Air Show in Radom, Poland, on Aug. 27, 2011. In a private video call with American lawmakers over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate” plea to the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia’s invasion and retain control of its airspace. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File) The Pentagon on Wednesday slammed the door on any plans to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, even through a second country, calling it a “high-risk” venture that would not significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and told him the U.S. assessment. He said the U.S. is pursuing other options that would provide more critical military needs to Ukraine such as air defense and anti-armor weapons systems. Poland had said it was prepared to hand over MiG-29 planes to NATO that could then be delivered to Ukraine, but Kirby said U.S. intelligence concluded that it could be considered escalatory and trigger a “significant” Russian reaction. Kirby’s remarks went beyond his comments in a statement Tuesday, rejecting Poland’s offer to give fighter jets to the United States for transfer to Ukraine. He said individual NATO nations can make up their own minds on what assistance to give Ukraine, but it’s questionable whether any would provide fighters without U.S. support. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. WARSAW, Poland (AP) – An awkward dispute between the United States and NATO ally Poland is casting doubt on Ukraine’s hopes to obtain the MiG fighter jets it says it needs to defend against Russia’s invasion. No one wants to stand out alone behind the action, which could invite Russian retaliation. The U.S. government threw Poland a hot potato with a request to send Soviet-made fighter jets – which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly – to Ukraine. Poland threw it right back, saying it was prepared to hand over all 28 of its MiG-29 planes – but to NATO by flying them to the U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany. That plan took the U.S. off guard. By late Tuesday, the Pentagon rejected it as “untenable.” On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that ultimately each country would have to decide for itself. In diplospeak: “Poland’s proposal shows there are complexities that the issue presents when it comes to providing security assistance.” Will Ukraine get the planes? Vice President Kamala Harris was arriving in Warsaw late Wednesday, though the White House said she would not be negotiating the planes issue. Blinken said the U.S. was consulting with Poland and other NATO allies. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley were also consulting with their Polish counterparts, the White House said. In the scenario Poland proposed, it would be up to the entire NATO alliance, which makes its decisions unanimously, to decide. Poland is already taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine than any other nation in the midst of the largest refugee crisis in decades. It has suffered invasions and occupations by Russia for centuries, and still fears Russia despite being a member of NATO. It already had to contend with the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on its northeastern border and is uncomfortably aware of Russian troops across another border, with Belarus. In a visit Wednesday to Vienna, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki insisted that Poland is a not a party to the Ukraine war and that any decision on whether to send the fighter jets could not be one for Warsaw alone. It carries the risk of “very dramatic scenarios, even worse than those we are dealing with today,” Morawiecki argued. Though big and strong, NATO, too, is deeply concerned about any act that might drag its 30 member countries into a wider war with a nuclear armed Russia. Under NATO’s collective security guarantee, an attack on one member must be considered an attack on all. It’s the main reason that Ukraine’s appeals for a no-fly zone have gone unanswered. Ukraine is not a NATO member. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday again praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people and armed forces in the face of an assault by a much bigger adversary but underlined that the world’s largest security organization must stand by its “painful decision” not to police the skies over the country. Days earlier U.S. Secretary Blinken said Washington had given a “green light” to the idea of supplying Ukraine with fighter jets and was looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Kyiv with the Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for the loss. Michal Baranowski, director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund think tank, told The Associated Press the Warsaw government “was blindsided and surprised” by Blinken’s public request. “This was seen as pressure from the U.S. on Warsaw. And therefore the reaction was to put the ball back in the U.S. government’s court,” Baranowski said in an interview. It all “should have been dealt with behind the scenes,” he said.