SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
Erika Jackson, a former WINK News reporter, helped Sandy Bilsky find a kidney through her reporting. Sandy Bilsky had two choices. He could accept his fate or he could fight. The man hailed as a hero by the Coast Guard for risking his life to save others, needed to find his own hero. He needed to find someone who could donate a kidney. No one in his family could give him one so he went public. He humbled himself, hoping to find a donor. Erika Jackson, a former WINK News reporter, followed Sandy’s story for a year. She captured his joy when so many WINK News viewers stepped up to help. But she also revealed his pain when no one was a match. Sandy asked for a kidney on the back of his bike, on the trunk of his wife’s car and on a Facebook page. He still had a long bucket list and lots of RV trips to go on with his wife Anne Bilsky. Sandy Bilsky used to bike around with a sign asking for a kidney. He has now found a donor thanks to sharing his story with WINK News. “I knew that if I didn’t do it, and I didn’t get a kidney, I would never forgive myself for not having done everything possible to accomplish what I needed to accomplish,” he said. Despite the effort, no one offered a kidney. But he never stopped believing someone would help. “Then Erika picked it up with WINK News,” Sandy said. Erika read about his fight and drove to Englewood to put his story on the news. His story touched thousands of viewers. Many attempted to donate a kidney but were the right match. Erika put his story on the news again. “Do you feel like the odds are against you,” she asked him. “I refuse to give up. I’m just too stubborn to give up on this one,” he said. So was Erika. “There comes a point with reporting where it stops being work and starts becoming personal and this was one of those situations,” she said from her new job in Charlotte, North Carolina. Two months before Erika met Sandy, her longtime partner and a dear friend died in a motorcycle crash. As bad as Bilsky needed a kidney, Erika knew how badly Anne needed her husband. “The tight hugs I’ve gotten from Sandy and his wife, I felt how important this was, you know, this was a life-or-death situation,” Erika said. “There really were points when I thought you know, this, I mean, we’re just not going to make it,” Anne added. But Erika couldn’t let that happen. Before she took her new job in Charlotte she went back to tell Sandy’s story one last time. And on Nov. 29, a woman named Lori Klein saw it. “I just, I hit the pause button. And I kept rewinding and watching it over and over. And something just came about me that I had to reach out and contact Sandy,” Lori said. Lori’s little sister, Carol, Battled lupus. And then esophageal cancer. Carol got a kidney from their older sister, but in the end, Carol didn’t make it. “I think that night I was watching the news, my sister came to me and said, you need to do this,” Lori said. Lori listened and she decided to see if she was Sandy’s match. “I’ve always told her, you know, make sure I’m on the right path. If you think I’m stepping off, make sure I’m going the right way. And it keeps leading me to Sandy,” Lori said. “I’m O-positive. So that was a start.” Sandy doesn’t need an “I need a kidney” sign anymore. Lori is a near-perfect match. Their surgeries are scheduled at Tampa General Hospital on March 17. Sandy Bilsky “When I look at Sandy, I see somebody that loves life, loves to travel in the RV, loves to be out on the boat on the water and loves his dog and cherishes his beautiful wife,” Lori said. “And I want to be able to give to him to keep going. I mean there’s no stopping us now.” The two share a love of fishing. When they are healed they’ve plan to go fishing together. “It couldn’t be a better match,” Sandy said. And after the fishing trip, Anne’s got another idea. “Well, the first thing I thought of was jumping in the RV and going to see Erika,” Anne said. But until then, there is zoom. Sandy’s lesson to everyone? When you fight, find people that are willing to fight with you. “If you had given up on me, I wouldn’t have Lori sitting here. And I wouldn’t have a new lease on life. And I owe my life to both of you. And it just knocks me out every time I think about it,” Sandy said. Erika called her first story on Sandy, “A hero needs a hero.” But Sandy said he’s not a hero. “They are,” he said. Sandy, Lori and Erika hope this story showed everyone they can save the life of a stranger. MORE: To find out how to help, visit the National Kidney Foundation. Read WINK News stories on Sandy’s search below. Englewood man who has saved lives now needs his own lifesaver Community steps up, tries to help Englewood man get kidney Charlotte County hero still looking for kidney donor Englewood man who saved lives still in search of kidney donor