Fort Myers Beach sees spring break surge, several hotels fully bookedFort Myers police crackdown on traffic violations on Colonial Blvd.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach sees spring break surge, several hotels fully booked Spring break in Southwest Florida is in full swing, with Fort Myers Beach buzzing with thousands of tourists.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers police crackdown on traffic violations on Colonial Blvd. The roads on Colonial Boulevard are notorious for traffic congestion and crashes, but there might be hope on the horizon.
FORT MYERS RSW terminal expansion project gets new completion date, budget The Lee County Port Authority board met Monday to discuss the future of the RSW Terminal Expansion Project, which has encountered significant delays.
NAPLES Naples church partners with deputies for active shooter training drill An active shooter situation is a terrifying prospect, but preparation is key.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach road reopens, improving access for drivers Estero Boulevard from Crescent Street to Matanzas Pass has officially been reopened for motorists in Fort Myers Beach.
FORT MYERS BEACH New Fort Myers Beach roundabout aims to end traffic woes for locals The long-awaited roundabout at the bottom of the Matanzas Pass Bridge on Fort Myers Beach is now open.
Potential loss of funding for food banks Food banks play a crucial role in ensuring that hardworking individuals don’t go hungry. However, WINK News has learned that this task might become more challenging.
ESTERO FGCU women’s head basketball coach steps down After only one year leading the Eagles, FGCU head women’s basketball coach Chelsea Lyles is stepping down.
FORT MYERS FSW women’s basketball returning to NJCAA Tournament for first time in five years The FSW Buccaneers women’s basketball team is playing in the NJCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020.
Surgeons using virtual reality technology New technology from virtual reality video games and popular apps like GPS is making its way into operating rooms, transforming the way surgeries are performed.
ESTERO FGCU to hold advocacy workshop for families of children with disabilities Families of children with disabilities, this is for you.
Port Authority approves extra $346.7M to finish terminal expansion project at RSW Not everyone gets a second chance, but the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners granted it to the original companies contracted to build the Terminal Expansion Phase One project at Southwest Florida International Airport. The project is now more than four years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.
FORT MYERS K-9 assists Fort Myers police in drug bust A Fort Myers Police Department K-9 helped police find a drug-filled car.
CLEWISTON Suspect wanted for attempting to break into truck in Clewiston The Clewiston Police Department is searching for a suspect captured on surveillance video attempting to break into a truck.
Charlotte Co. home inventory expected to decrease during summer February’s inventory for single-family homes and condos in Charlotte County soared to heights not seen in years, but some sellers are expected to pull their homes off the market after Easter, an area Realtor said.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach sees spring break surge, several hotels fully booked Spring break in Southwest Florida is in full swing, with Fort Myers Beach buzzing with thousands of tourists.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers police crackdown on traffic violations on Colonial Blvd. The roads on Colonial Boulevard are notorious for traffic congestion and crashes, but there might be hope on the horizon.
FORT MYERS RSW terminal expansion project gets new completion date, budget The Lee County Port Authority board met Monday to discuss the future of the RSW Terminal Expansion Project, which has encountered significant delays.
NAPLES Naples church partners with deputies for active shooter training drill An active shooter situation is a terrifying prospect, but preparation is key.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach road reopens, improving access for drivers Estero Boulevard from Crescent Street to Matanzas Pass has officially been reopened for motorists in Fort Myers Beach.
FORT MYERS BEACH New Fort Myers Beach roundabout aims to end traffic woes for locals The long-awaited roundabout at the bottom of the Matanzas Pass Bridge on Fort Myers Beach is now open.
Potential loss of funding for food banks Food banks play a crucial role in ensuring that hardworking individuals don’t go hungry. However, WINK News has learned that this task might become more challenging.
ESTERO FGCU women’s head basketball coach steps down After only one year leading the Eagles, FGCU head women’s basketball coach Chelsea Lyles is stepping down.
FORT MYERS FSW women’s basketball returning to NJCAA Tournament for first time in five years The FSW Buccaneers women’s basketball team is playing in the NJCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020.
Surgeons using virtual reality technology New technology from virtual reality video games and popular apps like GPS is making its way into operating rooms, transforming the way surgeries are performed.
ESTERO FGCU to hold advocacy workshop for families of children with disabilities Families of children with disabilities, this is for you.
Port Authority approves extra $346.7M to finish terminal expansion project at RSW Not everyone gets a second chance, but the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners granted it to the original companies contracted to build the Terminal Expansion Phase One project at Southwest Florida International Airport. The project is now more than four years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.
FORT MYERS K-9 assists Fort Myers police in drug bust A Fort Myers Police Department K-9 helped police find a drug-filled car.
CLEWISTON Suspect wanted for attempting to break into truck in Clewiston The Clewiston Police Department is searching for a suspect captured on surveillance video attempting to break into a truck.
Charlotte Co. home inventory expected to decrease during summer February’s inventory for single-family homes and condos in Charlotte County soared to heights not seen in years, but some sellers are expected to pull their homes off the market after Easter, an area Realtor said.
An undated photo provided by the Department of Energy shows crude oil pipes at the Bryan Mound site near Freeport, Texas. President Joe Biden is dipping again into the nation’s petroleum stockpile to try to corral rising energy prices.The White House announced Thursday, March 31, 2022, that Biden ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the strategic petroleum reserve for the next six months.(Department of Energy via AP) The Biden administration announced last week that it would be tapping into America’s strategic petroleum reserves in order to curb high gas prices. WINK News’ Trust and Verify reporter Lisa Hutson answers your questions about the move. Strategic petroleum reserves are stockpiles of crude oil maintained by countries like the U.S. WINK News turned to the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Dr. Tom Smythe, professor of finance and economics at Florida Gulf Coast University, for answers. Eric Mauss asks: “How is the oil from the strategic reserve released into our economy? Through an oil company? At what price?” Oil companies will purchase oil from the strategic petroleum reserves. The Department of Energy put out a notice of sale saying it was taking offers until April 12, with the contracts going to the highest bidders. After that, the Department of Energy says that oil is on the market. We have tapped the reserves before, but this will be the largest release of oil reserves in American history. One million barrels of crude oil are released each day for 6 months, up to 180 million barrels. That’s got to bring prices down, right? “If Russian oil is shut off, prices are gonna go nowhere but up, I don’t care how many reserves are released into the system,” Smythe said. Smythe says the European Union is highly dependent on Russian oil, but as the war rages on, the EU is now considering banning Russian oil like the U.S. The Biden administration considers this release a bridge to the end of the year when domestic production ramps up. But Smythe warns not to expect a dramatic drop at the pump. “As long as sanctions are in place with Russia, which will likely be much longer than the actual conflict itself, there’s a strong possibility we’re going to continue to see above $100 a barrel for the foreseeable future,” Smythe said. A historic release of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve will likely not be able to stop rising pump prices, at least not completely. If you have a question, send it to Lisa Hutson at investigations@winknews.com.