Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Low utility lines How low is too low when it comes to sagging power and utility lines? A Lee County homeowner says the ones at the end of her driveway are too low for emergency vehicles to pull in. She says she’s tried for years to get the companies to fix this safety issue with no success. So, she reached out to us. WINK News Investigative Reporter Celine McArthur finds out who’s responsible for those lines and what it takes to get them pulled back up. Every time Sherry Christie pulls into the driveway of her Cypress Lake home, she looks up and wonders, how low will those lines have to go before something’s done about them? “I can’t believe it hasn’t been fixed yet,” says Sherry. She says these power, cable and phone lines have sagged since Hurricane Irma in 2017. “We’ve been contacting FPL we contacted CenturyLink, we contacted Xfinity, everybody says well, you know, it’s not us,” says Sherry. “It’s passing the buck. Nobody wants to take responsibility for it.” Five lines cross her driveway. I pulled out the measuring tape. The lowest one hangs about eight and a half feet above the ground. Sherry watched as an ambulance recently couldn’t pull into the next-door neighbor’s driveway. “I’m very, very angry at that point thinking you know that this, this is an emergency situation that’s not being dealt with properly, because they have no access to that driveway,” says Sherry. “What, if those extra few minutes had cost her, her life? That’s not right.” “Low hanging power lines is always is always a big deal,” says Deputy Chief of Operations Khalid Aquil, Iona McGregor Fire District. He says the District’s emergency vehicles won’t clear those lines—he showed me the specs. However, he says that’s usually not a problem. “We don’t typically have an expectation of driving our vehicles on a residential driveway,” says Aqui. “However, it does still present a hazard. And if there is a concern, it absolutely should be should be reported.” “I don’t even know what to do about this anymore,” says Sherry. “I don’t know who the next person is to call. I saw you on TV, so I thought, you know what? I’m going to send her an email and take some pictures and see what she says.” I reached out to Florida Power and Light, CenturyLink and Xfinity. FPL says its lines are high enough, but — as a courtesy — will install a new pole at no cost to the customer. It can’t, however, force other utilities to use it. CenturyLink, also known as Lumen, sent out a crew to investigate. In a follow-up email, the company says the technician determined all the lines need to be raised, and while it’s not an easy fix, they will work with the other utilities to resolve the issue. I then called Xfinity. I couldn’t get a manager on the line locally, so I emailed corporate communications. In less than 30 minutes, they told me they’d get their local ops team to investigate the location ASAP and fix the drooping line. Sherry is encouraged by the progress, but still frustrated that it took this much time and effort to make it happen. “There has to be some accountability,” says Sherry. “And so far, there hasn’t been.” The Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, tells me the minimum height requirement for lines in residential neighborhoods is 15 and half feet. That’s about seven feet higher than the lowest line in front of Sherry’s home. Also, had Sherry filed a complaint through them, the utilities would have had between 72 hours to 15 days to respond. FPL says the new pole will be installed in about three weeks. I’ll let you know when the work is done. To file a complaint with the PSC, call 1-800-342-3552 or email: contact@psc.state.fl.us. If you have something you’d like Céline to investigate, email at celine.mcarthur@winknews.com.