Homeowners bring Christmas cheer to Cape Coral with dazzling light displaysFire takes over trailer in St. James City
CAPE CORAL Homeowners bring Christmas cheer to Cape Coral with dazzling light displays We might not have snow but we do have some amazing Christmas lights. If you plan to hit the road with your family and check out the displays, WINK News has you covered.
ST. JAMES CITY Fire takes over trailer in St. James City Authorities responded to a fire in St. James City after a trailer became engulfed in flames.
Charlotte County man arrested for shooting person with flare gun A man has been arrested after shooting someone with a flare gun.
SAN CARLOS PARK Lee County School District approves bus service after mother’s fight The school district said Shannan Santiago’s kids can have a school bus because they live more than two miles away from their school.
SANIBEL Bigger and better beaches; Sanibel gets fresh sand If you haven’t been to Sanibel lately you might not recognize it. Just in time for the holidays, the island is celebrating bigger, better and more beautiful beaches.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral twins together for holidays after congenital heart defect scare Everyone together at home for Christmas. That’s the wish for one Cape Coral family since they were blessed with twins in the spring.
PORT CHARLOTTE Meeting held for future of Beach Park in Port Charlotte Beach Park in Port Charlotte has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton. Last week county leaders held a special meeting to come up with a solution to finally reopen the park to neighbors.
PUNTA GORDA Downtown Punta Gorda restaurant rebuilding after back-to-back storms In downtown Punta Gorda, the back-to-back hurricanes spared no one. For one restaurant, it meant starting over, cutting up the walls and redoing the floors not once but twice.
Valerie’s House offers support to those grieving this holiday season Christmas is considered a magical time for many families, but many also struggle with the loss of a loved one this time of year. Valerie’s House is opening its doors for the holidays to help struggling families deal with that grief.
Local beauty editor impacting community through Beauty Holiday event A local beauty editor turned beauty elf is using her event for the better. Wink news anchor Lindsey Sablan talked to Lindsay Peragallo, founder of Beauty Holiday. With brands such as Mac and CoverGirl, table after table was packed with self-care items at the Beauty Holiday event. It was like the elves quit the toy […]
ESTERO Study shows rent prices dropping in areas of SWFL According to national data, rent is slowly dropping in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. A new study with Florida Gulf Coast University shows the price drop might be more drastic than we think.
Ways to help with an aching head Imagine waking up with a headache so strong you can’t think, a neck pain so severe you can’t move and your eyesight suddenly turning blurry.
Novelist Randy Wayne White plans experimental citrus farming at historic Bokeelia property White just closed on a real estate deal that’s short on price but big on history with a positive outlook on the future of citrus framing.
Deadline approaching for FEMA assistance after hurricanes Milton and Helene Floridians affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene have just two weeks left to apply for federal assistance, with the deadline set for Jan. 7, 2025.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for stealing over $7K in items from Fort Myers business Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for stealing over $7,000 in items from a Fort Myers business.
CAPE CORAL Homeowners bring Christmas cheer to Cape Coral with dazzling light displays We might not have snow but we do have some amazing Christmas lights. If you plan to hit the road with your family and check out the displays, WINK News has you covered.
ST. JAMES CITY Fire takes over trailer in St. James City Authorities responded to a fire in St. James City after a trailer became engulfed in flames.
Charlotte County man arrested for shooting person with flare gun A man has been arrested after shooting someone with a flare gun.
SAN CARLOS PARK Lee County School District approves bus service after mother’s fight The school district said Shannan Santiago’s kids can have a school bus because they live more than two miles away from their school.
SANIBEL Bigger and better beaches; Sanibel gets fresh sand If you haven’t been to Sanibel lately you might not recognize it. Just in time for the holidays, the island is celebrating bigger, better and more beautiful beaches.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral twins together for holidays after congenital heart defect scare Everyone together at home for Christmas. That’s the wish for one Cape Coral family since they were blessed with twins in the spring.
PORT CHARLOTTE Meeting held for future of Beach Park in Port Charlotte Beach Park in Port Charlotte has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton. Last week county leaders held a special meeting to come up with a solution to finally reopen the park to neighbors.
PUNTA GORDA Downtown Punta Gorda restaurant rebuilding after back-to-back storms In downtown Punta Gorda, the back-to-back hurricanes spared no one. For one restaurant, it meant starting over, cutting up the walls and redoing the floors not once but twice.
Valerie’s House offers support to those grieving this holiday season Christmas is considered a magical time for many families, but many also struggle with the loss of a loved one this time of year. Valerie’s House is opening its doors for the holidays to help struggling families deal with that grief.
Local beauty editor impacting community through Beauty Holiday event A local beauty editor turned beauty elf is using her event for the better. Wink news anchor Lindsey Sablan talked to Lindsay Peragallo, founder of Beauty Holiday. With brands such as Mac and CoverGirl, table after table was packed with self-care items at the Beauty Holiday event. It was like the elves quit the toy […]
ESTERO Study shows rent prices dropping in areas of SWFL According to national data, rent is slowly dropping in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. A new study with Florida Gulf Coast University shows the price drop might be more drastic than we think.
Ways to help with an aching head Imagine waking up with a headache so strong you can’t think, a neck pain so severe you can’t move and your eyesight suddenly turning blurry.
Novelist Randy Wayne White plans experimental citrus farming at historic Bokeelia property White just closed on a real estate deal that’s short on price but big on history with a positive outlook on the future of citrus framing.
Deadline approaching for FEMA assistance after hurricanes Milton and Helene Floridians affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene have just two weeks left to apply for federal assistance, with the deadline set for Jan. 7, 2025.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for stealing over $7K in items from Fort Myers business Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for stealing over $7,000 in items from a Fort Myers business.
Burnt Store Rd. construction incident. (Credit: WINK News) OSHA is investigating after two people died when a worksite trench collapsed in Charlotte County on Monday. First responders who rushed to the scene did everything they could to save them from underneath the dirt. The trench collapse happened near Burnt Store Road and Notre Dame Boulevard. First responders said rescuing someone from a trench is one of the hardest things to do because you don’t want to cause another collapse. They said the crews tried their hardest, but in the end, the crushing weight on top of the two victims was too much for them to survive. Workers at the site called 911 and made a desperate plea for help as they tried to save the two workers trapped in a collapsed trench nine feet deep. “We’re trying to dig our guys out right now,” said a worker on the 911 call. In the background of the call, the sound of shovels can be heard as the other workers tried to reach the buried men, but it was too late. “It’s probably going to be a body excavation at this point, to be honest with you,” said the worker on the 911 call. The two men who died are 41-year-old Marcos Santiz-Lopez and 25-year-old Brandon Colburn. Rescue crews say the weight of the soil on top of them was too much to bear. Deputies tried CPR on the first victim they found while more crews dug for the second victim. “We estimated there was about 18,000 pounds of soil on top of the second victim that we pulled out of the trench,” said Lieutenant Jon Jensen with Charlotte County Fire and EMS. The big question now is how and why did this happen? WINK News saw OSHA on the scene Tuesday, trying to figure that out. OSHA wouldn’t say anything specific about this case but they say what companies are supposed to do to keep trenches safe. “They need to provide caving and protection,” said Erin Sanchez, assistant area director for the OSHA-Tampa district office. “A trench box is one way to protect employees from a cave in happening.” WINK News asked Charlotte Country Fire and EMS if there was a trench box in the trench that collapsed. “Not when I was there no,” said Jensen. “It requires a very large area to get that in and it really wasn’t space for that from what we looked at in the area where they were specifically working.” OSHA says sloping and shoring are other ways to protect crews in trenches. It is unknown at this point if any of those measures were in place. Guymann Construction was in charge of the site. WINK News reached out to them but they did not want to comment at this time. OSHA said its investigations can take up to six months. Guymann Construction could get citations or fines depending on the findings.