RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as the Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for the large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as the Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for the large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
Florida’s Unified Soccer Team “Going for the gold” has a special meaning for Special Olympians and their partners. WINK News anchor Lisa Hutson talked with Florida’s Unified Soccer Team about their goals and scoring. Kevin Reynolds has played soccer in Lee County for years. Now he is the president of the UCF club soccer team, and to meet his volunteer hours, he and a few classmates decided to team up with a few Special Olympians and offer some coaching tips. What they got was an inspiring experience of winning gold with their new best friends. “This is the gold medal from our USA Special Olympic National Games,” said Reynolds. Reynolds knows his way around a soccer field. “We figured if we are going to volunteer, we might as well do something that we are good at along with something we enjoy.” His passion for soccer made him the perfect teammate and coach for Cesar Aponte. “We’re like brothers basically,” said Aponte. “We don’t only talk about soccer. We also talk about like our life, our college. Kevin has a new girlfriend.” What started as a little practice help became a family after 10 days of competition at the Special Olympics in Orlando. “We realized pretty quick, just like Silvia did, that we really meshed with them really well and maybe we were a little bit better at coaching them just because we have more experience,” said Reynolds. “At night, I’d get a text message on the phone coach we are going down to get snacks, and they would send me a list of who all was going, and it was all of them. They all went together,” said Coach Silvia Haas. Haas says on Saturday, she didn’t even tell her team they were playing for the top prize. “That’s me and Gary. We won a gold medal from USA games,” said Aponte. Aponte said the highlight of the trip was when Gary scored with an assist from Reynolds. “In the second game, I remember I passed him the ball, and he shot and scored,” said Reynolds. “Kevin knew it was a dream for me. And I did. When he came to the bench, I gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and thank you for making my dream come true,” said Haas. “It was something extremely special, so I’ll always remember it, and it was certainly one the proudest moments I’ve had in my career,” said Reynolds. A new goal for Reynolds is getting more college athletes to volunteer because when it comes to brothers, the more, the merrier on the pitch. “Now they consider us friends. We consider them friends, and the idea of unified sports is something we’ve all become really passionate about,” said Reynolds. This August, Reynolds and Aponte will travel to Minnesota to compete in the Unified All-Star Game.