Awake kidney transplant: a medical breakthroughThe Islander gift shop reopens on Fort Myers Beach, 2 years after Hurricane Ian
Awake kidney transplant: a medical breakthrough There are more than 780,000 people living with kidney disease. On average, 25,000 people will get a transplant each year.
The Islander gift shop reopens on Fort Myers Beach, 2 years after Hurricane Ian Hurricane Helene’s storm surge spared Santini Marina Plaza on Fort Myers Beach, where The Islander Gift Gallery & Boutique reopened Oct. 4
Citizens form group to protest Charlotte County development When residents living in Charlotte County’s Peace River Shores and surrounding communities learned that nearly 140 acres in their area were being rezoned to allow for a 1,188-unit development, they joined forces to oppose it.
Gas leak shuts down power grid in Lee County neighborhood A gas leak has forced the shutdown of a neighborhood power grid in Lee County.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this weekend’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
PORT CHARLOTTE Man accused of fraudulently buying over $4K in paint supplies in Port Charlotte A man has been arrested after allegedly purchasing over $4,000 worth of paint supplies in Port Charlotte using a fraudulent business account.
ENGLEWOOD Suncoast Humane Society receives $50K grant to sustain life-saving operations Suncoast Humane Society announced that it received a $50,000 grant from an anonymous philanthropic supporter.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers Post Office temporarily closed again The downtown Fort Myers Post Office is closed once again after reopening at the end of May due to Hurricane Ian.
Tim Aten Knows: Naples welcomes colorful new brewpub The Naples taproom for Riptide Brewing Co. changed hands in early September and is now the family owned and operated Kaleidoscope Beer at 987 Third Ave. N.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms Friday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more scattered rain and storms that may impact your Friday afternoon and evening plans.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County in need of volunteers for hurricane clean-up The Community Organizations Active in a Disaster in Charlotte County need volunteers to help clear debris following Hurricane Helene.
El Jobean autoshop reopens after Helene A man is determined to keep his business open after facing Helene’s wrath.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of marijuana products When they reviewed the security footage they saw 23-year-old Tyrese Jackson wearing a mask, gloves, and carrying tools with tags still on them to pry open that door.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR City: 1.6M gallons of water released in Charlotte County was not ‘raw sewage’ The Department of Environmental Protection is investigating how southwest Florida will be impacted after 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage seeped into the Charlotte Harbor over the weekend.
NORTH PORT North Port man accuses insurance carrier of fraud A North Port man went on 60 Minutes to accuse his home insurance carrier, Hertigate Insurance of fraud and worse.
Awake kidney transplant: a medical breakthrough There are more than 780,000 people living with kidney disease. On average, 25,000 people will get a transplant each year.
The Islander gift shop reopens on Fort Myers Beach, 2 years after Hurricane Ian Hurricane Helene’s storm surge spared Santini Marina Plaza on Fort Myers Beach, where The Islander Gift Gallery & Boutique reopened Oct. 4
Citizens form group to protest Charlotte County development When residents living in Charlotte County’s Peace River Shores and surrounding communities learned that nearly 140 acres in their area were being rezoned to allow for a 1,188-unit development, they joined forces to oppose it.
Gas leak shuts down power grid in Lee County neighborhood A gas leak has forced the shutdown of a neighborhood power grid in Lee County.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this weekend’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
PORT CHARLOTTE Man accused of fraudulently buying over $4K in paint supplies in Port Charlotte A man has been arrested after allegedly purchasing over $4,000 worth of paint supplies in Port Charlotte using a fraudulent business account.
ENGLEWOOD Suncoast Humane Society receives $50K grant to sustain life-saving operations Suncoast Humane Society announced that it received a $50,000 grant from an anonymous philanthropic supporter.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers Post Office temporarily closed again The downtown Fort Myers Post Office is closed once again after reopening at the end of May due to Hurricane Ian.
Tim Aten Knows: Naples welcomes colorful new brewpub The Naples taproom for Riptide Brewing Co. changed hands in early September and is now the family owned and operated Kaleidoscope Beer at 987 Third Ave. N.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms Friday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more scattered rain and storms that may impact your Friday afternoon and evening plans.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County in need of volunteers for hurricane clean-up The Community Organizations Active in a Disaster in Charlotte County need volunteers to help clear debris following Hurricane Helene.
El Jobean autoshop reopens after Helene A man is determined to keep his business open after facing Helene’s wrath.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda man accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of marijuana products When they reviewed the security footage they saw 23-year-old Tyrese Jackson wearing a mask, gloves, and carrying tools with tags still on them to pry open that door.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR City: 1.6M gallons of water released in Charlotte County was not ‘raw sewage’ The Department of Environmental Protection is investigating how southwest Florida will be impacted after 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage seeped into the Charlotte Harbor over the weekend.
NORTH PORT North Port man accuses insurance carrier of fraud A North Port man went on 60 Minutes to accuse his home insurance carrier, Hertigate Insurance of fraud and worse.
TalkingPoints is a new segment on WINK News where Investigative reporter Céline McArthur will question politicos and hold those in office accountable. (CREDIT: WINK News) How many times have you heard a politician speak, and thought to yourself, “What does that mean?” or “Why do they keep saying that?” WINK News is launching a new series to help you answer those questions and hold candidates and people in office accountable. It’s called “TalkingPoints: The Truth Behind the Talk.” Elected leaders use talking points all the time to stay on message. The question is, do they believe what they’re saying or are they saying what they think we want to hear? Is it talk for the sake of talk, or talk for the sake of being heard? Investigative reporter Céline McArthur asked two political analysts, Middlebury College Professor Matthew Dickinson and University of Central Florida Professor Aubrey Jewitt, to weigh in. “So many politicians now are avoiding talking about detailed issues,” Dickinson said. Elected leaders can do that by finding ways to get their message to you, on their own terms, with limited to no follow-up questions from the press. “More and more, you see politicians in both parties trying to avoid things they can’t control, and that would be press conferences where you have a wide-open array of questions,” Jewitt said. “The media is viewed as taking a stand on the issue, and politicians are quick to seize on that sentiment and play it up in ways that make discussing these issues in a level-headed dispassionate manner very difficult,” Dickinson said. “It makes it difficult for the media to do their jobs. Jewitt adds: “There’s certainly a case to be made to have an unfiltered message, from candidates and from politicians, to the voters and citizens, but there is certainly also a very big and important role to have to answer questions from journalists who are trying to get to the truth.” That unfiltered message from elected leaders can easily be found all over their social media platforms. WINK News is going beyond the talking points, to get you clarity on exactly what they’re doing and how they’re getting it done. “Confront them, especially when the facts don’t support what they’re saying,” Jewitt said. The first race WINK News is covering for you is for U.S. Senate in Florida. Marco Rubio is running for a third term and his likely opponent is Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings. If you have a story you want us to cover on TalkingPoints, email us at talkingpoints@winknews.com. Connect with Céline McArthur on Twitter or on Facebook. You can also reach Céline via email at celine.mcarthur@winknews.com.