Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
(CREDIT: WINK News) Watermelon farmers are struggling to control disease in their crops and are constantly on the hunt for ways to fight it. WINK News talked to a watermelon farmer about diseases and the agriculture engineer who may have the solution. One such disease, downy mildew, has the nickname ‘wildfire’. That’s because if left unchecked, it can destroy an entire crop within days. But there is new technology to detect disease before farmers even see it. Farmers don’t just grow fruits and vegetables, they’ve got to be experts in plant disease. If they miss the signs they could lose some, most or even all of their crop. Chad Chastain, JDI farmer in Alva said, “All of a sudden you show up and it’s like, oh, boy, we’ve got an issue.” Chastain said downy mildew is one of the top threats he faces. Downy mildew starts as a yellow spot on the watermelon that grows every day until eventually the leaf turns brown, cracks, and dies. “If you don’t catch it a week and a half, you know, 10 days before that, you’re screwed, you can slow it down and you can try to stop it, but you’re not going to,” Chastain said. Chastain said early disease detection is a must. And that’s what drives the Precision Agriculture researcher Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis of the University of Florida’s Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. Using artificial intelligence, Ampatzidis can tell whether a watermelon is infected with downy mildew before the naked eye can see it. Ampatzidis and his team developed A-I “Sensing systems” to create plant “Signatures”. Drone used to fly over watermelon crops to search for downy mildew. (CREDIT: WINK News) “Think about it like a fingerprint. So we have these fingerprints, the signatures of the plant diseases, then we will going to be able to identify the disease, and again we’re going to target the early stage,” Ampatzidis said. This technology can be used in the lab and out on a farm. It is armed with a camera and sensing system, a drone flies over a farmer’s field. The researchers compare the data to a plant’s “Signature” and then tell a farmer whether the disease is present and exactly where. “And I welcome that because it’s gonna be a good tool that we can use in the future,” Chastain said. Chad Chastin is Ross Chastin’s brother. Ross is a two-time winner on the NASCAR circuit this year. The good news for all farmers is that researchers are working on bringing the cost down of their new technology. Right now it costs around $50,000. The hope is to get it to $3,000 to $5,000 so all farmers can use it very soon.