Community grieves as investigation continues into fatal Port Charlotte fireLocal influencer reacts to potential TikTok ban
PORT CHARLOTTE Community grieves as investigation continues into fatal Port Charlotte fire The state fire marshal has yet to confirm whether 70-year-old Roseanne Cantasano was the victim of a devastating house fire on Monday night.
Local influencer reacts to potential TikTok ban TikTok is more than just a place to dance, learn something new or just scroll. For the Manella family, the app is a place where they can be themselves.
Protecting the Florida Panther from urban expansion The endangered Florida Panther is the king of the Everglades but new developments could rip apart their core territory.
Local Rabbi reacts to Israel and Hamas ceasefire agreement While the news of hostages being freed has brought relief, one local rabbi who has been speaking with WINK News since the war broke out expressed mixed feelings
Tiger dams in Collier County new defense system to stop flooding Collier County is now on board with a new defense system to stop flooding.
CAPE CORAL Plans for Cape Coral airport presented to City Council An airport in Cape Coral? The idea was presented to the city council on Wednesday as part of a broader report addressing the city’s rapid growth.
CAPE CORAL Lake Kennedy Racquetball Center gets new name and logo The Lake Kennedy Racquetball Center in Cape Coral is rebranding.
NAPLES Naples Pride Fest gets green light from City Council The Naples City Council voted to approve the permit for Naples Pride Fest at Cambier Park.
Former Lee supervisor of elections candidate calls for Sheriff Marceno to resign More fingers are pointing at Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
NORTH FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers wants progress on submerged boats at Old Bridge Marina It has become a headache for many: boats left submerged at the Old Bridge Marina, next to the Edison Bridge.
Dementia risk factors unveiled Eating healthy and staying active can help keep your brain sharp, but did you know your family’s wealth may also affect your dementia risk?
Another chance at FEMA assistance If you applied for FEMA assistance after hurricanes Helene and Milton and are not happy with the answer they gave you, they are giving you another chance.
NAPLES Naples City Council names Gary L. Young as next city manager The Naples City Council unanimously voted to appoint Deputy City Manager and CFO Gary L. Young as the new city manager.
BONITA SPRINGS Sugarshack, a haven for live music, food and community, coming to Bonita Springs Sugarshack, a haven for live music, food and community, coming soon to Downton Bonita Springs.
COLLIER COUNTY FC Naples holds first practice in club history Another first in a year of first for FC Naples as the club held its first practice in its history Wednesday morning.
PORT CHARLOTTE Community grieves as investigation continues into fatal Port Charlotte fire The state fire marshal has yet to confirm whether 70-year-old Roseanne Cantasano was the victim of a devastating house fire on Monday night.
Local influencer reacts to potential TikTok ban TikTok is more than just a place to dance, learn something new or just scroll. For the Manella family, the app is a place where they can be themselves.
Protecting the Florida Panther from urban expansion The endangered Florida Panther is the king of the Everglades but new developments could rip apart their core territory.
Local Rabbi reacts to Israel and Hamas ceasefire agreement While the news of hostages being freed has brought relief, one local rabbi who has been speaking with WINK News since the war broke out expressed mixed feelings
Tiger dams in Collier County new defense system to stop flooding Collier County is now on board with a new defense system to stop flooding.
CAPE CORAL Plans for Cape Coral airport presented to City Council An airport in Cape Coral? The idea was presented to the city council on Wednesday as part of a broader report addressing the city’s rapid growth.
CAPE CORAL Lake Kennedy Racquetball Center gets new name and logo The Lake Kennedy Racquetball Center in Cape Coral is rebranding.
NAPLES Naples Pride Fest gets green light from City Council The Naples City Council voted to approve the permit for Naples Pride Fest at Cambier Park.
Former Lee supervisor of elections candidate calls for Sheriff Marceno to resign More fingers are pointing at Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
NORTH FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers wants progress on submerged boats at Old Bridge Marina It has become a headache for many: boats left submerged at the Old Bridge Marina, next to the Edison Bridge.
Dementia risk factors unveiled Eating healthy and staying active can help keep your brain sharp, but did you know your family’s wealth may also affect your dementia risk?
Another chance at FEMA assistance If you applied for FEMA assistance after hurricanes Helene and Milton and are not happy with the answer they gave you, they are giving you another chance.
NAPLES Naples City Council names Gary L. Young as next city manager The Naples City Council unanimously voted to appoint Deputy City Manager and CFO Gary L. Young as the new city manager.
BONITA SPRINGS Sugarshack, a haven for live music, food and community, coming to Bonita Springs Sugarshack, a haven for live music, food and community, coming soon to Downton Bonita Springs.
COLLIER COUNTY FC Naples holds first practice in club history Another first in a year of first for FC Naples as the club held its first practice in its history Wednesday morning.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz watches as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense’s opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) The birth mother of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz abused crack cocaine and alcohol during her pregnancy, his half-sister and another witness testified Monday — a circumstance that his lead attorney said left him with “an irretrievably broken” brain and set him on the road to mass murder. Cruz’s attorneys began their defense Monday, hoping to convince his jury to sentence him to life without parole instead of death for slaying 14 students and three staff members during the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School His lead attorney, Melisa McNeill, told the jury during her deferred opening statement that Cruz has fetal alcohol and drug issues that weren’t dealt with adequately by his adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz, who suffered from severe depression and financial woes after her husband died suddenly when their son was 5. McNeill told the jury that doesn’t excuse what her 23-year-old client did, but are factors they should consider as her team presents its case over several weeks. “He is a brain-damaged human,” she said. She said nothing in Cruz’s life story will erase that the seven men, five women and 10 alternates have “seen things that will haunt us forever.” Cruz pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder and the trial will only decide his sentence. “Everyone knows there is one person responsible for all that pain and all of that suffering, and that person is Nikolas Cruz,” she said. But she hopes jurors will remember that the law “never requires you to vote for death,” not even “in the worst case imaginable, and it’s arguable that this is the worst case imaginable.” McNeill deferred her opening statement from the trial’s first day of July 18 to the beginning of her team’s case. For Cruz to be sentenced to death, the jury must be unanimous — if even one juror votes for life, that will be his sentence. The defense seeks to overcome horrendous evidence laid out by lead prosecutor Mike Satz and his team, capped by the jurors’ visit to the fenced-off building that Cruz stalked, firing about 150 shots down halls and into classrooms. Jurors saw dried blood on floors and walls, bullet holes in doors and windows and remnants of Valentine’s Day cards and balloons. Prosecutors also presented graphic surveillance videos; gruesome crime scene and autopsy photos; his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle; emotional testimony from teachers and students who saw others die; and four days of tearful, angry statements from parents, spouses and other family members about how their loved one’s death affected them. Jurors also watched video of Cruz calmly ordering a cherry and blue raspberry Icee minutes after the shooting and, nine months later, attacking a jail guard. The defense began its case by showing that Cruz’s late birth mother, Brenda Woodard, was a Fort Lauderdale prostitute who smoked crack cocaine and drank Colt 45 malt liquor and Cisco fortified wine during her pregnancy with him. It is unknown whether Cruz’s birth father was a customer or a rapist — there was conflicting testimony on that — but his identity is unknown and he was not part of Woodard’s life. Cruz spent much of the day looking up at the proceedings — during the prosecution’s case, he usually stared at the defense table and scribbled on a pad. Carolyn Deakins, a former prostitute, testified Monday that she and Woodard were drinking beer one day in 1998 when Woodard got sick. She thought it was because of drugs, but Woodard told her she was pregnant. Deakins said she angrily told Woodard she was harming her baby with drugs and drinking, but Woodard replied she was putting the child up for adoption and didn’t care. “Nickolas, I am sorry, but that’s how it was,” she said, peering over at the defense table. Cruz looked down. Cruz’s half-sister, Danielle Woodard, nearly 12 years older, was brought to the courtroom from a Miami-Dade County jail where she is awaiting trial on a carjacking charge. Monday was the first time she had seen Cruz in person since she held him minutes after his birth — “he was really squirmy.” Their mother kicked her out of the maternity ward for asking if they could keep him. She confirmed that throughout her childhood her mother abused alcohol and drugs. She said her mother would beat drug screens while on probation by having her urinate into a container and hide it in her person. The behavior continued through another pregnancy that birthed her and Cruz’s half-brother, Zachary. “She had an addiction. She always put that first,” Woodard said. Cruz nodded after she said she still loved her brothers. Susan Lubar, a former Broward County teacher of preschool special needs, testified that Cruz had severe language and behavioral problems when she taught him at age 4. She said he would act like a tiger, curling his hands like paws and hissing at other children if they got too close. “Nikolas would push children, scratch at them, topple over furniture, he would stay away from other children and if they got too close, he would pounce,” she testified. To calm him, she put a sheet over a table where he would go to be alone with toys and picture books, something she has never done with any other child in her long career. Other children “knew that was his space and wouldn’t try to go in there,” she said. ___ Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.