New details after 2 die in crash on SR-82 in Lehigh AcresMan accused of killing 80-year-old woman at That BBQ to appear in court for arraignment
WINK NEWS Post Hurricane Health & Safety concerns In the aftermath of a hurricane, there are a number of health and safety concerns to look out for. To ensure your safety after a storm, remember these important points. Health Care Hospitals and medical facilities may operate only a limited basis if they’ve sustained structural damage or loss of power. Mobile health units may […]
Review your insurance The damage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian permanently changed landscapes, livelihoods, and lives. But Ian and other recent storms have also done major, if less immediately visible, damage to the insurance industry in Florida. And those effects are still reverberating for insurance companies and homeowners. “I’ve been a Florida insurance agent for 28 […]
WINK News Storm names for the 2024 hurricane season The following names have been selected for storms in the Atlantic Basin during the 2023 hurricane season.
Here are hurricane terms to know ahead of the 2024 season Center: The vertical axis of a tropical cyclone, usually defined by the location of minimum wind or minimum pressure. El Niño: The abnormal weather pattern caused by warmer-than-normal water in the central and eastern Pacific along the equator. When the tropical Pacific is warmer than normal, winds at upper levels (about 30,000 feet) of the […]
Preparing your family MAKE A FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN Even the best plans can go astray when disaster strikes. If your family members are not all in the same place when a hurricane hits, have you considered how you’ll get in touch with each other? Do you have a designated meeting spot? What if your neighborhood is evacuated? It’s […]
Florida hurricane season 2024: know your risks As Hurricane Ian tragically reminded us, hurricanes can be highly destructive and potentially deadly. That’s why, regardless of its rating, you should treat every hurricane—and the dangers associated with it—very seriously.
How to prepare your home for a hurricane ahead of the 2024 season While it’s good advice to make sure your home is prepared for a hurricane, there is no one-size-fits-all plan for every homeowner.
Prepare your boat For boat owners, Southwest Florida is a wonderland thanks to the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, inland waterways, and pristine beaches. But, in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane, those same attributes make boats especially vulnerable to damage. The type of boat, the local boating environment, and locally available storage […]
LEHIGH ACRES New details after 2 die in crash on SR-82 in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol released new information about a two-vehicle crash along State Road 82 and Sunshine Boulevard in Lehigh Acres.
MATLACHA Man accused of killing 80-year-old woman at That BBQ to appear in court for arraignment The man who allegedly killed an older woman at That BBQ while driving under the influence in Matlacha is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Medical scene at Fort Myers Beach; man taken to hospital A man was taken to Health Park Hospital this morning after witnesses said they pulled him from the water off Fort Myers Beach when he suddenly stopped swimming and started floating.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY What to look out for in June as hurricane season approaches Hurricane season begins on Saturday, and many Floridians will be on edge due to the potential severity of the upcoming season.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police search for driver involved in hit-and-run The Cape Coral Police Department seeks information that will lead them to a vehicle and its driver involved in a hit-and-run.
WINK NEWS Exercising gun safety for children Following the events involving a 4-year-old shooting a 2-year-old in the hand in Charlotte County, the emphasis on teaching gun safety to kids is paramount.
WINK NEWS Honoring fallen soldiers at Memorial Day events across Southwest Florida Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those who have died in the military, honors those who have served in the armed forces.
WINK NEWS Post Hurricane Health & Safety concerns In the aftermath of a hurricane, there are a number of health and safety concerns to look out for. To ensure your safety after a storm, remember these important points. Health Care Hospitals and medical facilities may operate only a limited basis if they’ve sustained structural damage or loss of power. Mobile health units may […]
Review your insurance The damage left in the wake of Hurricane Ian permanently changed landscapes, livelihoods, and lives. But Ian and other recent storms have also done major, if less immediately visible, damage to the insurance industry in Florida. And those effects are still reverberating for insurance companies and homeowners. “I’ve been a Florida insurance agent for 28 […]
WINK News Storm names for the 2024 hurricane season The following names have been selected for storms in the Atlantic Basin during the 2023 hurricane season.
Here are hurricane terms to know ahead of the 2024 season Center: The vertical axis of a tropical cyclone, usually defined by the location of minimum wind or minimum pressure. El Niño: The abnormal weather pattern caused by warmer-than-normal water in the central and eastern Pacific along the equator. When the tropical Pacific is warmer than normal, winds at upper levels (about 30,000 feet) of the […]
Preparing your family MAKE A FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN Even the best plans can go astray when disaster strikes. If your family members are not all in the same place when a hurricane hits, have you considered how you’ll get in touch with each other? Do you have a designated meeting spot? What if your neighborhood is evacuated? It’s […]
Florida hurricane season 2024: know your risks As Hurricane Ian tragically reminded us, hurricanes can be highly destructive and potentially deadly. That’s why, regardless of its rating, you should treat every hurricane—and the dangers associated with it—very seriously.
How to prepare your home for a hurricane ahead of the 2024 season While it’s good advice to make sure your home is prepared for a hurricane, there is no one-size-fits-all plan for every homeowner.
Prepare your boat For boat owners, Southwest Florida is a wonderland thanks to the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, inland waterways, and pristine beaches. But, in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane, those same attributes make boats especially vulnerable to damage. The type of boat, the local boating environment, and locally available storage […]
LEHIGH ACRES New details after 2 die in crash on SR-82 in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol released new information about a two-vehicle crash along State Road 82 and Sunshine Boulevard in Lehigh Acres.
MATLACHA Man accused of killing 80-year-old woman at That BBQ to appear in court for arraignment The man who allegedly killed an older woman at That BBQ while driving under the influence in Matlacha is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Medical scene at Fort Myers Beach; man taken to hospital A man was taken to Health Park Hospital this morning after witnesses said they pulled him from the water off Fort Myers Beach when he suddenly stopped swimming and started floating.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY What to look out for in June as hurricane season approaches Hurricane season begins on Saturday, and many Floridians will be on edge due to the potential severity of the upcoming season.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police search for driver involved in hit-and-run The Cape Coral Police Department seeks information that will lead them to a vehicle and its driver involved in a hit-and-run.
WINK NEWS Exercising gun safety for children Following the events involving a 4-year-old shooting a 2-year-old in the hand in Charlotte County, the emphasis on teaching gun safety to kids is paramount.
WINK NEWS Honoring fallen soldiers at Memorial Day events across Southwest Florida Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those who have died in the military, honors those who have served in the armed forces.
A woman, who is part of a group of immigrants that had just arrived, holds a child as they are fed outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Wednesday Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration’s failed border policies. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via AP) Republican governors are escalating their partisan tactic of sending migrants to Democratic strongholds without advance warning, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the home of Vice President Kamala Harris, to taunt leaders of immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and stoke opposition to Biden administration border policies. The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., in recent months. But the latest surprise moves — which included two flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida — reached a new level of political theater that critics derided as inhumane. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama has a home, the migrants who are predominantly from Venezuela were provided with meals, shelter, health care and information about where to find work. The vacation island south of Boston, whose year-round residents include many blue-collar workers, appeared to absorb the dozens of arrivals without a major hitch. Elizabeth Folcarelli, chief executive of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, a nonprofit, was wrapping up work when she saw 48 Venezuelans with luggage and backpacks approaching her office. They carried red folders with brochures for her organization. “They were told that they would have a job. and they would have housing,” said Folcarelli, who described the scramble for shelter as a “huge challenge.” Migrants played soccer and hung out in small groups on the porch of their temporary shelter Thursday while meeting visiting attorneys who gave free advice and other service providers. Well-wishers dropped off donations, and volunteers signed up to provide whatever help they could offer. There were no signs of protest. The president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Domingo Garcia, said that some of the migrants sent on buses from Texas to Washington, D.C. were “tricked” — an allegation that The Associated Press has not confirmed and that officials in Texas and Arizona have denied. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.” The Florida Legislature has earmarked $12 million to transport “unauthorized aliens” out of state. DeSantis’ office didn’t answer questions about where migrants boarded planes and how they were coaxed into making the trip. Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr told The Vineyard Gazette that one plane originated in San Antonio, raising questions about whether migrants ever set foot in Florida. Flight tracking data shows a flight originated in San Antonio, stopped in Crestview, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, picking up migrants before landing in Martha’s Vineyard. The two buses of migrants from Texas that arrived early Thursday outside Harris’ residence at the United States Naval Observatory carried more than 100 migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. “The Biden-Harris administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into making border security a signature issue. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has publicly feuded with DeSantis and Abbot over their conservative policies, on Thursday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether transporting migrants across state lines as “political props” broke the law. “Transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal,” Newsom wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that he also posted on his Twitter account. Without mentioning DeSantis or Abbot by name, Newsom suggested the federal government could bring charges of kidnapping and “civil rights conspiracy” because the migrants were targeted because of their national origin. After migrants seeking asylum cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they spend time in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility along the border until they are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases. Republicans say Biden’s policies encourage migrants to vanish into the U.S.; Democrats argue the Trump-era policy of forcing migrants to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico was inhumane. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that federal officials were not told in advance by the Republican governors who sent the migrants to Massachusetts and Washington. “We’re talking about children, we’re talking about families who were promised a home, promised a job, put on a bus and driven to a place that they do not know,” said Jean-Pierre, who called the governors’ actions a “cruel, premeditated political stunt.” Abbott has bused 7,900 migrants to Washington since April, later sending 2,200 to New York and 300 to Chicago. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has bused more than 1,800 migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary. DeSantis appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha’s Vineyard, whose harbor towns that are home to about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for large influxes of migrants. Texas and Florida have infuriated officials in destination cities by failing to provide passenger rosters, estimated times of arrival and other information that would make it easier to prepare. In contrast, Arizona has coordinated with officials in other cities. President Joe Biden is facing the same challenges that dogged his predecessor, former President Donald Trump: a dysfunctional asylum system in the United States, and economic and social conditions that are prompting people from dozens of countries to flee. U.S. authorities stopped migrants crossing from Mexico about 2 million times from October through July, up nearly 50% from the same period a year earlier. Many are released in the United States to pursue their immigration cases because U.S. authorities have struggled to expel them to their countries under a pandemic-era rule that denies them a chance to seek asylum. Some Republicans celebrated the latest delivery of migrants from border states. “Welcome to being a state on the Southern border, Massachusetts,” tweeted DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern. Stephen Miller, a chief architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said bringing “a few million” migrants to Martha’s Vineyard should transform the island of about 15,000 people into “a modern Eden.” Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist said DeSantis is treating the migrants inhumanely. “It’s amazing to me what he’s willing to do for sheer political gain,” Crist said. Talia Inlender, deputy director of UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy, said the flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard appear to violate Florida law that they be limited to “unauthorized aliens.” “These folks are not unauthorized,” she said. “They aren’t flying under the radar in any way.” ___ Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Seung Min Kim in Washington, Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, Gisela Salomon in Miami, Anita Snow in Phoenix, Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, and Adam Beam in Sacramento, California, contributed.