CAPE CORAL Fire ignites in Cape Coral garage Authorities are responding to a house fire that ignited Friday night at a home in Cape Coral.
NAPLES Ciro Dominguez: wrap up of first year as Naples police chief Chief of Naples Police Department Ciro Dominguez started his law enforcement career at the NPD in 1982.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Where does the money go? $85 Million donation boosts non-profits in SWFL Last month billionaire Tom Golisano gave 41 of our non-profits a total of $85 million.
PORT CHARLOTTE FWC making progress in removing boats; neighbors aren’t convinced Derelict boats are still scattered in places like North Fort Myers, Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda or the Port Charlotte Beach Park.
A look back on some ‘miracle moments’ from 2024 Throughout the year, Wink News anchor Amanda Hall introduced us to dozens of kids persevering through illnesses and injuries. They’re our “Miracle moments.”
Updates on repairs to wall damaged by I-75 plane crash in February A grim reminder of a tragedy that hit Southwest Florida may soon go away.
Breast cancer treatment side effect for women of color Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer often face many side effects. One, called neuropathy, causes extreme pain and research shows it happens more often to Black women.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Top 5 influential medical stories of 2024 This past year saw several major milestones, some of which involved a great deal of money- that impacted the health of our community.
BONITA SPRINGS Fire Station 27 in Bonita Springs reopens after Hurricane Milton Fire Station 27 has reopened in Bonita Springs, showing more signs of recovery following the damage from Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Donating artificial trees to help families in need If you’re thinking of throwing away that artificial tree you have and going green in the future, don’t bring it to the curb.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: missing endangered 80-year-old North Fort Myers man found safe A man who was reported missing in North Fort Myers has been located safe.
FORT MYERS Man accused of trying to carjack driver who offered him ride A man is behind bars accused of trying to steal another man’s car after he had asked the victim for a ride.
Fundraiser to be held for family of slain Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz Southwest Florida law enforcement will hold a fundraiser for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty.
Charlotte County Jail inmate dies following medical episode A man who was in custody at the Charlotte County Jail died following an episode stemming from a medical condition.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for breaking into bar area of Fort Myers Applebee’s Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for breaking into the bar side of a Fort Myers Applebee’s.
CAPE CORAL Fire ignites in Cape Coral garage Authorities are responding to a house fire that ignited Friday night at a home in Cape Coral.
NAPLES Ciro Dominguez: wrap up of first year as Naples police chief Chief of Naples Police Department Ciro Dominguez started his law enforcement career at the NPD in 1982.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Where does the money go? $85 Million donation boosts non-profits in SWFL Last month billionaire Tom Golisano gave 41 of our non-profits a total of $85 million.
PORT CHARLOTTE FWC making progress in removing boats; neighbors aren’t convinced Derelict boats are still scattered in places like North Fort Myers, Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda or the Port Charlotte Beach Park.
A look back on some ‘miracle moments’ from 2024 Throughout the year, Wink News anchor Amanda Hall introduced us to dozens of kids persevering through illnesses and injuries. They’re our “Miracle moments.”
Updates on repairs to wall damaged by I-75 plane crash in February A grim reminder of a tragedy that hit Southwest Florida may soon go away.
Breast cancer treatment side effect for women of color Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer often face many side effects. One, called neuropathy, causes extreme pain and research shows it happens more often to Black women.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Top 5 influential medical stories of 2024 This past year saw several major milestones, some of which involved a great deal of money- that impacted the health of our community.
BONITA SPRINGS Fire Station 27 in Bonita Springs reopens after Hurricane Milton Fire Station 27 has reopened in Bonita Springs, showing more signs of recovery following the damage from Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Donating artificial trees to help families in need If you’re thinking of throwing away that artificial tree you have and going green in the future, don’t bring it to the curb.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: missing endangered 80-year-old North Fort Myers man found safe A man who was reported missing in North Fort Myers has been located safe.
FORT MYERS Man accused of trying to carjack driver who offered him ride A man is behind bars accused of trying to steal another man’s car after he had asked the victim for a ride.
Fundraiser to be held for family of slain Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz Southwest Florida law enforcement will hold a fundraiser for Charlotte County Sgt. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty.
Charlotte County Jail inmate dies following medical episode A man who was in custody at the Charlotte County Jail died following an episode stemming from a medical condition.
FORT MYERS Man wanted for breaking into bar area of Fort Myers Applebee’s Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for breaking into the bar side of a Fort Myers Applebee’s.
Burrowing owls. (Credit: WINK News) Hurricane Ian destroyed the habitats for animals in Southwest Florida, including the underground burrows for burrowing owls. The storm left the birds without a place to go back to, and many of them were injured. The owls are all over our community, and without a home, they’ll become scarce. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, fixing homes is the top priority for many Southwest Florida residents. The same mindset goes for burrowing owls. Just like people, their homes were impacted by the storm surge. “An owl will not go into a wet burrow. So if it’s flooded and still wet, they will wait until it dries out. I have found this past week that people are pulling the PVC and on vacant lots running them over because they assume the owls are not going to come back, but that’s not true,” said Pascha Donaldson, with Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife. Despite the flood water damage, many of the burrowing owls are back in Cape Coral as if nothing happened. In some cases, the birds were injured, and for those little ones, CROW is here to help. “Since the storm, we’ve been seeing calls mainly from the coastal areas but also inland. A lot of trees are down a lot of their natural habitat has been affected. We’ve received, probably on average, about 30 calls a day,” said Allison Charney-Hussey, executive director for CROW. Burrowing owl released by CROW. (Credit: WINK News) One of the burrowing owls that CROW rehabilitated was initially found lethargic but was released Tuesday back to where he was found, healthy as can be. CROW wants to remind you that wildlife is able to fend for itself, so only approach them if necessary. “If you observe something that seems out of the ordinary, by all means, call us. But wildlife is very resilient. We’re seeing that post Ian. We’ve seen it other in other storms,” said Charney-Hussey. If you can’t resist the urge to help, Donaldson said it starts with clearing out any existing burrows. Burrowing owl burrow. (Credit: WINK News) “Sometimes there’s a plastic bag in there, sometimes a coconut in there, sometimes it’s just trash in there. So the burrow actually has to get cleaned out in order for that bird to return,” Donaldson said. Southwest Florida is home to the birds, and in some cases, they need help recovering just like the rest of us.