Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for ChristmasMama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids
ESTERO Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for Christmas It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, and you know what that means: last-minute shopping is in full force.
Mama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids During the holidays, the spirit of giving takes center stage, and one local woman goes above and beyond.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly DUI, fairground murder and shooting at police This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly DUIs, murder at a fairground and the attempted murder of a Sanibel police officer.
FORT MYERS Man arrested after shots fired in the air, stolen gun recovered A man was arrested early Sunday in Fort Myers after police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near Maple and Meadows streets.
FORT MYERS Crash investigation underway in downtown Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash in downtown Fort Myers on Fowler Street.
Cool, comfortable Sunday in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority is tracking a beautiful Sunday in store across Southwest Florida, with afternoon highs only topping out in the low 70s.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
ESTERO Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for Christmas It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, and you know what that means: last-minute shopping is in full force.
Mama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids During the holidays, the spirit of giving takes center stage, and one local woman goes above and beyond.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly DUI, fairground murder and shooting at police This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly DUIs, murder at a fairground and the attempted murder of a Sanibel police officer.
FORT MYERS Man arrested after shots fired in the air, stolen gun recovered A man was arrested early Sunday in Fort Myers after police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near Maple and Meadows streets.
FORT MYERS Crash investigation underway in downtown Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash in downtown Fort Myers on Fowler Street.
Cool, comfortable Sunday in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority is tracking a beautiful Sunday in store across Southwest Florida, with afternoon highs only topping out in the low 70s.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
Fort Myers Beach hurricane damage. (Credit: WINK News) All across Southwest Florida, people are showing what it means to be Gulfshore Strong and vowing to rebuild what Hurricane Ian destroyed. One of the places hit especially hard by the story was Fort Myers Beach. Deputies guard the entrance to make sure no one enters after the curfew, which runs from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. WINK News was on the beach on Saturday, joined by Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy and others for a tour of some of the recovery areas. FEMA relief site. Stops on the tour included a FEMA relief site at Beach Baptist Church and the Fort Myers Fire Department, which was flooded during the hurricane. WINK News also visited the Bay Oaks Recreational Center, where all of the debris from destroyed homes is being taken to before being taken off the island. Bay Oaks Recreational Center debris piles. Robert Akeson was back on Fort Myers Beach for the first time since Hurricane Ian on Saturday. He is a seasonal resident here. “Coming over to Fort Myers Beach, you could see it was almost as if it was black, and then it was white, or it was white, then it was black. In other words, the landscape changed dramatically. If you go five minutes on the other side of the bridge, it looks like, yes, we had a storm, but it doesn’t look like total devastation. It does look like total devastation as you approach the bridge. And as you come over onto the island itself, no question about it’s it’s horrible. It’s true devastation,” said Akeson. Lori Dupuie was also visiting the beach for the first time since the storm on Saturday. “Now, to come here, and you guys caught me here having my little memorial for myself. I’m devastated. I’ve been down here for 30 years. And this has been my home for nine.” Dupuie stayed on the island during the hurricane. “We really didn’t know we went through the survival part of watching it happen and being part of it. And it was terrifying. But we didn’t know this. I mean, it just can’t explain this. I mean, there’s just no words to describe it. So, you know, I started getting snapshots from my, from my daughter who’s in Chicago, showing me the devastation.” Despite the devastation, Dupuie has a place to stay during this rebuilding process. “I found an apartment complex, and I just begged her I said can you just let me put my computers from our work office in there and my jewelry, you know, my social security card just, I didn’t have anywhere to put anything, so that was really vulnerable. But it’s not my story. My story is a one-bedroom apartment in a car, I can handle that. I feel sorry for everybody that lost their foundation, their home with 35 years, 40 years, everything you know, that just crushes my heart,” said Dupuie. Fort Myers Beach’s mayor is optimistic about the community’s future. “The beach is coming back. I mean, there’s, and we’re going to try to retain the same character that we had before. You know, we don’t want a big community, we don’t want the big buildings, we don’t want the big. We want the same sort of feeling that we had before. Except better,” said Murphy. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says if people would like to get into Fort Myers Beach outside of curfew, they will need to bring something that can prove they live there.