Money saving apps that should be on your phone this holiday seasonMaking Melodies: How a SWFL teen is putting her musical talents to charitable use
Money saving apps that should be on your phone this holiday season Black Friday has begun, and an estimated 74% of people are expected to turn out for holiday deals; however, inflation may dampen plans this season.
Making Melodies: How a SWFL teen is putting her musical talents to charitable use The moment Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas music begins, as WINK News speaks with a talented teenager about how she’s putting her musical talents to good use.
the weather authority Cold front brings a few showers this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front accompanied by showers throughout this Friday afternoon and evening.
Black Friday store hours for 2024 Stores will offer some of the best deals of the year on Black Friday. Here are some of the store hours for Black Friday.
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida shoppers shopping last minute for Thanksgiving Last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers, we’ve all been there. Someone forgot the egg nog, the cranberry sauce or wine to deal with the in-laws.
FORT MYERS South Carolina women’s basketball team in town The defending champs are in Southwest Florida.
AVE MARIA Ave Maria man thankful to be alive after taking bullet for a family An Ave Maria man said he’s thankful to be alive this Thanksgiving after taking a bullet to save a mother and her four children from a violent attacker.
CAPE CORAL At least 2 injured in Cape Coral crash At least two people were injured during a crash on Burnt Store Road and Caloosa Parkway in Cape Coral on Thursday evening.
WINK News meteorologist lives out her dream at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade It’s like a game of Where’s Waldo, but this time, all our eyes here at WINK were looking for a certain little leaf.
FORT MYERS A community Thanksgiving in Fort Myers Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have and what we have to give.
NAPLES Collier County Disaster Recovery Center to close The disaster recovery center opened for those affected by Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Debby.
CAPE CORAL K-9 officer, who served Cape Coral Police Department for 15 years, passes away The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the passing of retired K-9 Officer Todd Salmon.
Bishop Verot cheerleaders march in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Cheerleaders from Bishop Verot High School graced television screens across the nation as they marched through the streets of New York City in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
WINK NEWS Driving safely during Thanksgiving holiday in Southwest Florida Most people drive to their Thanksgiving destination on Thanksgiving Day, and nearly 72 million people are expected to get behind the wheel.
WINK NEWS What’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day in Southwest Florida On Thanksgiving Day, millions across the country come together to celebrate the holiday with friends, family and food.
Money saving apps that should be on your phone this holiday season Black Friday has begun, and an estimated 74% of people are expected to turn out for holiday deals; however, inflation may dampen plans this season.
Making Melodies: How a SWFL teen is putting her musical talents to charitable use The moment Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas music begins, as WINK News speaks with a talented teenager about how she’s putting her musical talents to good use.
the weather authority Cold front brings a few showers this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front accompanied by showers throughout this Friday afternoon and evening.
Black Friday store hours for 2024 Stores will offer some of the best deals of the year on Black Friday. Here are some of the store hours for Black Friday.
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida shoppers shopping last minute for Thanksgiving Last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers, we’ve all been there. Someone forgot the egg nog, the cranberry sauce or wine to deal with the in-laws.
FORT MYERS South Carolina women’s basketball team in town The defending champs are in Southwest Florida.
AVE MARIA Ave Maria man thankful to be alive after taking bullet for a family An Ave Maria man said he’s thankful to be alive this Thanksgiving after taking a bullet to save a mother and her four children from a violent attacker.
CAPE CORAL At least 2 injured in Cape Coral crash At least two people were injured during a crash on Burnt Store Road and Caloosa Parkway in Cape Coral on Thursday evening.
WINK News meteorologist lives out her dream at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade It’s like a game of Where’s Waldo, but this time, all our eyes here at WINK were looking for a certain little leaf.
FORT MYERS A community Thanksgiving in Fort Myers Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have and what we have to give.
NAPLES Collier County Disaster Recovery Center to close The disaster recovery center opened for those affected by Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Debby.
CAPE CORAL K-9 officer, who served Cape Coral Police Department for 15 years, passes away The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the passing of retired K-9 Officer Todd Salmon.
Bishop Verot cheerleaders march in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Cheerleaders from Bishop Verot High School graced television screens across the nation as they marched through the streets of New York City in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
WINK NEWS Driving safely during Thanksgiving holiday in Southwest Florida Most people drive to their Thanksgiving destination on Thanksgiving Day, and nearly 72 million people are expected to get behind the wheel.
WINK NEWS What’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day in Southwest Florida On Thanksgiving Day, millions across the country come together to celebrate the holiday with friends, family and food.
Hurricane recovery efforts helped November tax collections in Florida as housing sales waned and people continued to dip into savings amid high inflation. A report released Wednesday estimated that general-revenue collections were 14.1% higher than projected for November. The report by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research estimated that the state collected $3.625 billion in general revenue in November, $447.2 million over the projection issued in August. The office said its preliminary analysis indicated that Hurricane Ian recovery and rebuilding efforts resulted in about a quarter of the higher-than-expected revenue. The Category 4 storm made landfall on Sept. 28 in Southwest Florida before crossing the state. “This means that most of the final reported overage reflected the continued reliance on savings to support personal consumption and first-round inflationary effects,” the report said. For months, state economists have said people were reducing their savings. Inflation has helped increase Florida tax collections because it causes higher prices, but the report cautioned that it is a short-term effect. “Persistent inflation conditions, however, ultimately suppress collections as consumers begin to spend more money on non-taxable necessities like food and health care,” the report said. The personal-savings rate stood at 2.4% in November, up slightly from 2.2% in October. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the savings rate in the 2018-2019 fiscal year was 7.9%. The rate ballooned to 33.7% in April 2020 as people cut back on spending and started receiving federal stimulus checks. Meanwhile, documentary-stamp tax collections on real estate transactions were $32.8 million, or 23.9%, below a projection for November. Last week, the industry group Florida Realtors indicated that the housing market is struggling against interest rates that remain above 6% — “a rate level not seen since late 2008.” November figures showed existing single-family home sales in Florida were down 38.2% from a year earlier, while condominium and townhouse sales were off 38.9%. “The effect of these higher rates on homebuyer demand throughout the U.S. this fall was not a positive one,” Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O’Connor said in a Dec. 21 statement. “Here in Florida, we could already see that conditions were worsening in response to the rise in rates above 6 percent in October’s housing market data. Based on those figures, it’s not surprising that the newly released November figures for closed sales from Florida Realtors exhibit similar declines — and we should probably expect similar declines in closed sales in December, as well, given that rates were at their recent peak near 7 percent for much of November, when many of the homes scheduled to close in December were going under contract.” The report released Wednesday by the Office of Economic & Demographic Research showed that sales-tax collections — a significant part of general revenue –– topped a projection by $412.1 million. Sales-tax collections related to tourism topped expectations by 11.3%, while auto sales were 24.4% above a projection. Meanwhile, corporate income taxes were off by 22.6%. General revenue is closely watched in Tallahassee because it is vital in funding education, healthcare programs, and prisons.