ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing back against criticism of new state regulations over books in school libraries. DeSantis has gone as far as showing examples of the explicit content in the books during a news conference on Wednesday. Topics and illustrations in the books range from sexual acts to how to sext. Specific titles mentioned include “Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir (in the sense that it is a memoir in comic book form) of the author’s journey exploring sexuality and gender identity; “This Book is Gay,” an uncensored look into being a member of the LGBTQ+ community; “Let’s Talk About It,” a book on masturbation; and “Flamer,” a book about a 14-year-old boy going to summer camp and acting in a way considered stereotypical of gay men. “Some of the stuff you saw up there, that is pornographic,” DeSantis said. ‘Why would we have that in a media center with 10-year-old students?” DeSantis said 23 Florida school districts had books that violated state standards. Collier County is one of them. “Flamer” was found in Collier County high schools. DeSantis said the state came across it and other books after sending down new guidelines and training for media specialists to review which books kids can read in school. This established a process for parents to challenge those books. The Amazon description for “Flamer” says the author drew on his own experiences while writing the book. A blurb on its cover states the book will save lives, but DeSantis disagrees. “Parents, when they are sending their kids to school, should not have to worry about this garbage being in the schools,” DeSantis said. WINK News spoke to Yvette Benarroch, the chair of the Collier County Moms for Liberty and a mom to two Collier County high schoolers, about the books. “We have to call it what it is: It’s pornography; it’s garbage. And we’re funding that, and we have to put a stop to it,” Benarroch said. Benarroch told WINK News to call the book disturbing would be an understatement. “What would a teenager think? That it’s normal, right, to see that kind of sexual activity?” Benarroch asked. “As parents, we should be able to decide when our children are ready for that conversation. And we should be also able to decide how we explain those sexual relations to our children.” Local mom Chelsea Silsvy doesn’t see it the same way. “If that book is in libraries, I’m going to trust that the teachers who are referencing that book have a reason to do so because I, I trust the teachers that I know. And I’ve talked to my kids about what they’re reading. So, if they are reading something like that, I trust that they’re going to talk to me about it,” Silsvy said. Silsvy believes DeSantis is using the books for political advancement. “He sees the benefit for his campaign to have this ‘war on wokeness,’ but it just feels really contrived. And I really wish he would just focus on actual issues; like, pay teachers what they deserve, give the teachers the support that they need,” Silsvy said. A spokesperson for the Collier County School District told WINK the district found “Flamer” in three high schools. Students are no longer able to check out that book. DeSantis’ office says the book must be banned at the district level. In Lee and Collier counties, parents can stop their children from checking out a certain book by putting controls on their accounts. As of January, media specialists in Collier County finished new training and started reviewing every book in the school district. Lee and Collier counties also have a process where parents can challenge books. In Lee County, parents challenged more than 30 books during the last school year. Only one book, “Fly on the Wall,” was removed. That book is described by Google Books as a story of a 12-year-old boy going on a solo adventure halfway around the world to prove his independence over his protective family.