Election Day crowds expected despite record early votingVoters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Hemp Joi shop. CREDIT: WINK News In 2018, a federal farm bill allowed the sale of cannabis products to induce a marijuana-like high, even in states that haven’t legalized marijuana, like Florida. A new set of bills would strict limits on the amount that could be sold. The bill would classify hemp extract as food and lower the serving size considerably. WINK News visited Hemp Joi, a local CBD store, to ask what the bill could mean for them. They fear the change in the law could put them out of business. John Halbert couldn’t sleep after surviving two brain tumors and blamed tinnitus. “I took Xanax, Valium, Ambien,” Halbert said. “I had about a two-year span where I would not sleep for two nights, and I would crash, and it about killed me.” Halbert said everything changed when he tried hemp. “I felt refreshed and ready to go,” Halbert said. Halbert began working with Hemp Joi. They sell hemp-derived products like Delta-8 and not marijuana, an important distinction. “The hemp plant has considerably more CBD, which is excellent for inflammation, anxiety, and all kinds of wonderful things that we still don’t even know all of what they do. The marijuana plant is much higher in THC and much lower and CBD,” Steve Katz, the owner of Hemp Joi, said. But Katz fears a bill making its way through the Florida legislature could put him out of business. “We will probably have 7,000 businesses go out of business,” Katz said. The bill would classify hemp extract as food, limiting the dosage to 0.5 milligrams per serving or 2 milligrams per package. Hemp Joi’s Delta-8 gummies are 25 milligrams. “You won’t even feel it,” Katz said. “Two milligrams. You would be taking ten gummies!” “I can’t comment specifically on the Florida bills. But what I can say is that adding cannabinoids, whether it’s CBD or THC to food is not a good idea. They are drugs licensed by the FDA in both cases, actually for specific functions, and they have side effects and adverse effects,” Dr. Silver said. The bill also calls for restrictions on packaging. “We get products sent to us all the time that look like something that a kid would gravitate to; we do not carry products like that,” Halbert said. After visiting Hemp Joi, WINK News spoke with Dr. Lynn Silver of the Public Health Institute, who is concerned about the bill. She thinks hemp-derived products like Delta-8 should come off the shelves entirely and not be treated as food. “THC, whether it comes from a hemp plant or a cannabis plant, is the same THC, and if there’s 5 milligrams in a gummy, it’s going to get you high, and you’re basically legalizing intoxicating cannabis,” Silver said. “If you legalize that, people should be very clear on that. It’s not food. It shouldn’t be treated as food.” The bill keeps the legal age for purchase at 21. Both Halbert and Katz agree on that. They say they’re all for sensible regulation. “Let’s hope common sense rules, and we get a product, and we get regulated. Bring on the regulators,” Katz said.