CLEWISTON Clewiston teen killed by stray bullet during dance A Clewiston teenager lost her life after multiple shots were fired into a building during a dance on Friday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda battles debris after dual hurricanes It’s been hard for some to move forward after facing Milton; every time they step outside their homes, they’re greeted by piles of debris.
BOCA GRANDE Boca Grande businesses clean up after Milton No matter how much you prepare for a hurricane, you never know what awaits you in the aftermath.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA All you need to know if you are applying for FEMA disaster assistance One of the biggest hurdles southwest Florida had to deal with after Hurricane Ian was FEMA. Many didn’t know how to apply, which forms needed to be filled out and how to get money.
MANASOTA KEY North Manasota Key picks up the pieces while south waits to see their home Homes in North Manasota Key have been hollowed out from the storm surge after Hurricane Milton. Now, residents living on Manasota Key are trying to figure out their next steps moving forward while coping with the loss.
FORT MYERS Acting now helps avoid storm PTSD Even with storms Helene and Milton behind us, stress levels remain high. It’s leaving many people to manage post-hurricane anxiety.
PUNTA GORDA Preventing mold in Punta Gorda after Milton Right now, families with flooded homes from the hurricanes have to race to action. The water can cause black mold in damp areas of homes, but you can take steps to prevent the mold from forming or spreading.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda faces devastation with resilience An entire street in Punta Gorda was flooded, forcing the community out of their homes.
ESTERO FPL answers questions about power surges and outages, days after Milton Days after Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, people coast to coast are still experiencing power outages and power surges, and now we’re hearing from Florida Power and Light (FPL).
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Basketball player bouncing back A basketball player, Karsten Schafer, is preparing to get off the bench and back in the game after doctors told him he might never play again.
NORTH FORT MYERS 3 arrested after 2 carjackings in Lee County leaves cars totaled A woman was carjacked at gunpoint on McGregor Blvd. early Sunday morning. The accused carjacker is in jail.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach comes together to move forward after Milton Fort Myers Beach is slowly getting back on its feet after Hurricane Milton, with some businesses just now opening.
FORT MYERS Volunteers at Harry Chapin helping out after Milton The Harry Chapin Food Bank has been extending its resources to assist in recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Milton.
SANIBEL Boil water advisory rescinded on Sanibel The precautionary boil water notice issued on Sanibel during Hurricane Milton has been rescinded.
County vote on Lee Health conversion delayed by Hurricane Milton The final vote by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Lee Health’s conversion from a public nonprofit to a private nonprofit was scheduled during an Oct. 8 special meeting, but Hurricane Milton’s approach of Florida’s Gulf Coast led to its cancellation.
CLEWISTON Clewiston teen killed by stray bullet during dance A Clewiston teenager lost her life after multiple shots were fired into a building during a dance on Friday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda battles debris after dual hurricanes It’s been hard for some to move forward after facing Milton; every time they step outside their homes, they’re greeted by piles of debris.
BOCA GRANDE Boca Grande businesses clean up after Milton No matter how much you prepare for a hurricane, you never know what awaits you in the aftermath.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA All you need to know if you are applying for FEMA disaster assistance One of the biggest hurdles southwest Florida had to deal with after Hurricane Ian was FEMA. Many didn’t know how to apply, which forms needed to be filled out and how to get money.
MANASOTA KEY North Manasota Key picks up the pieces while south waits to see their home Homes in North Manasota Key have been hollowed out from the storm surge after Hurricane Milton. Now, residents living on Manasota Key are trying to figure out their next steps moving forward while coping with the loss.
FORT MYERS Acting now helps avoid storm PTSD Even with storms Helene and Milton behind us, stress levels remain high. It’s leaving many people to manage post-hurricane anxiety.
PUNTA GORDA Preventing mold in Punta Gorda after Milton Right now, families with flooded homes from the hurricanes have to race to action. The water can cause black mold in damp areas of homes, but you can take steps to prevent the mold from forming or spreading.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda faces devastation with resilience An entire street in Punta Gorda was flooded, forcing the community out of their homes.
ESTERO FPL answers questions about power surges and outages, days after Milton Days after Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, people coast to coast are still experiencing power outages and power surges, and now we’re hearing from Florida Power and Light (FPL).
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Basketball player bouncing back A basketball player, Karsten Schafer, is preparing to get off the bench and back in the game after doctors told him he might never play again.
NORTH FORT MYERS 3 arrested after 2 carjackings in Lee County leaves cars totaled A woman was carjacked at gunpoint on McGregor Blvd. early Sunday morning. The accused carjacker is in jail.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach comes together to move forward after Milton Fort Myers Beach is slowly getting back on its feet after Hurricane Milton, with some businesses just now opening.
FORT MYERS Volunteers at Harry Chapin helping out after Milton The Harry Chapin Food Bank has been extending its resources to assist in recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Milton.
SANIBEL Boil water advisory rescinded on Sanibel The precautionary boil water notice issued on Sanibel during Hurricane Milton has been rescinded.
County vote on Lee Health conversion delayed by Hurricane Milton The final vote by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Lee Health’s conversion from a public nonprofit to a private nonprofit was scheduled during an Oct. 8 special meeting, but Hurricane Milton’s approach of Florida’s Gulf Coast led to its cancellation.
Credit: WINK News When it comes to guns, there are a lot of divisive opinions. But there’s one thing we can all agree on: there is no quick answer. WINK News found a tool that keeps all of us safe without the controversy surrounding guns. “I’ve experienced like lockdown, lockdown drills since I was in kindergarten,” said Grace Ryan. “We would have searches, the dogs would come in. We also had metal detectors.” As Ryan gets ready and heads to school, the concern about guns on campus is real. “I think any extra safety precaution that can be had with guns and gun safety is super important,” she said. Ryan doesn’t mean just inside the school. She grew up in a house with firearms. “We keep our guns in a locked safe,” said her father, Mike Ryan. According to Ryan’s father, firearms were locked down and hidden when the children were young. Grace and her brother knew not to touch a gun. But what if you knew your firearm moved, even a smidge, at any moment of the day? Tom Lehn, co-creator of GunAlert, explains his new device. “GunAlert is a safety device for gun owners. As soon as your gun is moved, you get an alert,” he said. With the help of GunAlert creators, WINK News put their product to the test. Tom Lehn placed the small device in his gun safe. Then co-creator Rob Adams took off with it, driving around the block. A notification was sent tracking the movement of the gun on the street. Updates were sent every five minutes. The device does not even need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to be tracked. “We actually use cellular technology, which gives us a much wider range of coverage,” Adams said. Only the gun owner can see the location. For Lehn, who spent 35 years teaching gun safety to boy scouts, the benefits are obvious. “Our product is designed to be an add-on to provide an additional level. A good example is the shooting that happened in Virginia, the 6-year-old who shot his teacher; if you saw the interview with the parents afterward, the father said, ‘Our gun was secured.’ Well, it wasn’t secure enough. In that case, the gun was on a shelf but had a trigger lock. If this device was attached, it would have alerted the parents it moved.” WINK News showed the technology to Mike Ryan. “You don’t want your gun to be stolen and being used. For instance, our neighbors had a gun stolen, and it was used to murder somebody,” Ryan said. The GunAlert creators said they’ve had interest from law enforcement in other areas. If you combine the number of stolen guns from all our cities and counties in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, there were 516 stolen last year and 565 stolen in 2021. In Charlotte County, 110 were stolen last year and 89 in 2021. Last year, 353 were stolen in Lee County (411 in 2021). In Collier, 53 were stolen in the last year (65 in 2021). With GunAlert, an owner can take a picture of the weapon and serial number and let law enforcement know where it is. “Whether you’re pro-gun or whether you’re anti-gun, this product and safety around guns should be at everybody’s mindset,” Adams said. With our children forced to learn so much about responding to shootings, it only makes sense for adults to focus on preventing them. There are a number of ways to secure a weapon, from gun safes and lock boxes to trigger locks and cases. The price for GunAlert is right in line with the full boxes. They say this should be added protection. Click here for more information on secure gun storage devices.