“Like a Football”: Man accused of throwing dog over apartment balconyCape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud
FORT MYERS “Like a Football”: Man accused of throwing dog over apartment balcony The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who stands accused of animal cruelty, throwing his dog over an apartment balcony.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for bank fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms arriving inland before moving towards the coast.
lehigh acres 1 dead following deadly crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
FORT MYERS “Like a Football”: Man accused of throwing dog over apartment balcony The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who stands accused of animal cruelty, throwing his dog over an apartment balcony.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for bank fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms for your Tuesday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms arriving inland before moving towards the coast.
lehigh acres 1 dead following deadly crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
Blue-green algae bloom in Caloosahachee Estuary. CREDIT: WINK News Two months have passed since health alerts showed that blue-green algae are in our waterways. We’ve seen it in places like the Davis or Alva Boat Ramps, and more recently, it has begun spreading through the canals of Cape Coral. However, on Wednesday, blue-gree algae were seen in some different areas. What’s startling is the Caloosahatchee Estuary isn’t a shallow, dead-end canal where algae easily grow. The Caloosahatchee Estuary is big and open, which means it’s atypical to see algae there. That said, in 2018, a blue-green algae bloom occurred in the estuary. That was during the worst blue-green algae crisis facing the community. Blue-green algae in the Caloosahatchee Estuary. CREDIT: WINK News Ordinarily, Wendy White enjoys eating lunch overlooking the water, but due to the blue-green algae bloom, the view on Wednesday was different. “It looks like neon green, it kind of looks radioactive,” said White. It’s not the place we typically see blue-green algae. Meanwhile, Whiskey Creek, a short 15 minutes inland, is another area that typically doesn’t see algae. Julie Drake has lived in the Whiskey Creek area for nine years, and she knows how unusual this is. “It’s just the second time we’ve seen it. The last time I guess was 2018 And then this just showed up yesterday,” said Drake. “Just shocked. Surprised to see it again.” The growing gunk in these spots raises the question, are we looking at another 2018? A look at the timeline says maybe, but possibly delayed. Blue-green algae were spotted in these areas earlier in 2018 and then in downtown Fort Myers on June 28, 2018. A couple of days before that, Clipper Bay looked worse than anything we have seen this year. You could see blue, green and white decaying mats. By July 11, 2018, algae weren’t just in portions of canals, it coated them entirely. The major difference between the last two years is how the Army Corps of Engineers handles Lake Okeechobee. Releases directly from the lake can carry blue-green algae and nutrients that feed what we already have. That freshwater influx also creates the perfect conditions for algae to grow. In 2018, the Herbert Hoover Dike was fragile, but repairs have since been completed. In 2023, we have no water coming directly from the lake. Any flows through the Caloosahatchee are coming from the Franklin Lock in Olga and our local runoff.