FGCU draws 14-seed and rematch in NCAA TournamentCape Coral pushes back on bill to ban community redevelopment agencies
FGCU FGCU draws 14-seed and rematch in NCAA Tournament FGCU draws a 14-seed and rematch of last year’s first round with 3-seeded Oklahoma for round one of the NCAA Tournament.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral pushes back on bill to ban community redevelopment agencies The Cape Coral City Council is pushing back against a new bill introduced by their state representative, Mike Giallombardo, which aims to ban Community Redevelopment Agencies.
FORT MYERS BEACH Spring break brings excitement and business boom to Fort Myers Beach Fort Myers Beach is buzzing with excitement as spring breakers from across the country descend on this popular destination.
MARCO ISLAND Seventh Marco Island city councilor sworn in after months of discussion Marco Island’s city council has finally filled its vacant seventh seat after over four months of deliberations.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers council weighs ICE role for local police in immigration tasks The Fort Myers City Council is currently discussing a potential agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Fort Myers Police Department.
FORT MYERS BEACH WINK Investigates: Where is the money for Hurricane Ian victim? WINK News investigates a contractor dispute involving Joe Salvaggio, who paid for home repairs after Hurricane Ian but never saw the work completed.
TALLAHASSEE Barron Collier grad pitches first game for FSU since heart surgeries FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe, a Barron Collier High School grad, played his first baseball game after two open heart surgeries.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man arrested for DUI after allegedly threatening police on Del Prado Blvd. A routine sobriety test in Cape Coral quickly escalated when a man became irate with a police officer.
Florida restaurants may lose automatic tips for groups under 6 Lawmakers are currently debating a change that could impact how diners tip in Florida.
FORT MYERS Florida bill aims to ease phone repairs for locals and small businesses A new Florida House bill aims to make do-it-yourself repairs easier for device owners and independent repair providers.
Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub rolls out food menu on Marco Island Although Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub launched on Marco Island last St. Patrick’s Day, the bar didn’t roll out its extensive food menu until this year.
Deputies catch 2 unregistered sex offenders in DeSoto County The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office caught two unregistered sex offenders from Missouri last week on Brevard Avenue.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers police investigating body found in house A death investigation is underway at a Fort Myers home.
Suspect identified in Cypress West double shooting; found in Mississippi The authorities in Mississippi have a suspect in custody that Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies believe shot and injured two people in Cypress West Apartment Home Community.
Lee County food drive to support Harry Chapin Food Bank Lee County Solid Waste is kicking off its eighth annual “Donated not Wasted” campaign, encouraging people to donate unopened pantry items.
FGCU FGCU draws 14-seed and rematch in NCAA Tournament FGCU draws a 14-seed and rematch of last year’s first round with 3-seeded Oklahoma for round one of the NCAA Tournament.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral pushes back on bill to ban community redevelopment agencies The Cape Coral City Council is pushing back against a new bill introduced by their state representative, Mike Giallombardo, which aims to ban Community Redevelopment Agencies.
FORT MYERS BEACH Spring break brings excitement and business boom to Fort Myers Beach Fort Myers Beach is buzzing with excitement as spring breakers from across the country descend on this popular destination.
MARCO ISLAND Seventh Marco Island city councilor sworn in after months of discussion Marco Island’s city council has finally filled its vacant seventh seat after over four months of deliberations.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers council weighs ICE role for local police in immigration tasks The Fort Myers City Council is currently discussing a potential agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Fort Myers Police Department.
FORT MYERS BEACH WINK Investigates: Where is the money for Hurricane Ian victim? WINK News investigates a contractor dispute involving Joe Salvaggio, who paid for home repairs after Hurricane Ian but never saw the work completed.
TALLAHASSEE Barron Collier grad pitches first game for FSU since heart surgeries FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe, a Barron Collier High School grad, played his first baseball game after two open heart surgeries.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man arrested for DUI after allegedly threatening police on Del Prado Blvd. A routine sobriety test in Cape Coral quickly escalated when a man became irate with a police officer.
Florida restaurants may lose automatic tips for groups under 6 Lawmakers are currently debating a change that could impact how diners tip in Florida.
FORT MYERS Florida bill aims to ease phone repairs for locals and small businesses A new Florida House bill aims to make do-it-yourself repairs easier for device owners and independent repair providers.
Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub rolls out food menu on Marco Island Although Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub launched on Marco Island last St. Patrick’s Day, the bar didn’t roll out its extensive food menu until this year.
Deputies catch 2 unregistered sex offenders in DeSoto County The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office caught two unregistered sex offenders from Missouri last week on Brevard Avenue.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers police investigating body found in house A death investigation is underway at a Fort Myers home.
Suspect identified in Cypress West double shooting; found in Mississippi The authorities in Mississippi have a suspect in custody that Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies believe shot and injured two people in Cypress West Apartment Home Community.
Lee County food drive to support Harry Chapin Food Bank Lee County Solid Waste is kicking off its eighth annual “Donated not Wasted” campaign, encouraging people to donate unopened pantry items.
A teacher in a Tice classroom. Credit: WINK News The School District of Lee County needs to hire more than 350 teachers before kids return to class on Aug. 10, and the push to recruit them is ramping up this week. You can show up to get a job Monday at the Lee County Public Education Center, located at 2855 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. Florida allows anyone with a college degree to go into the classroom while they work toward earning a teaching certificate. The district said this is a recurring problem, and this teacher shortage has been an ongoing issue for all of Southwest Florida. Lee County needs 362 teachers, Collier County needs 170 and Charlotte County needs 43. When WINK News spoke with Rob Spicker, spokesman for the School District of Lee County, he said colleges are not producing enough teachers for all the openings available and also Florida is not the best place to be a teacher because of the salaries. The starting teacher salary in Lee County schools is $48,250. It’s $50,000 in Collier County and $54,000 in Charlotte County. WINK asked Spicker about the plan if the vacant Lee County positions are not filled. “Each school develops their own plan on how they’re going to manage that; it usually starts with anybody that is certified that works in the building, they are going to be asked to cover classrooms,” Spicker said, “and then, step number two might be looking for substitutes and even long-term substitute teachers to fill those roles.” Spicker said Lee County schools are doing everything possible to get teachers into their buildings. “Instead of a school year thing or a summer thing, it’s year-round for us now,” Spicker said. “Our recruitment department is busy all year, all around the country and internationally, recruiting teachers, trying to bring them to Lee County.” If you are a teacher, LCSD needs all the help it can get. District staff will be at the Lee County Public Education Center from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.