2 Florida men arrested for assaulting law enforcement during Jan. 6 riotsMilder and sunny Tuesday afternoon
2 Florida men arrested for assaulting law enforcement during Jan. 6 riots Two Florida men have been arrested for their alleged conduct during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, both charged with assaulting law enforcement while rioting.
the weather authority Milder and sunny Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a sunny Tuesday ahead, with milder conditions expected in the afternoon.
Father arrives home from deployment; meets his baby girl A man returns home from deployment and gets to be a father. Only WINK News cameras were rolling as Peter Rosche held his baby girl Margo for the first time. It’s been a long 5-weeks for the Rosche family. Peter wasn’t able to be there for her birth because he had been on a US […]
NAPLES Spreading holiday cheer with Christmas tree lighting in Naples On Monday night, the sleigh bells were ringing in Naples, and the snow was falling; the 47th annual Christmas on Third Festival was kicking off.
Fort Myers Tip-Off brings marquee programs to SWFL The Fort Myers Tip-Off returns to Southwest Florida and brings marquee programs such as Michigan, Xavier, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
NAPLES Super 8 in Naples to become apartments for local workers A Super 8 Motel in Naples will soon look slightly different; it will become an apartment building with fully furnished units.
Endangered Florida panther killed by vehicle on SR-29 SB in Collier County; 30th death in 2024 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the 30th Florida Panther death of 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Efforts to restore Fort Myers Beach underway The Fort Myers Beach coastline continues to feel the impacts of the recent storms. Crews working on the sand renourishment beach project have more than six miles of “Critically eroded beach” to restore.
More water headed into Caloosahatchee: What it means for our estuary Southwest Florida cringes every time the mention of releases from Lake Okeechobee comes up. There are concerns about what’s in the water and whether it will dirty our shoreline or even fuel blue-green algae blooms.
NAPLES Transforming animal care: how a $1.5M donation is helping SNIP Collier We are seeing the first major changes from a donation from Tom Golisano.
FORT MYERS BEACH “We did what we had to do” Fort Myers Beach mayor takes blame for loss of FEMA discount FEMA sent the town of Fort Myers Beach a letter explaining why they lost their flood insurance discount. One reason was not removing temporary trailers and containers from flood zones. Now, the mayor says to blame him for it.
NORTH FORT MYERS Suncoast Estates fatal shooting leaves community on edge A fatal shooting took place on Saturday at the Suncoast Estates in North Fort Myers, on Heck Drive, that left one man dead and another seriously injured.
SANIBEL Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the Year award honoree: James Evans The environment and economy are nearly synonymous in Southwest Florida, and while many people work to protect both, one man stands out and has made the environment his life’s work.
NORTH FORT MYERS Where did the Shell Factory animals go? With the closure of The Shell Factory in September, people have been wondering where the animals went.
NAPLES Naples man arrested on multiple violent charges including kidnapping and sexual battery A Naples man has been arrested on multiple violent charges stemming from an alleged case of kidnapping involving guns, drugs and sexual battery.
2 Florida men arrested for assaulting law enforcement during Jan. 6 riots Two Florida men have been arrested for their alleged conduct during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, both charged with assaulting law enforcement while rioting.
the weather authority Milder and sunny Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a sunny Tuesday ahead, with milder conditions expected in the afternoon.
Father arrives home from deployment; meets his baby girl A man returns home from deployment and gets to be a father. Only WINK News cameras were rolling as Peter Rosche held his baby girl Margo for the first time. It’s been a long 5-weeks for the Rosche family. Peter wasn’t able to be there for her birth because he had been on a US […]
NAPLES Spreading holiday cheer with Christmas tree lighting in Naples On Monday night, the sleigh bells were ringing in Naples, and the snow was falling; the 47th annual Christmas on Third Festival was kicking off.
Fort Myers Tip-Off brings marquee programs to SWFL The Fort Myers Tip-Off returns to Southwest Florida and brings marquee programs such as Michigan, Xavier, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
NAPLES Super 8 in Naples to become apartments for local workers A Super 8 Motel in Naples will soon look slightly different; it will become an apartment building with fully furnished units.
Endangered Florida panther killed by vehicle on SR-29 SB in Collier County; 30th death in 2024 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the 30th Florida Panther death of 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Efforts to restore Fort Myers Beach underway The Fort Myers Beach coastline continues to feel the impacts of the recent storms. Crews working on the sand renourishment beach project have more than six miles of “Critically eroded beach” to restore.
More water headed into Caloosahatchee: What it means for our estuary Southwest Florida cringes every time the mention of releases from Lake Okeechobee comes up. There are concerns about what’s in the water and whether it will dirty our shoreline or even fuel blue-green algae blooms.
NAPLES Transforming animal care: how a $1.5M donation is helping SNIP Collier We are seeing the first major changes from a donation from Tom Golisano.
FORT MYERS BEACH “We did what we had to do” Fort Myers Beach mayor takes blame for loss of FEMA discount FEMA sent the town of Fort Myers Beach a letter explaining why they lost their flood insurance discount. One reason was not removing temporary trailers and containers from flood zones. Now, the mayor says to blame him for it.
NORTH FORT MYERS Suncoast Estates fatal shooting leaves community on edge A fatal shooting took place on Saturday at the Suncoast Estates in North Fort Myers, on Heck Drive, that left one man dead and another seriously injured.
SANIBEL Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the Year award honoree: James Evans The environment and economy are nearly synonymous in Southwest Florida, and while many people work to protect both, one man stands out and has made the environment his life’s work.
NORTH FORT MYERS Where did the Shell Factory animals go? With the closure of The Shell Factory in September, people have been wondering where the animals went.
NAPLES Naples man arrested on multiple violent charges including kidnapping and sexual battery A Naples man has been arrested on multiple violent charges stemming from an alleged case of kidnapping involving guns, drugs and sexual battery.
Anthony Durden attends a forum on Black history curriculum in Florida’s schools, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin) Leaders of a forum on Florida’s new standards for teaching Black history encouraged parents to let their discontent be heard by showing up at local school board meetings, sending feedback to the state’s Department of Education and voting. Hundreds of lawmakers, teachers and parents crowded into Antioch Baptist Church in Miami Gardens on Thursday night to discuss the new policy, which has drawn harsh criticism for requiring teachers to instruct middle-school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” But Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, the person responsible for overseeing the new standards, wasn’t in attendance. Diaz, a former area high school teacher in Miami-Dade County, had previously agreed to attend, according to organizers. His participation was advertised on fliers publicizing the event, which was sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones. A chair even was set up for him with a placard bearing his name. Diaz, who was appointed commissioner last year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, said on social media that “there was nothing sudden” about his inability to attend the town hall meeting. He said he told Jones last week he would be visiting schools to welcome back teachers and students. Thursday was the first day of school across many parts of Florida. But Fedrick Ingram, the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, called Diaz out. “First, let me address the elephant in the room,” Ingram told the cheering crowd. “Manny Diaz is a coward. Ron DeSantis knew that this was going on. Manny Diaz knew that this was going on, and they both know how important this is for the Black community. They know they should’ve been here tonight to face you.” Anthony Durden, a local activist and minister from Miami Gardens, called the new standards disrespectful and insensitive. He said the only way to move forward was with “honest dialogue” but that students were being deprived of that. “To say that Blacks benefited from slavery is insane,” Durden said. Miami-Dade school board member Steve Gallon III also urged parents to teach their children at home about the horrors of slavery. “My prayer is this becomes a catalyst for a movement,” he said. Jones, the state senator, said he would set up a group to study the standards, and asked audience members to sign up. DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has repeatedly defended the new language while insisting that his critics, who include Vice President Kamala Harris and two leading Black Republicans in Congress, are intentionally misinterpreting one line of the sweeping curriculum. Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, traveled to Florida last month to condemn the curriculum. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is the chamber’s sole Black Republican and is also seeking the White House, also issued a direct rebuke of DeSantis. Critics said the new school standards are the latest in a series of attacks on Black history by the governor’s administration. At the beginning of the year, DeSantis’ administration blocked a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it was contrary to state law. DeSantis also has pushed through the “ Stop WOKE Act,” a law that limits discussions on race in schools and by corporations, and banned state universities from using state or federal money for diversity programs. Karen Thompson, a school counselor who attended the forum on Black history standards, called the new standards “really absurd and heart-wrenching.” Thompson said she hoped they will be rescinded this year since she believed they were motivated by politics and racism. And she described Diaz’s reason for being absent as “a poor excuse.” “My question to Governor DeSantis is, ‘Why suddenly all of these attacks on Black history?’ I think it’s absurd because slavery was in no way a good thing,” Thompson said. “Education should be about the truth.”