Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shootingBishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shooting A shooting investigation is underway in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating North Fort Myers shooting A shooting investigation is underway in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
LEE COUNTY Two arrested for street racing in Lee County Two people have been arrested for street racing in Lee County according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
CAPE CORAL Boaters with rifles seen in Cape Coral canal On an average day, it’s pretty common to see people fishing or swimming in a canal. One neighbor in Cape Coral saw something unusual in his backyard Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Car flips, one sent to hospital after two car crash in Fort Myers A crash involving at least two vehicles sent one person to the hospital.
The Weather Authority: Clouds, sunshine, wind, and the possibility of a brief shower for your Sunday Clouds and occasional sunshine this Sunday. A few brief showers are possible late in the afternoon and this evening.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
More than a year after Hurricane Ian devastated southwest Florida, paperwork shows an emergency trailer sits in Kathy Brickers’ name in Fort Myers Beach. She should’ve had her own space: A safe place to live and shower and sleep, but life is not that simple. “This is plain cruel,” Kathy exclaimed. “I said dirty words and that wasn’t nice. It just made me furious!” Like so many in southwest Florida, Kathy’s life changed after Hurricane Ian. The north Fort Myers home she rented was damaged and flooded, making it uninhabitable. “It was disgusting,” Bricker explained. “Here was water in a lot of stuff, there was sludge all over the place.” A paper trail from Lee County and emergency management agencies shows a timeline of Bricker’s life since the storm: In January, she moved out of her destroyed house and into the Pink Shell Resort, a location that hosted dozens of Ian survivors. “Okay, I’m not dead. A lot of people had really bad situations,” Bricker reasoned, staying optimistic. “I can live through about anything.” Then on May 9, documents show Bricker was assigned a trailer from Unite Florida. The small unit was only accessible through a small, steep set of stairs that came without guardrails. At her age, suffering from a bad knee that requires her to use a cane or wheelchair, she didn’t feel safe using the stairs. Fearing a serious injury, paperwork shows Bricker declined the unit, choosing to wait for a safer option. She says the staff on site agreed with her decision. “They said look, we can put you back into the rotation,” Bricker remembered. “We’ll get you one with a ramp and a disability. They had me sign the sheet.” With no other place to go, Bricker was forced to live out of her car for months. That’s where she was when she got a shocking message in early October. Bricker was informed that a crew would be performing routine maintenance on “her” trailer. The same trailer she had been locked out of for five months while living out of her car, waiting to be assigned to a new trailer that she could use safely. She realized her original trailer had been sitting empty in her name since the day she declined it. “They’ve let it sit empty! They didn’t even help anybody else with it,” Bricker said frustratingly. “That made me the maddest with it, that nobody else has been helped.” Getting Results WINK Investigations reporter Peter Fleischer reached out to Unite Florida, a Florida Division of Emergency Management agency created after Hurricane Ian. Their website only has one phone number, so Fleischer and Bricker spoke with six different employees over the course of days. “Nobody could even find a case worker that had worked with me,” Bricker admits sadly. “They said I wasn’t even on the list for a trailer and they didn’t know what I was talking about.” But after days went by and many more calls and emails were made, Bricker finally got stairs that she could handle. After all her waiting, the company in charge of her trailer built a ramp and stairs that she could safely navigate. “I just came in and it was like, peace,” Bricker beams from inside her new trailer. “You can sleep and not worry about where it’s going to be. Now I have to settle in and go, okay, how do we make the plan to move on from here? Can we stay in the area? And now I can begin that journey.” Despite all the challenges and heartbreak, the last year has thrown at her, Bricker still has a smile on her face. “We’re alive and we’re still here,” Bricker insists. “Maybe I can go on the road with a comedy tour when we’re through with this silly thing.” The Department of Emergency Management tells WINK News, Bricker will have at least six months to find permanent housing. The agency is no longer accepting applications.