Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recoveryCSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
New Punta Gorda City Council accepts city manager’s resignation Punta Gorda’s new City Council accepted City Manager Greg Murray’s resignation Nov. 20 and agreed to pay toward hurricane repairs and provide several months of rent abatement to business owners who lease space at city-owned Herald Court. Debi Lux was named mayor and Greg Julian vice mayor by the new-look Council, which saw three incumbents […]
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
New Punta Gorda City Council accepts city manager’s resignation Punta Gorda’s new City Council accepted City Manager Greg Murray’s resignation Nov. 20 and agreed to pay toward hurricane repairs and provide several months of rent abatement to business owners who lease space at city-owned Herald Court. Debi Lux was named mayor and Greg Julian vice mayor by the new-look Council, which saw three incumbents […]
Scene of the fiery crash in Estero. CREDIT: WINK News Five people are dead after a fiery crash involving a motorcycle and an SUV happened on US-41 in Estero. A 20-year-old man named Malachi Parker was identified as the victim driving the motorcycle. The names of the four victims in the car haven’t been released yet. A man who knew Malachi well said he left church moments before the crash. Scene of the fiery crash in Estero. CREDIT: WINK News “I happened to glance over that way because you couldn’t miss it all the lights, and then a lady said ‘Don’t go that way there’s a really bad accident.’ I started walking towards my truck. And I turned and I looked and I noticed his bike was gone,” he said. We have confirmed that the four people inside the SUV were women and all friends and neighbors at one point living in the Copperleaf Golf community. Parker was an aviation student and an aspiring artist. He was leaving church Wednesday night on his motorcycle. When the people at the church waved goodbye, they didn’t know it at the time but that would be the last time they would ever see him. “He touched more people than many people even realize,” said Malachi’s friend, Kevin Eddy, when speaking about Malachi. Speaking in earnest, Eddy told WINK News what made Malachi special. “He was a light in so many lives. Very bright light. And he will be missed,” said Eddy. Scene of the deadly crash in Estero. CREDIT: WINK News Eddy met Parker at church. It was also the last place Parker went before he died. “I started walking towards my truck. And I turned and I looked and I noticed his bike was gone,” said Eddy. Parker was leaving the church and was riding his motorcycle north on South Tamiami Trail. That’s when, according to FHP, the SUV turned in front of the motorcycle. Parker crashed into the side of the SUV, sparking a deadly blaze at the scene. Caught on camera from the ground and the air was Malachi’s helmet on the ground. That’s when Eddy texted his friend. “After the message, I followed it up with ‘Hey, Message me back.’ Then I wrote ‘Please…’ And then I just wrote are you okay? And then I messaged one of the guys at the church. And I said… what time did Malachi leave last night? And he told me Malachi was in the accident. I’m 56 and he could hold a conversation with anyone in that house. And I was blessed to know him and I’m a better person,” said Eddy. The general manager of the Copperleaf Golf community told WINK News exclusively that he’s known the four ladies for years and was hired by one of the woman’s husbands. David Dore-Smith, the general manager, also told WINK News they lowered the flag to half-staff after hearing the news Thursday morning. Dore-Smith has known all of the women for more than 20 years, three of them still live in the neighborhood and the other used to call the community home. Dore-Smith told WINK News she was in town visiting her three friends and the neighborhood as she always does this time of year. Not only did that woman’s husband hire him, but the couple was instrumental in establishing the club and the community. He said Copperleaf united the friends and that they loved the neighborhood and each other. Dore-Smith got to catch up with all four friends at a neighborhood event this week and will always remember them that way. “I was fortunate enough to sit with them all on Monday at a table just sharing stories and I’ll never forget it. It’s one of my fond memories that I’ll always keep,” said Dore-Smith. “The friendship amongst the four — there was a reason that they were together. They had just been out socializing at a bingo event, they had been at a boat event the day before and they were just amazing friends who respected each other and cared for each other the whole time.” The flag will remain at half-staff for the time being. WINK News was told the hugs on Thursday have been raw and emotional.