Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County homeMan accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Biologist Ian Bartoszek, Board Member Jon Kukk and Julie Kukk holding a female Burmese python. CREDIT: CONSERVANCY OF SWFL Creatures lurking in the Florida wilderness are longer than an African elephant is tall, and while many would run away, others go looking. According to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, using a scout python, hunters caught a massive 16-foot-long, 120-pound Burmese python during a February hunt. Ian Easterling with Burmese python. CREDIT: CONSERVANCY OF SWFL According to the United States Geological Survey, female Burmese pythons grow larger than males. So, when the Conservancy team tracks male pythons, they are able to find the larger females during breeding season. By tracking Ronin, a 12-foot-long snake also known by the Conservancy as the Most Valuable Python (MVP), they found the 16-foot female snake. Biologists have been tracking Ronin for more than six years. RELATED: Second-largest python captured in Big Cypress National Preserve RELATED: Longest python ever caught in Florida Nearing a vegetation-strewn canal, biologists spotted a python floating among the foliage on the water’s edge. Suddenly, the team came face to face with a Burmese python that was longer than a rhino, a walrus and a hippo. Exhilarated, one of the team members yelled out, “It looks big … bigger than Ronin!” according to the conservancy’s release on the find. Without hesitating, the team began wrangling the behemoth. With his boot, biologist Ian Bartszek pinned the head of the 16-footer. However, nearly every pound of this 120-pound constrictor is muscle. It could not be contained by one person. Next, biologist Ian Easterling pounced on the python to restrain the animal. Then came the python’s counterattack. Thrashing its body through the murky canal, the python fought back with force. “She was upset and thrashed around, taking all hands to restrain her,” said Bartoszek. The biologists were in knee-deep water, barely holding on to the slippery 120 pounds of python sliding through their hands. They needed backup. That’s when John Kukk, a board member for the conservancy, dashed down the bank, grabbing the python by the tail. It took three people out of breath and completely exhausted to get the snake under control. Ian B. and Jon Kukk with female python and in the Burmese python lab at the Conservancy. CREDIT: CONSERVANCY OF SWFL “Her humane removal from the ecosystem will keep an additional 50 invasive pythons from hatching this season and many more over future years. To date, the team has removed over 1,200 pythons weighing over 33,000 pounds from Collier County,” said the Conservancy of SWFL. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Burmese pythons have devastated native wildlife throughout Florida. The species was added to Florida’s prohibited species list in April 2021. The Florida Python Challenge is one way the state is trying to contain the species’ expansion. The FWC website says if you think you see a Burmese python, take a picture, write down or remember your location and report the sighting by calling the Exotic Species Hotline at 888-483-4681 or report it online by clicking here. Click here for more information on the invasive python.