Temperatures warm back up following cold streak this MondayWeb Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Temperatures warm back up following cold streak this Monday The Weather Authority is tracking a noticeable temperature warm-up, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s this Monday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
CAPE CORAL 3 injured after single boat crash in Cape Coral According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, three people were injured in a single boat crash in Cape Coral.
IMMOKALEE All lanes on Immokalee Road closed due to vehicle collision According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a vehicle collision occurred on Immokalee Road Sunday night.
NAPLES 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.
NAPLES Naples police rescue injured owl outside station Naples police officers took on an unusual task when they rescued an injured owl outside the police department.
PORT CHARLOTTE 2 suspects in custody after allegedly stealing $1500 worth of vapes According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, two suspects are in custody after stealing $1500 worth of vapes early Sunday morning.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: knife attack, robbery at gunpoint and hit-and-run This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a knife attack, a robbery at gunpoint and a hit-and-run on a bicyclist.
FORT MYERS Former Uber driver convicted of rape to be sentenced Monday Felix Torres, a former Uber driver, was found guilty in December of raping one of his passengers and will be sentenced Monday.
the weather authority Sunnier, less humid day in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority says a pleasant day is in store for Southwest Florida, with much more sunshine than we saw on Saturday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police department hosts annual Cops and Joggers 5K FMPD hosted the Cops and Joggers 5K event on Saturday. This unique experience takes attendees through the heart of Downtown Fort Myers.
Purple Heart Army veteran receives new home thanks to charity A Purple Heart Army veteran and his family entered their new accessible home on Saturday, thanks to the charity “Homes for Our Troops.”
CAPE CORAL Rain doesn’t stop crowds at 40th Annual Cape Coral Arts Festival For 40 years, the Cape Coral Arts Festival has drawn crowds from across Southwest Florida, showcasing a blend of small businesses from the region.
CAPE CORAL Sports trading card collecting going through “a generational reboot” The hobby of sports trading card collecting has been on the rise since 2020, especially in Southwest Florida with more card shows.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Temperatures warm back up following cold streak this Monday The Weather Authority is tracking a noticeable temperature warm-up, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s this Monday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
CAPE CORAL 3 injured after single boat crash in Cape Coral According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, three people were injured in a single boat crash in Cape Coral.
IMMOKALEE All lanes on Immokalee Road closed due to vehicle collision According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a vehicle collision occurred on Immokalee Road Sunday night.
NAPLES 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.
NAPLES Naples police rescue injured owl outside station Naples police officers took on an unusual task when they rescued an injured owl outside the police department.
PORT CHARLOTTE 2 suspects in custody after allegedly stealing $1500 worth of vapes According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, two suspects are in custody after stealing $1500 worth of vapes early Sunday morning.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: knife attack, robbery at gunpoint and hit-and-run This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a knife attack, a robbery at gunpoint and a hit-and-run on a bicyclist.
FORT MYERS Former Uber driver convicted of rape to be sentenced Monday Felix Torres, a former Uber driver, was found guilty in December of raping one of his passengers and will be sentenced Monday.
the weather authority Sunnier, less humid day in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority says a pleasant day is in store for Southwest Florida, with much more sunshine than we saw on Saturday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police department hosts annual Cops and Joggers 5K FMPD hosted the Cops and Joggers 5K event on Saturday. This unique experience takes attendees through the heart of Downtown Fort Myers.
Purple Heart Army veteran receives new home thanks to charity A Purple Heart Army veteran and his family entered their new accessible home on Saturday, thanks to the charity “Homes for Our Troops.”
CAPE CORAL Rain doesn’t stop crowds at 40th Annual Cape Coral Arts Festival For 40 years, the Cape Coral Arts Festival has drawn crowds from across Southwest Florida, showcasing a blend of small businesses from the region.
CAPE CORAL Sports trading card collecting going through “a generational reboot” The hobby of sports trading card collecting has been on the rise since 2020, especially in Southwest Florida with more card shows.
An endangered smalltooth sawfish thrashing above shallow water. CREDIT: WINK News Many different marine species, like the smalltooth sawfish, have been dying on the coast of Florida in alarming numbers. The smalltooth sawfish is an endangered marine animal so rare that Joyce Milelli, a paddle board guide in the Florida Keys, had to take a picture. RELATED: $20K reward offered after finding endangered smalltooth sawfish missing its snout “I’m seeing just the back half of the body. I could tell it was a very large sawfish,” said Milelli. She could tell something was wrong with the 11-foot ray halfway in the shallow mangroves. “I thought it might be dying or dead at that point because it wasn’t moving when we moved around it,” Milelli said. “I gently touched its tail, and it just barely flinched, so I knew it was alive.” Five days later, the rare species reappeared in the same spot, and Milelli’s coworker Cody, took a video. “When Cody saw him, he was nearly high and dry with a falling tide, and it was clear he wouldn’t be able to get out of there, and he saw him thrashing around. He saw him roll. He heard him gasping. It was awful,” said Milelli. A beached sawfish in shallow water with a cut-off rostrum. Credit: NOAA Fisheries. They called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, but just a couple of hours later, the sawfish was dead. “What I know now is once they do that, there’s a reason,” said Milelli. Milelli is also aware this is just one example in a series of mysterious smalltooth sawfish deaths. As of Sunday, 17 have been found dead in the last two months. “Typically, we only see four or five a year for the whole state,” said Mike Parsons, a professor of marine science in the Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University. Parsons is joining the fight to figure out what’s going on. “The fact that so many different fishes are being affected suggests it might be something in the water,” said Parsons. Sting rays, which are related to the smalltooth sawfish, have been spotted swimming upside down. Some sharks, mullets and snapper are just some of the more than 15 species that have been reported to FWC as acting strange. But, the question officials want answers to is why them? “All the obvious [reasons], you know, we pretty much eliminated,” said Parsons. It’s not red tide. Oxygen and salinity levels look good, and it’s not a parasite. Teams across the country are keeping their minds open but have noticed a heightened level of the single-cell algae known as gambierdiscus. It’s what causes ciguatera poisoning. “That typically lives on the bottom. It lives on sea grasses and seaweeds, and we were seeing it in the water and saw it in some of the stomachs of mullet,” said Parsons. Parsons explained it’s the highest level he’s seen in 15 years, but it typically affects people. He hasn’t seen the effects on marine animals in the wild. “We had a really hot summer. We have a wet winter right now. We have pretty steady winds from the East-northeast, coming in, at least down in the Keys,” said Parsons. “So are the conditions just right, and it’s a one-in-a-million shot?” Or are all these animals a canary in the coal mine signaling us there’s a great problem in the water?