Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior nightPolice: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
Wires dangling low to the ground and damaged power poles leaning over their yard: It’s a scary sight that one Port Charlotte couple had to stare at every day since Hurricane Ian. The equipment created safety concerns, but despite their best efforts, the couple couldn’t get anyone to clean up the mess. The couple’s two dachshunds, Mr. Beans and Rudy, share Barnes’ yard with authority. They’re not the only little ones that love to have fun on the 21 thousand block of Circlewood Avenue in Port Charlotte. Two doors down, four kids play outside. Further down the street, two more kids are active. The yards are mostly open, leaving plenty of space for animals and kids alike to enjoy. But with the damaged equipment easily accessible, Barnes gets stressed and anxious thinking about something bad happening. “I’ve waited and waited and waited for something to happen,” Barnes laments. “I’m afraid somebody is going to touch one of these wires and if it’s a really bad live wire, they’re going to get fried. I know my dog got zapped.” During Hurricane Ian, like many neighborhoods, Circlewood Avenue took heavy damage. The Barnes family suffered through many issues inside and outside of their house. “We came home to a disaster,” Barnes remembers. “I’ve been trying to get things cleaned up around here.” It’s proven to be easier said than done. Barnes called WINK News, desperate for help, 16 months after the storm. Despite her own calls to Florida Power and Light, and CenturyLink, her internet provider during the storm, she couldn’t get anyone out to clean up. “I’ve gotten nowhere with them,” Barnes says frustrated. “I’ve gotten promises that it would be transferred to the proper department and I’ve gotten nowhere… It’s been very terrible. Very disappointing.” FPL’s own website says: “Stay far away from downed power lines or other damaged electrical equipment.” So, neighbors around Circlewood Avenue can’t figure out why the gear wasn’t cleaned up more than 16 months after the storm.” Getting results WINK investigative reporter Peter Fleischer contacted FPL after meeting with the Barnes family and surveying the damaged equipment. They sent a crew the next day, but their team determined, the gear belonged to CenturyLink. Finally, after a call and email to CenturyLink, the Barnes saw action. CenturyLink confirmed the gear belonged to them and removed it the same day Fleischer reached out. For Barnes, it’s a massive relief. Crews came to clean the damaged equipment and downed lines after they were contacted by WINK “It was a beautiful sight,” Barnes admitted, staring out across her yard that is finally damage-free. “We feel great. People of our age, it’s very hard to do things on our own.” After the mess was cleaned up, Fleischer asked CenturyLink, what took so long? How can other customers get faster action if they’re dealing with potentially dangerous equipment? CenturyLink didn’t answer any of those questions directly, but reps did say it helps when customers give as much information as possible: names, address, contact information, even pictures. They sent Fleischer a full statement that reads: We always want to assist our customers and our main focus is on addressing their needs, with service restoration a priority. We realize the wires are unsightly and are working right now to get them removed. If you have additional customers reach out to you, please forward their contact information: address, phone and account number and we will work to resolve their service issues as quickly as possible. If you would like to contact Peter about a story or send him a tip, you can reach him at Peter.Fleischer@winknews.com