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 was 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 raises 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 was 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 raises 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.
Boy watches a leatherback sea turtle lay a clutch of eggs. CREDIT: FWC Pretty soon, small areas of beaches will be taped off, as nesting season gets underway for an endangered sea turtle species in Florida. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, reports of close to a dozen leatherback sea turtle nests have been sent to the institute, and the nesting season is between March and July. Sea turtle nest. CREDIT: WINK News Leatherback turtles will nest every two or three years, creating several nets each season. The endangered species will lay about 80 eggs per clutch. While Lee County beaches are a known nesting ground for leatherback turtles, the species primarily nests on the east coast of Florida. On the east coast, the endangered species will nest from Martin to Palm Beach counties. During the 2023 nesting season, FWCRI counted at least 1,711 leatherback sea turtle nests. Where leatherback turtles will lay nests. CREDIT: FWC The leatherback sea turtle is the largest species of turtle in the world, weighing up to 1,500 pounds and reaching 6 feet long. RELATED: Sea turtle hatchling success plummets on Sanibel and Captiva following record nest Summer RELATED: Grant awarded to help sea turtles nesting on Fort Myers Beach Though record numbers of nests were found in 2023, areas like Captiva and Sanibel saw the numbers of nests plummet. Captiva saw a meager 2,268 sea turtle hatchlings emerge, equivalent to a 10% success rate. While on Sanibel, 24,961 hatchlings emerged, equal to a slightly improved 32% success rate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FWRI (@fwcresearch) “While we should be encouraged by these impressive nest numbers and proud of the ongoing conservation efforts leading up to this point, they only tell half the story,” said SCCF Coastal Wildlife Director and Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Kelly Sloan. Taking a step in the right direction, a grant worth more than $7 million was awarded from the Florida Division of Emergency Management to help sea turtles that nest on Fort Myers Beach. Beach development is a land-based threat to the endangered species. As development continues on beaches it shrinks the amount of space the turtles can use for nests. It also adds to artificial lighting which can be fatal to turtle hatchlings. Leatherback hatchling emerging from nest. CREDIT: FWC FWCRI reminds people to avoid using lights on the beach and to bring down beach-facing curtains and blinds. This helps hatchlings know which way the ocean is and gives the endangered species a better chance to survive. Some of the primary threats facing the species in the water are getting tangled in fishing gear, such as longlines, monofilament fishing lines, nets and crab trap lines. The endangered species is also illegally harvested for their meat and eggs. Click here for more information on leatherback sea turtles from FWC.