ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
We are marking a milestone at WINK: 70 years of coming into your living room and delivering the news of Southwest Florida to your television set. Nowadays, we also bring it to you through streaming, online, and even in the palm of your hand. Throughout those 70 years, WINK has remained a family-owned business focused right here in Southwest Florida. As our area has grown and continues to develop, we have been and will be here with you every step of the way. The Broadcast Center on Palm Beach Boulevard is home to WINK-TV, several radio stations and the nerve center of a newspaper and magazines. Our roots began in radio in 1939. But on March 18, 1954, WINK-TV debuted, becoming the first television station in Southwest Florida. Frank Nodine helped launch WINK, anchoring the newscast. A crew interviewed him in 1977 for the 23rd anniversary of the station. “We were the fourth station on in the State of Florida. I can remember we used to think we were heroes if we hit our 8 p.m. show at 8:45,” reflected Nodine. Tim Hennigan’s father, Larry, worked at the station in the 50s. “Him and Frank were good buddies. They tipped a few beers together,” recalled Hennigan. Photo of Larry Hennigan CREDIT: Tim Hennigan “He put the transmitters together. He put everything, the cameras, everything together. Cape Coral wasn’t even here,” said Hennigan who was 10 years old when his father would bring him to the station. If it happened on the Gulf Coast or beyond, WINK brought it right into your home. All of it is a living piece of history in the Wolfson Archives at Miami Dade College. WINK donated its film collection to the school. A vintage WINK TV logo. CREDIT: Wolfson Archives And looking back through that footage, we covered it all: local government, tourism, money matters, education. From the shoreline to outer space with NASA’s Viking project mission to Mars in the mid-70s. “We’re seeing many of the features on Mars, and we’re looking at the great volcanoes,” stated a man who worked with NASA. Ironically, many of the issues of yesterday mimic those of today. “I’ve been having a very hard time getting a doctor,” one woman said during an interview in the ’70s. Development, roads, the construction of Interstate 75 and Alligator Alley were also major ongoing topics. Gov. Reuben Askew takes questions from WINK News at Edison Mall in 1976. CREDIT: Wolfson Archives. “It’s I-75’s turn, and I’m doing everything humanly possible to accelerate that construction,” said Reuben Askew, Florida’s Governor at the time. He made that statement at Edison Mall in 1976. When Sept. 11 happened, we were there as President George W. Bush got word of the attack while at a school in Sarasota. President George W. Bush at a Sarasota school on Sept. 11. CREDIT: WINK News. Then, who can forget the hurricanes? Andrew, Charley, Irma and Ian, to name a few. More than one and a half million people now call our area home. And, as Southwest Florida continues its recovery and growth, we are growing with you. We welcome you into our studio with 13 hours of news each weekday and look forward to the future. Thank you for all the years of watching.