The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increasesSenior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
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.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
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.
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.