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.
Two ten-year-old boys are in custody after deputies say they exchanged a gun at school. Take a look at this picture WINK News, at the time, exclusively obtained. These two items, a gun and a big bag of weed, were found at a 10-year-old’s home. Police say the boy bought the gun for $300 dollars from another 10-year-old boy and that they exchanged the gun on the grounds of Country Oaks Elementary School. The gun that was sold belonged to the boy’s deceased father. The mother of the boy is a deputy for Hendry County Sheriff’s Office and was placed on administrative leave. WINK reached out to her and hasn’t heard back. The timeline of events Over a month ago, the gun was sold on school grounds Tuesday: police were tipped off. A concerned parent, who called against her child’s wishes, told the police the child may have a gun Wednesday: Country Oaks Elementary School went into lockdown and police opened an investigation. Hours later, they located the gun and weed and arrested both boys. The gun was found unloaded. 74 grams of weed was also found. Police do not know how the boy obtained the drugs. The Sheriffs office is grateful to the parent who made the initial call. WINK News talked with Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden. “We’re just like you. We have to get the information to be able to act on it, start investigating it. So talk to your kids,” Whidden said. Ed and Mary Northam have a 6 year old daughter who attends Country Oaks Elementary School. “It’s pretty scary to think 10 year olds would have a gun. I mean, they don’t really understand,” the Northams said. WINK News talked with several parents on Thursday who were shocked to hear the news. “My very first thought is, I was angry. Why let that around children? How do you explain to a parent, I’m sorry, you gave me your baby today to go to class and they’re dead now because a 10 year old got a gun. That’s not cool,” the Northams said. Both boys are now in the Department of Juvenile Justice‘s hands in Fort Myers. Take a look at their charges. Boy #1: the accused seller of the gun Selling of a Firearm to a Minor Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Minor Possession of a Firearm on School Property Grand Theft of a Firearm. Boy #2: the accused buyer of the gun Sale/Purchase of a Firearm by a Minor Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Minor Possession of a Firearm on School Property Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams. The Northams said they are considering removing their daughter from Country Oaks Elementary School. “I mean, I just think unfortunately, the time that we live in this they need to have the security and all this goes to metal detectors in a great school, but if this can happen here, it can happen anywhere,” the Northams said. Sheriff Whidden said that there was never a threat to the schools. The sheriffs office said they plan to speak with the kids at the elementary school about the incident early next week. WINK News reached out to the Hendry County School District superintendent who did not respond.