12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidaysFort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
A worker carries a large parcel at the United States Postal Service sorting and processing facility, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Boston. Last year’s holiday season was far from the most wonderful time of the year for the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service. Shippers are now gearing up for another holiday crush.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) President Sam Wood and Vice President Danny Carinci of the Southwest Florida area local American Postal Workers Union are voicing significant concerns regarding mail delivery delays in our region. Wood and Carinci revealed that approximately 1.5 million pieces of mail are delayed per day at the Fort Myers postal processing center, a situation that has escalated over the past few months. “They sit there day after day after day, and they don’t get delivered,” said Wood. The delays are affecting various types of mail, including critical documents like Social Security, holiday cards, and business mail. Wood showed WINK News photos of unprocessed mail in the Fort Myers processing facility, including letters sent as early as September of last year or February of this year. The two say concerns about the backlog seem to be falling on deaf ears. “We got people that have meetings with the congressman, people have sent things to it OIG, you know, complaining about the delayed mail here,” said Wood, “and nothing has been done. So we’ve gone through the proper procedures to try to get our voices heard on this issue. And no one’s listening. Behind the delays Earlier this year, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced cost-cutting measures. “That implies cutting man hours, that implies cutting the amount of employees,” said Carinci. Carinci also cited a refusal to allow overtime and a lack of proper training for new employees as key factors contributing to the problem. “They’re not training these people,” said Carinci, “That mail forwarding that Sam mentioned, it’s has to be processed manually. You have to be trained to do that. And they’re not doing that’s why it’s sitting.” Hope for change Wood and Carinci stressed the need for public awareness and action to address the issues plaguing the postal service. “I want the mail to go back to being delivered daily, like it’s supposed to be delivered, not just piling up inside a building,” said Wood. “We’ve spent a lot of years in the post office and taking pride in what we do,” said Carinci, “and this is just…quite frankly, it’s just a disservice. The American public deserves better.” The two encourage management to reconsider decisions regarding overtime authorization and advocate for more resources and support for the postal service in southwest Florida to handle the volume of delayed mail effectively. “We pride ourselves on being the citizens of the United States rated as one of the most trusted federal agencies. And we’ve gone from that to where we are now and it’s just so disappointing,” said Wood. Wood pointed to the upcoming election year and fears what will happen if delays continue to backlog. “November when election when the ballots go out? What’s going to happen with the mail then? So it’s got to be fixed before that,” Wood echoed. Wood and Carinci told WINK News the delays are happening all over the country, but in southwest Florida, during their more than decades-long careers with the post office, they’ve never seen it this bad. “We want the public to know what’s actually going on with their mail. So there’s no Hey, where’s my mail at? You know, where the mail is at. It’s here setting had the plant,” said Wood. USPS response WINK News reached out to USPS. A spokesperson responded with the following: “The Postal Service is committed to providing the best possible service to our valued customers. The Fort Myers P&DC is a central location, or ”hub”, that handles returned mail for the entire Florida 2 district, which encompasses ZIP Codes that begin with 328, 329, 335-339, 341, 342, 346, and 347.”