American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers BeachEnglewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
The helicopter that crashed in Iona. (CREDIT: IONA MCGREGOR FIRE DISTRICT) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian. The crash involved a private helicopter with four passengers on board, who were flying back from Useppa Island after installing Starlink satellite equipment as part of hurricane rescue and recovery services. According to the NTSB, the pilot, Steve Mezyniesky, who owned the helicopter, was approaching a landing zone at Fire Station 75 in Fort Myers to drop off the other three passengers, John Meyer, Tim Wells and Rob McGilloway, who was the Chief of the Useppa Island Fire District. About 150 feet above the ground, the pilot noticed flags near the landing zone and elected to go around to make another approach to better align with the light wind. As the pilot added power to initiate the go-around, there was a “bump and dip” in the tail, followed by severe and massive vibration and shaking of the helicopter, with an uncommanded left yaw. What could be seen close to the helicopter crash in Iona. (CREDIT: IONA MCGREGOR FIRE DISTRICT) The helicopter impacted the ground near the landing zone, resulting in serious injuries to everyone on board. The aircraft crashed outside of the LCSO west district substation. According to Carlos Cavenago, a personal injury attorney representing two of the victims on board the helicopter, his clients now experience post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the other victims is a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Details in the report One chilling aspect of the report is details about a video recorded by a passenger that captured a final portion of the flight. The video, analyzed by the NTSB, shows the helicopter moving toward the crash site. At one point, the wind direction, relative to the helicopter’s nose, indicated a right, quartering tailwind. What was left from the helicopter crash. (CREDIT: IONA MCGREGOR FIRE DISTRICT) The video then shows the helicopter beginning to yaw to the right, with the right yaw accelerating until the helicopter completed a full rotation to the right before crashing. One victim told the NTSB that he believed he was going to die when the pilot lost control. In the report, a victim recalled what he remembered from the crash. “Saw that his head was gushing out blood like a water hose. I said, ‘He’s dead. Tim is dead.'” Wells wrote that he felt “a lot of blood” coming from his head. First responders Reports from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office say employees inside the nearby LCSO west district substation heard the crash from inside the district. The reports mention that several members of the district rushed to the scene, where they saw two victims, both bleeding, trying to get out of the aircraft. The scene of a helicopter crash in Iona on Saturday. (CREDIT: IONA MCGREGOR FIRE DISTRICT) The reports say those who responded to the crash, had to physically pull the helicopter off of one of the victims, who was stuck underneath and appeared not to be breathing. Three victims were taken to the hospital by ambulance. One was airlifted. NTSB findings Despite the substantial damage to the helicopter, the NTSB found no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The report talks about the hazards related to the loss of tail rotor effectiveness in helicopters, particularly at low airspeeds. In a phone conversation, the attorney representing two passengers on board mentioned that his clients are involved in a lawsuit filed in Texas because of issues regarding the functioning of the helicopter. WINK News Anchor Emma Heaton got her hands on the lawsuit, which also alleges the pilot was negligent in piloting the helicopter, that the manufacturer failed to use proper and safe aircraft service and that the helicopter is defective.