NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
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.