ESTERO Families battling cancer get much-needed break Ten local families battling cancer are getting a much-needed break this weekend.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Permanent memorial honors 12-year-old crash victim The death of a 12-year-old boy is bringing the community together, and his father could not be more thankful.
PUNTA GORDA FEMA trailers on airport property called “junk” by Charlotte County code officers “I certainly would not want to enter into a storm with those (trailers) potentially being debris,” said Patrick Fuller, Charlotte County Emergency Management Director, during a May 28 board meeting.
PORT CHARLOTTE Front wall of Promenades in Port Charlotte demolished by wrecking ball Destruction is usually a bad thing, but for Port Charlotte, it’s a new future as the front wall of the Promenades was demolished.
The pros and cons of using AI to predict weather The conversation around Artificial Intelligence has increased over the last few years, and for good reason; when it comes to weather, AI shows a lot of promise.
LABELLE Experts weigh in on Hendry hazmat hazard The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office said the problem area where the mysterious substance scene is all clear. WINK News spoke with experts.
CLEWISTON Airglades Airport expansion aiming to spark economy The Airglades Airport in Hendry County is getting a $300-million renovation.
HENDRY COUNTY All-clear for hazmat situation in Hendry County; still no answers Some are feeling anxious in a small Hendry County community after several people, including first responders, got sick.
FORT MYERS Expect roadblocks for Music Walk in downtown Fort Myers tonight Music Walk will be going on for several hours, so expect some roadblocks if you’re coming downtown.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge to close for annual Red, White & Boom Fourth of July celebration Believe it or not, the Fourth of July is approaching, which means another bridge closure in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Blue-green algal blooms spotted on Alicante Canal Summer is here, and that means many of us love to head out on the water, but things aren’t looking the prettiest.
Research before buying concert tickets during tax-free holiday this July Do some research before you buy any concert tickets this summer, and in about a week, you’ll be able to save on all summer essentials.
FORT MYERS Riverdale alum Cole Schneider wins UFL Championship Former Riverdale lineman and current Birmingham Stallions center Cole Schneider wins UFL Championship in league’s first year.
NAPLES Dredging project underway at Clam Pass beach park Crews at Clam Pass Beach are moving hundreds of pounds of sand as part of a dredging project aimed at keeping the inlet open.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on video: Lehigh Acres man confronts car thief in his driveway A Lehigh Acres father confronted and stopped a person breaking into his son’s car.
ESTERO Families battling cancer get much-needed break Ten local families battling cancer are getting a much-needed break this weekend.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Permanent memorial honors 12-year-old crash victim The death of a 12-year-old boy is bringing the community together, and his father could not be more thankful.
PUNTA GORDA FEMA trailers on airport property called “junk” by Charlotte County code officers “I certainly would not want to enter into a storm with those (trailers) potentially being debris,” said Patrick Fuller, Charlotte County Emergency Management Director, during a May 28 board meeting.
PORT CHARLOTTE Front wall of Promenades in Port Charlotte demolished by wrecking ball Destruction is usually a bad thing, but for Port Charlotte, it’s a new future as the front wall of the Promenades was demolished.
The pros and cons of using AI to predict weather The conversation around Artificial Intelligence has increased over the last few years, and for good reason; when it comes to weather, AI shows a lot of promise.
LABELLE Experts weigh in on Hendry hazmat hazard The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office said the problem area where the mysterious substance scene is all clear. WINK News spoke with experts.
CLEWISTON Airglades Airport expansion aiming to spark economy The Airglades Airport in Hendry County is getting a $300-million renovation.
HENDRY COUNTY All-clear for hazmat situation in Hendry County; still no answers Some are feeling anxious in a small Hendry County community after several people, including first responders, got sick.
FORT MYERS Expect roadblocks for Music Walk in downtown Fort Myers tonight Music Walk will be going on for several hours, so expect some roadblocks if you’re coming downtown.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge to close for annual Red, White & Boom Fourth of July celebration Believe it or not, the Fourth of July is approaching, which means another bridge closure in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Blue-green algal blooms spotted on Alicante Canal Summer is here, and that means many of us love to head out on the water, but things aren’t looking the prettiest.
Research before buying concert tickets during tax-free holiday this July Do some research before you buy any concert tickets this summer, and in about a week, you’ll be able to save on all summer essentials.
FORT MYERS Riverdale alum Cole Schneider wins UFL Championship Former Riverdale lineman and current Birmingham Stallions center Cole Schneider wins UFL Championship in league’s first year.
NAPLES Dredging project underway at Clam Pass beach park Crews at Clam Pass Beach are moving hundreds of pounds of sand as part of a dredging project aimed at keeping the inlet open.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on video: Lehigh Acres man confronts car thief in his driveway A Lehigh Acres father confronted and stopped a person breaking into his son’s car.
The discussion surrounding mental health is an important one; it also should never be taken lightly. The National Alliance on Mental Illness in Collier County raises awareness one step at a time. The NAMI of Collier County hosted its Hope Shines’ mental health awareness walk at the Arthrex Center on Saturday. More than 600 people walked one mile around the campus with a purpose. Some of the participants WINK News spoke to shared a common story about the mental health challenges they’ve endured and conquered. Carol Anderson’s journey began when she started to feel isolated. “It was not good for me to be that isolated without any inner social interaction or anything,” said Anderson. So they sent me all the materials about NAMI, and sure enough, I went over, and I’ve been there every day since.” For Donna Ginter, her journey started with her son’s depression. “What really brought me out here is helping my son; to find to help him to be what he wants to be because of his depression and so forth, being his father passed away,” said Ginter. “NAMI is helping me to help him to cope with all his behavioral issues.” Barbaro Alvarez’s journey started with a health diagnosis and separation anxiety when he moved to the U.S. from Cuba. “I started feeling a little depressed. And at the same time, I was trying to ignore everything, my feelings, but I was crying every night, just thinking of my family,” said Alvarez. “I’m just so happy to be part of NAMI.” Each person conquered the obstacles but was never alone. Beth Hatch, the CEO of NAMI, said she wants to further expand the topic of the importance of mental health. “The more help and early intervention and advocacy that we can give each of these individuals, the more success stories and the more wins that we’re gonna have, and truly, as we always say, no one is ever gonna be alone,” said Hatch. “It’s our mission all together to be ambassadors to remove that stigma. Mental health needs to be equal to physical health.” Resources for help NAMI Collier County 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org/. 988 is a confidential, free crisis service available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Lifeline connects people to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals.Crisis Text LineText “HELLO” to 741741The Crisis Text hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the U.S. It serves anyone in any type of crisis and connects them with a crisis counselor who can provide support and information.Veterans Crisis LineCall 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press 1 or text to 838255The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that connects veterans 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a trained responder. The service is available to all veterans, even if they are not registered with the VA or enrolled in VA healthcare.National Disaster Distress HelplineCall or text 1-800-985-5990The disaster distress helpline provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. The helpline is free, multilingual, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 Text ” LOVEIS” to 22522 TTY 1-800-787-3224 National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) Text 1-800-422-4453 National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Online Chat The Eldercare Locator 1-800-677-1116 TTY Instructions Support Websites National Helpline or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Mental Health Treatment National Alliance for Children’s Grief National Runaway Safe Line Stop Bullying Florida Council Against Sexual Violence Florida Narcotics Anonymous National Eating Disorders Association Hope for Healing Local Community Resources Tobacco Free Florida 211 Support Hotlines National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Florida Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-500-1119, Florida Relay 711, TTY: 1-800-621-4202 Florida Sexual Violence information line 1-888-956-7273 National Runaway Safe line 1-800-RUNAWAY National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline 1-866-331-9474 – Text: LOVEIS to 22522 National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888, Florida Relay 711, or Text 233733, https://humantraffickinghotline.org/ Florida Abuse Hotline 1-800-962-2873 or TTY:1-800-955-8771 Florida Elder Helpline 1-800-963-5337 or TTY: 1-800-955-8771 Non-emergency Legal Hotline 1-800-500-1119, prompt 3 General Resources and Hotlines | Florida Department of Health Mental Health Helplines NAMI HelpLine | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness is a free nationwide peer-support service providing information, resources, referrals, and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers, and the public. HelpLine staff and volunteers are experienced, well-trained, and able to provide guidance.The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., EST.1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or helpline@nami.org Teen Line: An anonymous, nonjudgmental space for youth. Teen Line Teens can access personal peer-to-peer support from highly trained teens supervised by adult mental health professionals.The Teen Line can be reached at 800-852-8336 Nationwide.