High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
ESTERO ISLAND Precautionary boil water notice issued for parts of Estero Island A precautionary water boil notice has been issued for Estero Island on Friday.
SANIBEL Helene aftermath in Sanibel While much of the water has receded, the Sanibel Causeway was closed for several hours Friday morning because city crews were trying to clean up the flooding and debris.
LEE COUNTY WINK News Player of the Week: Riverdale RB Cole Hayes Riverdale running back Cole Hayes rushed for 336 yards and five touchdowns against Cypress Lake to be named the WINK News Player of the Week.
Matlacha resident on difficult road to recovery after Helene Matlacha residents are recovering from Helene’s storm surge on Thursday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Neighbors begin to clean up after flooding on Fort Myers Beach Waking up Friday morning, Fort Myers Beach neighbors had deja vu. The site of debris, the sound of alarms and the unmistakable smell of mud brought back memories of Hurricane Ian.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
ESTERO ISLAND Precautionary boil water notice issued for parts of Estero Island A precautionary water boil notice has been issued for Estero Island on Friday.
SANIBEL Helene aftermath in Sanibel While much of the water has receded, the Sanibel Causeway was closed for several hours Friday morning because city crews were trying to clean up the flooding and debris.
LEE COUNTY WINK News Player of the Week: Riverdale RB Cole Hayes Riverdale running back Cole Hayes rushed for 336 yards and five touchdowns against Cypress Lake to be named the WINK News Player of the Week.
Matlacha resident on difficult road to recovery after Helene Matlacha residents are recovering from Helene’s storm surge on Thursday.
FORT MYERS BEACH Neighbors begin to clean up after flooding on Fort Myers Beach Waking up Friday morning, Fort Myers Beach neighbors had deja vu. The site of debris, the sound of alarms and the unmistakable smell of mud brought back memories of Hurricane Ian.
Sandrine Fontaine and Arnaud Fontaine come to Southwest Florida twice a year from France, and they try to spend every day kayaking out on the water. They recently spent two weeks in the area and Sandrine said they saw all kinds of aquatic life. “We were kayaking in Carlos Bay because we have an Airbnb there, and so every day, we were kayaking to see dolphins and manatees,” Sandrine Fontaine said. They typically see dolphins and manatees, but on May 10, they encountered something a bit different: a shark. They called it a close encounter. Unlike the reaction many might have to coming inches away from a shark, the couple called the experience incredible. “It was not aggressive. It was going always around, but closer and closer. So I said ‘stop’ to try to see him,” Sandrine said. “We were very curious. We love nature. We were not scared because we recognized that this was not a white shark or bull shark. We didn’t know at this time exactly what kind of shark It is, but we knew that it was not a very aggressive shark. So no, we were not afraid.” Couple has close encounter with a shark while kayaking on San Carlos Bay. (credit; Sandrine Fontaine) WINK News showed Harry Maisch, an instructor in the Department of Marine and Earth Sciences at FGCU’s Water School, a video of the shark, and he said it appeared to be a Lemon Shark. “Based on the coloration of shark seen in the video, it seems to be on the lighter side. Bronzish, yellow color. It has sort of a rounded snout. It was a fairly narrow-bodied shark. It had two primary dorsal fins. The second dorsal fin was quite large compared to the first, which is leading me to believe it’s a lemon shark,” Maisch said. Sandrine described the shark as being very curious. Another characteristic Maisch said Lemon Sharks possess. “From personal experience, I’ve had lemon sharks swim pretty close to me while snorkeling and spearfishing. They’re really inquisitive.” Maisch said. “They want to know what’s going on and, you know, if you don’t have any fish in the water or anything, they’re probably just coming to check you out, and will leave you right alone. So they’re smart animals.” Sandrine said the shark was very calm, and they’re excited to add a shark to the list of aquatic animals they’ve seen up close and personal. “We saw lots of dolphins with babies and a lot of manatees. That is so incredible for us, because in France we don’t have that. So it’s incredible,” Sandrine said. RELATED:Gulf Coast Humane Society plans to build new veterinary clinic