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.
There are cameras in our kid’s schools, dozens of them, but did you know that Lee County Schools sends those live video feeds to the sheriff’s office, and it’s someone’s job to watch them? “As we’ve seen, unfortunately, in the past, in school shootings, there were signs before the shooting, there were flags, and we’re not going to ignore that here,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. The School Threat Enforcement Team, or STET, does more than watch and react. Right now, STET is tracking 540 students in Lee County schools. Maybe they made a threat? Or a school resource officer gave them a heads-up? Or did the team see a questionable post on social media? “Everything gets treated real until proven otherwise,” said Marceno. No matter the reason, these highly trained deputies take their mission to heart. This school year alone, STET has identified: 390 threat assessments 59 criminal threats of violence 298 detective home visits 88 social work visits 804 threat rechecks 105 arrests Dave Newlan, Executive Director of Safety Security and Emergency Management, said whenever there is a threat identified at a school that could pose a safety concern, the sheriff’s office is contacted. “That team is what works with us very closely addressing anything that may happen at a school location that could be a threat at a bus stop or even on a bus,” he said. Marceno told WINK News he believes the STET team stops violence before it starts. “Once they’ve made that list, we’ve been working with the parents, we’ve been working with the families, our counselors are out making contact with the house, also looking at, you know, all their firearms in that house; do we need to do a risk protection order?” said Marceno, “I mean, we protect everyone’s constitutional rights.” The deputies investigate five to 50 threats a week, and parents WINK News talked to say they are OK with LCSO monitoring students. “I personally think it’s excellent. I mean, you know, rather than having kids do that, and then maybe they wouldn’t ever do something later on, but there’s the chance that they would, why not be proactive with it?” said Molly. “No, no, not at all. It’s just a safety precaution,” said an anonymous parent. “I would determine the age of the child and also their family life, their behavior,” said another parent. “Is there a record of their misbehaving, not obeying? You just can’t randomly take every little thing a kid says and do that.” This is why children who make the list are monitored for a year or more. “So we have mental health professionals that go out into the field, and they try to help and assist people that need help,” said Marceno. “A lot of times you had to have students that are looking for a way to reach out for help, maybe not sure how to do it,” said Newlan, “and I have seen that by giving them attention to addressing their concerns, find a way to … get them back on track.”