Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delaysMiracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Rafael forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority meteorologists are monitoring the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael has formed.
CAPE CORAL JROTC cadets prepare for Cape Coral Veterans Day Parade Cape Coral High School JROTC students will march to honor our veterans.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Rafael forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority meteorologists are monitoring the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael has formed.
CAPE CORAL JROTC cadets prepare for Cape Coral Veterans Day Parade Cape Coral High School JROTC students will march to honor our veterans.
A car found floating on Plantation Road. Credit: WINK News The flooded roads of Lee County saw fire rescuers jump into action to save a man from his slowly sinking SUV. The South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District rescued a man from inside his sinking vehicle on Plantation Road at around 11:45 a.m. According to the fire rescue, water was over the driver’s lap, and the car was slowly sinking into the mud. Credit: The South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District WINK News was there and watched it all happen. The driver told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean it was one of the scariest things he had ever experienced. The rain today was dangerous and frightening, and Steven Yanniello is a prime example of how extreme weather can almost take your life. Steven lost control after hitting a big puddle on Plantation Road, right by Daniels Parkway. CREDIT: WINK News “The water caught, and that was it. You could see where I came in. By the time I got here, I had the brakes on, and the car was floating. And I couldn’t back up. It just kept floating until it went all the way in where you saw it. I didn’t know how deep it was. I called the tow truck. They said it would take a while, and the guy told me flat out, ‘I’ll get your car out, but you got to get out on your own.’ So I called 911,” Yanniello said. Around 12 on Wednesday afternoon, Plantation Drive was flooded. EMS, police, firefighters, a tow truck, and Steven’s red Suburu Forester were almost buried in the water. “It was just weird because you’re so shaken up in your soul. What the heck happened?” Yanniello said. WINK News watched as the tower struggled in the water to get the car out of the water. The tow truck driver said he has never gotten a car out of this deep of water. CREDIT: WINK News “The job needs to get done, and there is always a first time for everything, so we got it done. Customer’s vehicle is out of the water, so I’m happy with it,” Rafael Hernandez with Star Five Towing said. EMS rescued Steven. “They already had life jackets and everything ready to go,” he said. Steven is glad to be alive, as thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured. “There was nowhere else to go. There was nothing I could do. My first thought was, I gotta get a window open or something so I can get out of here,” Yanniello said. He watched as his car was towed out of the mess in the early afternoon on Wednesday. CREDIT: WINK News “You never know what you’re going to find at a water scene and Florida,” Hernandez said. Steven said he wasn’t even planning on driving because of the bad weather, but something urgent came up. The tow truck driver has some strong advice: if you don’t see the road because of water, do not go through it. Steven is shaken up but OK. Rain has been falling at a rate of around two to four inches per hour, with six inches of total rainfall possible over the next four hours.