Mosquito invasion after multi-day downpour in Southwest Florida There is a spike in the mosquito population in Southwest Florida, especially after the recent multiple-day downpour.
PUNTA GORDA Fire destroys Punta Gorda home A large fire tore through a house in Punta Gorda on Monday afternoon, sending huge clouds of dark smoke into the sky.
SEBRING Sebring killer’s mother takes stand in murder trial Zephen Xaver’s defense presented opening statements in the courtroom Monday. One of the key people to take the stand was Xaver’s mother.
NAPLES Not lovin’ it; McDonald’s employee allegedly pulls gun on customer Imagine this: It’s 3 a.m. on a Sunday, and you go to a 24-hour McDonald’s for your go-to order.
Massive Wall of Wind machine mimics real hurricanes to better protect the community To those of us living in Southwest Florida, talking about a “wall of wind” might bring up memories of Hurricane Irma or Ian– or even a bad rain storm.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers businesses struggling Many are focused on the declining foot traffic in downtown Fort Myers because of the bridge closure, but this collection of businesses said they are struggling just as much.
FORT MYERS $700K original estimate more than triples for Edison Restaurant repairs All eyes were on the Edison Restaurant Monday night as the city council decided to spend $2.62 million on repairs.
BUCKINGHAM Buckingham community works to stop flooding The community is telling us that this could have all been prevented, and they are going to get something done.
SANIBEL Sanibel Historical Museum and Village bell to be reinstalled The bell at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village is scheduled to be reinstalled after its destruction by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
AVE MARIA Neighbors want answers after child drowns in Ave Maria Dozens watched as six-year-old Abigail Pineda was pulled from the water here at the Ave Maria water park two weeks ago. Many called 911 or tried to help, but the girl did not make it.
LEHIGH ACRES 2 Southwest Florida gas stations trying to fix water contamination Why are two gas stations that are miles apart dealing with water contamination in their fuel? WINK News reported the Sunoco gas station in Lehigh Acres and the Chevron in North Naples both had water in their fuel.
NAPLES Collier County Republican Committeeman Alfie Oakes fails to file for reelection Alfie Oakes, one of the wealthiest men in Southwest Florida, will not be on Collier County’s Republican primary ballot in August.
MARCO ISLAND Crash on Jolley Bridge causes traffic delays; 1 injured The Collier County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a vehicle crash with injuries shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS ‘They need to do more’ downtown business owners react to parking fees potentially being suspended Blu Sushi is just the latest restaurant in downtown Fort Myers to announce it is closing its doors after 10 years, but for the downtown businesses that remain, they fear what could be next for them, even after leaders discussed potentially suspended downtown parking fees.
NAPLES Naples para table tennis player reaches career high ranking ahead of Paralympics With a career high ranking of third in the world Van Emburgh is going for gold at the Paris Paralympics this summer.
Mosquito invasion after multi-day downpour in Southwest Florida There is a spike in the mosquito population in Southwest Florida, especially after the recent multiple-day downpour.
PUNTA GORDA Fire destroys Punta Gorda home A large fire tore through a house in Punta Gorda on Monday afternoon, sending huge clouds of dark smoke into the sky.
SEBRING Sebring killer’s mother takes stand in murder trial Zephen Xaver’s defense presented opening statements in the courtroom Monday. One of the key people to take the stand was Xaver’s mother.
NAPLES Not lovin’ it; McDonald’s employee allegedly pulls gun on customer Imagine this: It’s 3 a.m. on a Sunday, and you go to a 24-hour McDonald’s for your go-to order.
Massive Wall of Wind machine mimics real hurricanes to better protect the community To those of us living in Southwest Florida, talking about a “wall of wind” might bring up memories of Hurricane Irma or Ian– or even a bad rain storm.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers businesses struggling Many are focused on the declining foot traffic in downtown Fort Myers because of the bridge closure, but this collection of businesses said they are struggling just as much.
FORT MYERS $700K original estimate more than triples for Edison Restaurant repairs All eyes were on the Edison Restaurant Monday night as the city council decided to spend $2.62 million on repairs.
BUCKINGHAM Buckingham community works to stop flooding The community is telling us that this could have all been prevented, and they are going to get something done.
SANIBEL Sanibel Historical Museum and Village bell to be reinstalled The bell at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village is scheduled to be reinstalled after its destruction by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
AVE MARIA Neighbors want answers after child drowns in Ave Maria Dozens watched as six-year-old Abigail Pineda was pulled from the water here at the Ave Maria water park two weeks ago. Many called 911 or tried to help, but the girl did not make it.
LEHIGH ACRES 2 Southwest Florida gas stations trying to fix water contamination Why are two gas stations that are miles apart dealing with water contamination in their fuel? WINK News reported the Sunoco gas station in Lehigh Acres and the Chevron in North Naples both had water in their fuel.
NAPLES Collier County Republican Committeeman Alfie Oakes fails to file for reelection Alfie Oakes, one of the wealthiest men in Southwest Florida, will not be on Collier County’s Republican primary ballot in August.
MARCO ISLAND Crash on Jolley Bridge causes traffic delays; 1 injured The Collier County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a vehicle crash with injuries shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS ‘They need to do more’ downtown business owners react to parking fees potentially being suspended Blu Sushi is just the latest restaurant in downtown Fort Myers to announce it is closing its doors after 10 years, but for the downtown businesses that remain, they fear what could be next for them, even after leaders discussed potentially suspended downtown parking fees.
NAPLES Naples para table tennis player reaches career high ranking ahead of Paralympics With a career high ranking of third in the world Van Emburgh is going for gold at the Paris Paralympics this summer.
The Weather Authority continues its coverage of the heavy rainfall that has created havoc in the Southwest Florida area. CREDIT: WINK News Weather Authority Meteorologist Zach Maloch said, “Looking ahead, expect the heavy rain to continue, totaling out to around two to five inches by the evening. Lee and Collier Counties are expected to see the heaviest impact.” The Weather Authority is currently tracking heavy rain, and flash flooding is possible as rain forms along this trough of low pressure. The rain will move farther and farther south throughout the day, with the heaviest rain impacting Lee County by midday and Collier County by the afternoon. We’ll see two to five inches of additional rainfall Thursday. Flood watches remain for all counties throughout the day. Our wet weather pattern with soaking rain continues for Thursday, and road flooding continues to be a possibility. A flood watch continues for all areas, and we could see an additional two to five inches of rain across Southwest Florida for Thursday. Temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 80s for highs Thursday afternoon. Scattered rain and storms will be around the area for your Friday morning commute. While the rain won’t be as widespread or as heavy as Thursday, we could still see impacts across the area through the day. A Flood Watch continues for parts of Southwest Florida through Friday evening. Friday’s highs will be in the mid-to upper-80s. The rain finally looks to taper off by Friday evening, and slightly drier conditions are forecast for the weekend. The deep tropical moisture we’ve been seeing moves out of the area Saturday, which means we won’t see as much rain on Saturday afternoon. We will still see scattered rain and storms along our more typical sea breeze pattern in the afternoon and evening, but the soaking and flooding rains won’t be as likely. Highs on Saturday will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s. Monitoring Invest 90L off the Florida coast and Disturbance 2 in the Bay of Campeche. CREDIT: WINK News An elongated area of low pressure near the east coast of Florida, designated as Invest 90L, is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Despite strong upper-level winds, some gradual development (20 percent) is possible while the system moves northeastward offshore of the southeastern U.S. coast during the next couple of days. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across portions of the Florida peninsula through Friday. A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form near or in the Bay of Campeche this weekend. Environmental conditions appear conducive for this potential system to develop gradually. Moreover, a tropical depression could form during the early or middle part of next week while it moves slowly westward or west-northwestward.