NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
Vicky Bakery opens 26th location, first in Fort Myers A Fort Myers location just opened at 4429 Cleveland Ave., at El Dorado Plaza, just east of the Ginza sushi restaurant.
WINK News’ Matt Devitt, officials address resident flooding concerns In a slide presentation, WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt showed surrounding coastal counties have the sensors that are installed and monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
Vicky Bakery opens 26th location, first in Fort Myers A Fort Myers location just opened at 4429 Cleveland Ave., at El Dorado Plaza, just east of the Ginza sushi restaurant.
WINK News’ Matt Devitt, officials address resident flooding concerns In a slide presentation, WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt showed surrounding coastal counties have the sensors that are installed and monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
Lake Okeechobee. (Credit: WINK News) Southwest Florida always keeps a close eye on Lake Okeechobee‘s water level. If it gets too high, it could threaten the City of Clewiston with flooding, stress the lake’s ecosystems, and threaten the integrity of the embankment. In the past, Clewiston residents have told WINK News that they fear a levee breach. Since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a more than billion-dollar repair job of the Herbert Hoover Dike. The Dike is “a 143-mile earthen dam that surrounds Lake Okeechobee, the heart of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system.” When the lake level gets too high, water releases may be necessary to lower it. Many fear the releases contribute to blue-green algae outbreaks along the Caloosahatchee and even red tide in the Gulf of Mexico. Normally, the dry season allows the water level to lower, but this year, we had an abnormally wet dry season. The Army Corps began lowering Lake O in February through water releases. Lake Okeechobee. CREDIT: WINK News It reached what will presumably be the low point for the year, 12.63 feet, on June 9. Five days later, on June 14, it is at 13.2 feet, about half a foot higher and on the rise. In addition to direct rainfall, water runoff is a big concern, according to Col. James Booth, District Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District. “Lake Kissimmee is not releasing any water, but coming down from the system and the Kissimmee River, we’re seeing somewhere around 600 cubic feet per second coming into Lake Okeechobee from the Kissimmee,” stated Booth. RELATED: Army Corps begins lowering Lake O’s water level; How will it affect the Caloosahatchee? There are no releases coming out of Lake O to the Caloosahatchee, but again, runoff is an issue. “Massive amounts of flow coming out of the (Franklin Lock), at basically our lowest structure down on the Caloosahatchee somewhere around 13 or 14,000 cubic feet per second,” explained Booth. “And that’s all due to local runoff coming into the system and basically flowing out towards the Caloosahatchee estuary.” Credit: WINK News. To paint a clearer picture for you, 13,000 cubic feet per second is nearly 6 million gallons per minute. As for future releases, Booth added, “On the Caloosahatchee side, we would target no more than 2000 cubic feet per second. If the Caloosahatchee watershed is generating anything above that 2,000, we would not generate any releases out of Lake Okeechobee.”