LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
The playground, A safe space for kids to dream, quickly became a nightmare for three-year-old Ava after she was allegedly left outside of her daycare. “We really don’t know how long she was out there,” said Breen Nabors, the girl’s mother. Nabors says Ava was left outside at daycare. Scared and alone. “She got left outside. So to me, it seemed like maybe there was like a little bit of PTSD,” said Nabors. WINK News reporter Maddie Heron spoke exclusively to Ava’s mother, Breen Nabors. Her daughter was allegedly forgotten on the playground by staff at Wellington Academy in South Cape Coral. “if they would do it to my child, they’ll do it to another child,” said Nabors. Nabors said it happened as early as July 5, but she didn’t hear about it until Monday when a teacher at the school finally told her what had happened, more than a week earlier. She worked quickly to get Ava and her 5-year-old sister out of the daycare. “I just knew I had to get them out of there. Like, immediately, I just couldn’t believe it. I was in complete shock,” said Nabors. The Florida Department of Children and Families opened an investigation into the daycare, telling WINK News: The Department has investigated and issued a licensing citation to Wellington Academy related to outdoor supervision. Additional information is confidential per section 39.202 Florida Statues. Department of Children and Families Even with open DCF and Cape Coral police investigations, Nabors said the daycare barely gave her any answers. “There was a lot of denial, and you know, a lot of no responsibility being taken,” said Nabors. Although Nabors said Wellington Academy left her in the dark, the DCF citation helps ease her mind. “It gives like a sense of validation, because somebody is acknowledging that this happened,” said Nabors. WINK News reporter Maddie Heron took a trip to the daycare to see if she could get a response. The director she spoke to at Wellington Academy said the daycare’s corporate office is now handling this incident. On Friday, the Corporate Administrator from Wellington Academy Schools sent WINK News the following statement: “We take the safety of the children very seriously and all actions are taken to achieve this goal. If any staff is not aligned with this goal, it can mean losing their job. And this has been done in the past as well as in the current case. The incident occurred on July 5th, when the director spoke to the teacher, the teacher claimed the child was at the end of the hallway. The teacher was verbally warned about always keeping head count. When the parent came in on Monday the July 15th, she was irate and screamed to the front office staff, in turn the director questioned the teacher again and that is when she told the director the child was right outside the door for less than a minute and she brought her in. The teacher was terminated, and it was then reported. The director reached out to the family and the mom was still irate screaming on the phone and was not willing to hear what had occurred. Proper protocol for keeping count of the children they have in the class, they are required to carry their clipboards with roll sheets and counts, they should also be counting as the children transition though out the day, so they have an accurate head count at all times. Safety of the children is our topmost priority. And we continue to stand by this and do everything to achieve this goal.” The daycare’s statement confirmed how long the child was left outside — for ‘less than a minute’ and that a teacher was fired as a result of this incident. Wellington Academy emphasized the safety of children under their care is the school’s top priority.