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.
PORT CHARLOTTE Player of the Week: Logan Flaherty Port Charlotte’s QB found the endzone twice himself and had two passing touchdowns in the Pirate’s week two victory over North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police investigating scooter crash Authorities are investigating a crash in Cape Coral that injured a scooter rider.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach artist’s paint supplies dumped in canal Rogers is a local artist who has painted iconic Fort Myers Beach landmarks like the pier. Sadly, his supplies were taken away, and now he needs your help finding them.
NORTH FORT MYERS Bodycam footage shows deputies respond to NFM alligator attack Lee County Sheriff’s Office has released the bodycam footage as deputies arrive on the scene in North Fort Myers after a gator bit a woman walking her dog near a pond on Thursday night.
Modified form of herpes virus used for melanoma treatment The skin cancer melanoma is one of the most common and serious cancers in the U.S. It can be life-threatening in as little as six weeks.
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.
PORT CHARLOTTE Player of the Week: Logan Flaherty Port Charlotte’s QB found the endzone twice himself and had two passing touchdowns in the Pirate’s week two victory over North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police investigating scooter crash Authorities are investigating a crash in Cape Coral that injured a scooter rider.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach artist’s paint supplies dumped in canal Rogers is a local artist who has painted iconic Fort Myers Beach landmarks like the pier. Sadly, his supplies were taken away, and now he needs your help finding them.
NORTH FORT MYERS Bodycam footage shows deputies respond to NFM alligator attack Lee County Sheriff’s Office has released the bodycam footage as deputies arrive on the scene in North Fort Myers after a gator bit a woman walking her dog near a pond on Thursday night.
Modified form of herpes virus used for melanoma treatment The skin cancer melanoma is one of the most common and serious cancers in the U.S. It can be life-threatening in as little as six weeks.
A 37-year-old Immokalee man has been arrested, suspected of illegally harvesting saw palmetto berries. According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Jose Ramirez’s arrest was the first of the season. Deputies arrested him Tuesday morning, just after 7:30 a.m., while patrolling the woodlands in Immokalee. Deputies say they caught Ramirez with a bucket full of Saw Palmetto Berries. According to the CCSO report, another man was seen collecting berries along with Ramirez, but he ran off before deputies could reach him. This arrest comes after a new law promises harsher punishments for illegal harvesting of the berry, which has healing properties. CCSO’s Agriculture Unit said the consequences will be different this year. In a Facebook video posted in early July, CCSO said, “Harvesting without a permit or without written permission is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison; falsifying a harvesting document also is a third-degree felony.” RELATED: Illegal saw palmetto berry harvest leads to more than 15 arrests, hundreds of pounds recovered “You know, just like I can’t go into your house and help myself to, you know, something of yours. Why should anybody be able to go on private land and help themselves?” asked Gene McAvoy, a private consultant. CCSO said that those who want to buy the berries must have a harvesting permit, landowner permission, and a two-year, government-issued ID for the harvester. According to CCSO, failing to do so is a “first-degree felony punishable by up to one year in jail; buying and possessing unlawfully harvested palmetto berries is [a] third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.” “Farming is a hard business. So anything you do to, you know, add another profit stream to your operation, it helps farmers stay in business and keep farmland in farming,” said McAvoy. McAvoy says the price of saw palmetto berries changes from season to season, but this berry’s value in fighting cancer means more than the profit. “Saw Palmetto is used medicinally to for the treatment of prostate cancer,” said McAvoy. “They extract the chemical, and I’m not exactly sure what the name of that chemical is from the berries, but it shrinks the tumors.” Saw palmetto berries are a valuable resource that grows here in Southwest Florida. Their healing powers are a reason for the influx of thieves. According to Jeremia Mudge, a harvester at J&B Palmetto Berries in LaBelle, the berries are used to treat prostate cancer and prevent the prostate line from swelling. When we spoke to Mudge earlier this month, he said that harvesters are looking for thieves. Arrests made in illegal saw palmetto berry harvest in Florida. CREDIT: INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE “We have cameras; we have drones; we put about eight to 15 people in jail a year. It’s an epidemic. It’s disgusting. I’ve been cut and injured,” Mudge said. The harvesting season is short, lasting from late summer into early fall. For more information on how to obtain a harvesting permit, go to the Florida Department of Agriculture’s website. Ramirez currently remains in custody.