Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta GordaFirefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District performs a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park today.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT to open all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced it will open all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge a year ahead of its pedestrian sidewalk project.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
“Historic. Collaborative. Important.” Chauncey Goss, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Board, used those powerful words to describe the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). LOSOM had been in the works for the last five years. Brig. Gen. Daniel Hibner, South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, signed the Record of Decision on Monday, August 12, 2024, completing the final step in the approval process. The new plan modernizes the management of Lake Okeechobee and replaces one from 2008. What does it mean for southwest Florida? It’s designed to reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee estuary, improve water quality, and send more water south, where it’s needed. “This is a wonderful day, and we’re really excited to see LOSOM finalized after five years of hard work and public advocacy. LOSOM will provide both coasts with measurable relief from harmful discharges and flow more beneficial water south through the Everglades into Florida Bay—that’s great news for our National Treasure,” stated Capt. Daniel Andrews, Captains For Clean Water Executive Director. That will hopefully help prevent a repeat of the red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks from 2017 and 2018. The red tide outbreak started in October 2017 after Hurricane Irma and continued through the spring of 2018. By early summer, the bloom had resurged in the Gulf of Mexico and was detected along Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. Red tide. February 26, 2018. Credit: WINK News In 2018, blue-green algae invaded Cape Coral’s canals. In 2018, thick blankets of blue-green algae also invaded our canals and waterways, particularly in Cape Coral. Business and tourism plummeted as 90 miles away massive volumes of nutrient-packed freshwater flowed out of Lake O, fueling blooms and devastating the Caloosahatchee’s ecology. Those outbreaks came after water, sometimes containing blue-green algae, was released from Lake O to the Caloosahatchee. The releases were necessary at the time because of the lake’s elevated water level. “The Army Corps of Engineers after 2018 stepped back and said, ‘Hey, we’re making a mess here’, essentially,” said Andrews. Under the new guidelines, lake-level management will focus on making beneficial releases at times and in quantities that improve water supply availability and enhance fish and wildlife in the area. LOSOM also improves water managers’ ability to use system-wide analysis to adapt to real-time conditions, like if algae is on the lake, and make informed decisions about releases. It considers all the players—to the north, south, east, and west. “Our Nation made a $1.8 Billion investment in the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike to allow development of a new operating manual that balances the needs of the entire system,” explained Col. Brandon Bowman, Jacksonville District commander. RELATED: Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation project completed ahead of schedule RELATED: Model run chosen as framework for Lake Okeechobee operating manual RELATED: LOSOM discussions underway to outline future for Lake Okeechobee “LOSOM won’t solve all of our problems, but it will lower the number of damaging discharges, which transport massive amounts of polluted lake water into our estuarine ecosystems,” Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis said in a release. “LOSOM provides more flexibilities to water managers to be able to put water where it needs to be…We will still have harmful discharges under this plan, but we will have less of them, about 37% less,” explained Andrews. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also releases water from Lake O to the St. Lucie River, the Lake Worth Lagoon, water conservation areas, and Everglades National Park. “As more Everglades restoration projects come online, we will be able to worry less about the impact that Lake Okeechobee has on our coastal environment and focus more attention on cleaning up our own watershed,” added DePaolis. Captains For Clean Water calls LOSOM the most impactful step to reduce harmful discharges, now in tandem with Everglades restoration, means infrastructure to send more water south, instead of east and west.