Duo arrested for Cape Coral armed robbery, fleeing from officersMassive police presence reported at Shandler Hall Park
CAPE CORAL Duo arrested for Cape Coral armed robbery, fleeing from officers Two people have been arrested after allegedly breaking into a Cape Coral arcade armed with guns earlier this week.
FORT MYERS Massive police presence reported at Shandler Hall Park Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to a scene located at Shandler Hall Park in Fort Myers.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County increasing school police presence over social media threats As parents send their kids to school Thursday, they’ll see extra police and deputy presence on campuses due to threats posted on social media.
The Weather Authority More rain and storms for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking an increased chance of rain and storms throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Pet cat recovering after being shot at in Port Charlotte A pet cat that has been missing for several days turns up at his Port Charlotte home but is in rough shape.
NAPLES Man accused of exposing himself at Naples Pier The Naples Police Department arrested a man who stands accused of exposing himself publicly at the Naples Pier.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral focusing on evacuation routes for hurricanes The city of Cape Coral is focusing on evacuation routes to make things smooth and safe for residents leaving during severe weather events.
Fort Myers talks about proposed parking lot in Dean Park Residents are trying to stop the warehouse in the Dean Park Historic District from becoming a parking lot for the city’s truck fleet.
Former New York officer speaks to students on 9/11 Master officer for Naples police department Sean Phillips, who at the time was a New York police officer, shared what that day was like for him with students at the community school of Naples.
FORT MYERS President Biden writes letter to Lee County student Every day a student in Lee County carries a very special letter around with him. He likes to show it to anyone he can.
CAPE CORAL Company helping Cape Coral neighbors but not all properties in city For over a month now we’ve told you about the plans by the city of Cape Coral to acquire 19 acres east of Bimini Basin that’s forcing some neighbors to vacate the properties they’re currently renting and living in. Now, we’re hearing from a company offering help for these families to help them relocate.
NAPLES Child still in coma week after car crash It has been a week since a horrific car crash in Naples killed a mother and injured two children.
WINK NEWS Every SWFL football team shares one common enemy this season High temperatures and lightning have defined the Gulf Coast’s high school football season so far this year.
COLLIER COUNTY WINK News Player of the Week: Gulf Coast QB Jace Seyler Gulf Coast QB Jace Seyler is the WINK News Player of the Week after he threw for 300 yards and scored five touchdowns in the win over Lely.
LEHIGH ACRES Veteran speaks out during Suicide Prevention Month September is suicide prevention month. This is the time to remember the heavy toll mental health struggles take on our veterans.
CAPE CORAL Duo arrested for Cape Coral armed robbery, fleeing from officers Two people have been arrested after allegedly breaking into a Cape Coral arcade armed with guns earlier this week.
FORT MYERS Massive police presence reported at Shandler Hall Park Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to a scene located at Shandler Hall Park in Fort Myers.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County increasing school police presence over social media threats As parents send their kids to school Thursday, they’ll see extra police and deputy presence on campuses due to threats posted on social media.
The Weather Authority More rain and storms for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking an increased chance of rain and storms throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Pet cat recovering after being shot at in Port Charlotte A pet cat that has been missing for several days turns up at his Port Charlotte home but is in rough shape.
NAPLES Man accused of exposing himself at Naples Pier The Naples Police Department arrested a man who stands accused of exposing himself publicly at the Naples Pier.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral focusing on evacuation routes for hurricanes The city of Cape Coral is focusing on evacuation routes to make things smooth and safe for residents leaving during severe weather events.
Fort Myers talks about proposed parking lot in Dean Park Residents are trying to stop the warehouse in the Dean Park Historic District from becoming a parking lot for the city’s truck fleet.
Former New York officer speaks to students on 9/11 Master officer for Naples police department Sean Phillips, who at the time was a New York police officer, shared what that day was like for him with students at the community school of Naples.
FORT MYERS President Biden writes letter to Lee County student Every day a student in Lee County carries a very special letter around with him. He likes to show it to anyone he can.
CAPE CORAL Company helping Cape Coral neighbors but not all properties in city For over a month now we’ve told you about the plans by the city of Cape Coral to acquire 19 acres east of Bimini Basin that’s forcing some neighbors to vacate the properties they’re currently renting and living in. Now, we’re hearing from a company offering help for these families to help them relocate.
NAPLES Child still in coma week after car crash It has been a week since a horrific car crash in Naples killed a mother and injured two children.
WINK NEWS Every SWFL football team shares one common enemy this season High temperatures and lightning have defined the Gulf Coast’s high school football season so far this year.
COLLIER COUNTY WINK News Player of the Week: Gulf Coast QB Jace Seyler Gulf Coast QB Jace Seyler is the WINK News Player of the Week after he threw for 300 yards and scored five touchdowns in the win over Lely.
LEHIGH ACRES Veteran speaks out during Suicide Prevention Month September is suicide prevention month. This is the time to remember the heavy toll mental health struggles take on our veterans.
The teachers union in Lee County has won $8.2 million arbitration against the Lee County School District. The arbitrator sustained the Teachers Association of Lee County’s (TALC) grievances in its entirety and ruled in favor of the union. TALC won $8.2 million but will only take home $5.5 million dollars. This is because the arbitrator found the district had already paid $2.6 million. The language of the decision is as follows: On or before October 31, 2024, the District shall pay each person on said list the District’s calculated net amount due–up to a maximum payout of $5,512,612.56, which figure represents the difference between $8.2M that should have been the cap under§ 10.04(4)(h) and $2,687,387.44 (the amount paid through March 15, 2023, per EX-11). According to the arbitrator, the large amount of money will go towards teachers who have covered classes they aren’t normally supposed to. At the elementary level, to cover somebody who’s out, sometimes they would take that class and split it among the rest of the team. At secondary, they may ask somebody to give up their planning period or a lunch and teach while they should have had that time off. This all started in 2023 when the Lee County School District said the money for teachers taking on more students or additional classes was all exhausted. This led the Teacher’s Association of Lee County to fight back, and on Friday, they learned they won. They were supposed to get a decision in September and are “pleased” to see change happen sooner than anticipated. Imagine taking on more students, more classes and not getting paid. That is the reality of some Lee County teachers. “They’re rock stars. They’re being asked to perform work and some really tough conditions,” the Director of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County, Kerr Fazzone said. ESSER funds, which stand for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, went towards teachers doing additional work. The union claimed the Lee County School District violated their contract when they exhausted funds to pay teachers for the additional work. He said these teachers not getting paid for their extra help didn’t sit right with him. In August 2023, Fazzone and the union asked for an arbitrator. The hearing was supposed to be in February. The district said that they couldn’t do it in February because of the superintendent’s change. The hearing got punted to June and the result came Friday. “We were very pleased that the arbitrator found TALC’s favor completely. The district threw a lot of arguments at the arbitrator and none of those ended up sticking,” Fazzone said. The Teacher’s Association of Lee County was awarded $8.2 million dollars but will be getting $5.5 million dollars, since the arbitrator found the school district already paid $2.6 million dollars. “The arbitrator is very clear that the money was for teachers covering classes that weren’t normally theirs, and that that’s who the money should go to. It would have been unfair to pay somebody who didn’t cover a class,” Fazzone said. With teacher shortage, working teachers were asked to do more. “The big part of the issue was the fact that the district had hundreds of teacher vacancies, and so the kids were still in the classroom, and so they needed to have people that were, you know, that to take on those additional duties, and to take on those additional duties people expect to be compensated,” Fazzone said. This marks the end of a long debate, at least for now. “This is nowhere near enough, but I’m very pleased that this will help us in their money in their pockets. I hate that it’s taken so long to get here, but I’m glad that we’re here,” Fazzone said. In October, the school district must give the teachers’ association a list of people who were paid and those who weren’t paid. Once a final list is made, those on the list should be paid by December 15. The arbitrator made a note in the award that if, for some reason, both sides can’t agree on who that money is supposed to go to, then the parties must another arbitrator to determine that. TALC says in the coming weeks, the Teachers Association of Lee County hopes to have more concrete plans for the distribution of the money. Lee County School District did send WINK News a statement on the arbitration decision. “The District entered into arbitration process with TALC regarding class coverage payments in the 2023-2024 school year. Per the arbitration decision, teachers who were paid for class coverage during that time period will be provided additional compensation. Although the ruling does not allow us to use the funds to compensate all teachers, we look forward to continued collaboration with our teacher’s union to increase compensation for all teachers in the future.”