Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recoveredHendry County rolls out cameras for new school zone safety program
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for new school zone safety program The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite motherās measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
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.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for new school zone safety program The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite motherās measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
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.
Location of the sewage spill. Credit: WINK News A Punta Gorda official has responded to claims that the Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the seepage of 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage into the Charlotte Harbor over the weekend. “It was neither straight raw sewage nor into the harbor. This was strictly Helene-related,” said Dr. Melissa Reichert, Assistant City Manager Punta Gorda in a message to WINK News. Punta Gorda’s wastewater treatment plant had reported the release to the DEP due to an influx of storm surge from Hurricane Helene. “It was not an infrastructure failure,” clarified Reichert, “not a capacity issue, not a failure of the city. We had 60 pumping stations and 1293 manholes under water from storm surge. The master pumping stations on Henry Street was pumping full capacity for days. No failure. The amount of water inundating the system simply overcame what it can handle.” The incident report from the DEP was a “Pollution Notice” that was attributed to have been filed by David Brooks, the Utilities Supervisor for the City of Punta Gorda. The report read as follows: “City of Punta Gorda Wastewater Treatment Plant reports a wastewater release of raw sewage of approximately 1.6 million gallons from a master pump station due to storm surge,” said the report on letterhead from DEP. “The Charlotte Harbor has been impacted by the release. No clean up actions have been reported. The discharge began at approximately 18:00 on 9/26/2024 and ended at approximately 03:00 on 9/29/2024.” Reichert clarified via email that “the DEP report form considers anything in the line raw sewage, there is not a box to check for stormwater inundation. FDEP is aware that this is storm surge inundation.” There was some concern of the possibility that this water may pose a risk to water quality. Don Duke, chair of the Department of Ecology in Environmental Studies at Florida Gulf Coast Univeristy’s Water School, told WINK News earlier, “The spill is caused by a storm surge of that nature. The spillage goes out into the ocean, not like it’s a trivial thing, it matters quite a lot, but we don’t use that water to treat for drinking water. This is a large portion of water that was not treated to kill those organisms that went out into the environment. We expect the salt water will die off reasonably quickly, but it is prudent to stay out of that water.” Reichert, however, noted that the water was not polluted but a diluted overflow. “The overflow was very dilute primarily harbor and rainwater, not ‘raw sewage’ as would be pumped on a normal day. The storm surge in the harbor impacted us,” she stated. “The system is not designed nor allowed to pump stormwater. It is a sanitary sewer system, not a combined/stormwater sewer system.” She said the city will monitor the quality of the water and notify the public if a water advisory needs to be issued. “The City is closely monitoring the situation to ensure public and environmental safety,” she said. “Sampling will be conducted in accordance with applicable state statutes, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”