Fort Myers Beach couple remains positive ahead of heavy rainLee County School District announces Helene makeup days
Fort Myers Beach couple remains positive ahead of heavy rain Fort Myers Beach is projected to receive inches of rain on Saturday, a little over a week after Helene. A Fort Myers Beach couple remains positive despite losing so much during Helene.
Lee County School District announces Helene makeup days Hurricane Helene canceled school days across Southwest Florida, and now schools are making up for the lost days.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors worried about future rain in Port Charlotte Flooded streets and road closure signs. These aren’t from a hurricane. Just an afternoon rain shower.
Charlotte Sheriff opposes Amendment 3 A highly debated topic that is going to be on the ballot in the state of Florida this November is Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana.
CAPTIVA Sanibel and Captiva picking back up after Helene It’s a race against the clock for all of Southwest Florida as communities pick up from Hurricane Helene. Rain is in the forecast again.
FORT MYERS BEACH A village helps a man rebuild on Fort Myers Beach With Helene on our minds, it’s hard to miss the impact Hurricane Ian still has on so many people two years later.
Charlotte County says they don’t have drainage issues in Port Charlotte A community left water logged over and over again is ready for it to end.
Bank of America says outages have been fixed Bank of America said an apparent glitch that caused widespread outages has been fixed.
TICE Second woman dead after September stabbing in Tice A second woman is dead after a stabbing. It happened on Sept. 20 on Montgomery Avenue in Tice.
VILLAS WINK News Game of the Week: Oasis at ECS Our WINK News Game of the Week brings us to Evangelical Christian School as the Sentinels host the Oasis High School Sharks.
FORT MYERS WINK News Player of the Week: Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith Our week six Wink News player of the week is one of the best in Lee County and the country: Bishop Verot High School quarterback Carter Smith.
FEMA offering disaster survivor assistance for those impacted by Helene If your home flooded during Hurricane Helene, you’re probably gutting the drywall and drying everything out as best you can, but what else do you need to do to get the help you need?
FORT MYERS Lee Health using newer screening methods to find early lung cancer Lee Health doubled the number of robot screenings to look for early stage lung cancer.
Industry Standard, BrAva Pizza launch in Bonita Springs A new chef-driven dining venue has transformed the former space of The Causeway, a short-lived food hall that closed this spring in Bonita Springs.
Breeze Airways chooses RSW as new base of operations Breeze Airways, an airline less than 4 years old that began with three destinations out of the region, chose Southwest Florida International Airport as a new base of operations.
Fort Myers Beach couple remains positive ahead of heavy rain Fort Myers Beach is projected to receive inches of rain on Saturday, a little over a week after Helene. A Fort Myers Beach couple remains positive despite losing so much during Helene.
Lee County School District announces Helene makeup days Hurricane Helene canceled school days across Southwest Florida, and now schools are making up for the lost days.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors worried about future rain in Port Charlotte Flooded streets and road closure signs. These aren’t from a hurricane. Just an afternoon rain shower.
Charlotte Sheriff opposes Amendment 3 A highly debated topic that is going to be on the ballot in the state of Florida this November is Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana.
CAPTIVA Sanibel and Captiva picking back up after Helene It’s a race against the clock for all of Southwest Florida as communities pick up from Hurricane Helene. Rain is in the forecast again.
FORT MYERS BEACH A village helps a man rebuild on Fort Myers Beach With Helene on our minds, it’s hard to miss the impact Hurricane Ian still has on so many people two years later.
Charlotte County says they don’t have drainage issues in Port Charlotte A community left water logged over and over again is ready for it to end.
Bank of America says outages have been fixed Bank of America said an apparent glitch that caused widespread outages has been fixed.
TICE Second woman dead after September stabbing in Tice A second woman is dead after a stabbing. It happened on Sept. 20 on Montgomery Avenue in Tice.
VILLAS WINK News Game of the Week: Oasis at ECS Our WINK News Game of the Week brings us to Evangelical Christian School as the Sentinels host the Oasis High School Sharks.
FORT MYERS WINK News Player of the Week: Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith Our week six Wink News player of the week is one of the best in Lee County and the country: Bishop Verot High School quarterback Carter Smith.
FEMA offering disaster survivor assistance for those impacted by Helene If your home flooded during Hurricane Helene, you’re probably gutting the drywall and drying everything out as best you can, but what else do you need to do to get the help you need?
FORT MYERS Lee Health using newer screening methods to find early lung cancer Lee Health doubled the number of robot screenings to look for early stage lung cancer.
Industry Standard, BrAva Pizza launch in Bonita Springs A new chef-driven dining venue has transformed the former space of The Causeway, a short-lived food hall that closed this spring in Bonita Springs.
Breeze Airways chooses RSW as new base of operations Breeze Airways, an airline less than 4 years old that began with three destinations out of the region, chose Southwest Florida International Airport as a new base of operations.
With Helene on our minds, it’s hard to miss the impact Hurricane Ian still has on so many people two years later. We wanted to update you on a post-Ian success that took a village to create. RELATED: Fort Myers Beach community supports 84-year-old still rebuilding “I want to die. I want to die. I am without hope. Now I’m old. I’m 84 years old, and I have nothing to look forward to,” said Joe Salvaggio months after Ian. House destroyed, hope shattered and a contractor who took $40,000 and did nothing. Then, WINK News viewers and Southwest Florida did what they do best: They helped—a lot, and look now. “Originally built in 1972 — I believe; right now, it’s a 2024 home in every way,” said Salvaggio. Let Salvaggio give you a tour, and you’ll quickly realize that progress is a lot more than plaster and paint to him. He marvels over the parts that are preserved. “I have a statue of four poker players. It’s called ‘The Cheaters,'” said Salvaggio. Salvaggio shows it proudly because it somehow survived Ian intact in the pool’s muck and is now part of his newly remodeled home. He’s also something of a celebrity around town after the stories WINK News did introducing you to him. “I stopped at the Metro Diner, and I sit down alone, and I order, and this young girl comes over, ‘Excuse me, sir. Is your name Joe?’ She’s hugging me and kissing me. She says, ‘You’re a hero at our house,'” said Salvaggio. There are a lot of hugs these days. “Still, I can’t shop in Lowe’s and on Corkscrew Road without all the girls coming over. Give me a big hug. ‘We’re so happy you’re still doing well,’ and this and that. It’s amazing,” said Salvaggio. Amazing on so many levels. Leaving Salvaggio looking forward to his life, keenly aware of what’s ahead but never losing sight of what he’s lost. “I enjoy just sitting here sometimes and looking around,” said Salvaggio. “I can’t believe it, and my only regret is that my wife’s not here to share this with me. She would have, she would have loved it. She would have loved it.” The house was rebuilt by people, but in the end, they rebuilt a man and gave him a future. “People are so good. There’s bad ones, but right now, all I see are the good ones, the good ones,” said Salvaggio.