Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor BoulevardFamily of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security. Do you want to know if your elected school board member is Republican or Democrat? Or do you feel political parties shouldn’t be brought into school board elections? That’s what Amendment 1 is asking voters. Spencer Roach, our local State Representative of House District 76, helped author Amendment 1. Roach said parents and taxpayers need to know what political party every elected school board member is affiliated with. “These candidates are dogmatic. They are political. They are not as pure as the wind-driven snow. These races are already highly partisan. It’s just time to bring that out into the open, into the sunshine,” Roach said. Current Florida law states that elected school board members cannot legally declare their party affiliation. However, if 60% of Florida voters vote “yes” to Amendment 1, that will change come November 2026. If passed, candidates would be nominated through partisan primaries. Florida is one of 41 states that participates in nonpartisan school board elections, and it has been that way for 22 years. “It should be our obligation to give voters as much information as possible about a candidate and then let the voters make that decision for themselves. Right now, that’s not happening in our current system,” Roach said. While Roach argues that the change will benefit everyone, Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association, disagrees. “Why would we want to put in the constitution a requirement for partisan school board elections when we know that that creates division and divisiveness, rather than focusing on what’s important for kids and making sure that they’re getting that world-class education that the Florida constitution requires,” Spar said. Spar said there are other ways than Amendment 1 to make our school system better. “What we need to do in our public schools is ensure that every child sees themselves in their learning, that every child sees themselves in the books that they are reading and that every child is getting the education they deserve and need, and politics can’t drive that decision,” Spar said. Governor Ron DeSantis has already made some local school board races political when he endorsed a handful of candidates both in 2022 and again in 2024. Roach told WINK News by having all candidates declare some sort of party affiliation, school board races will be less political. “It’s going to allow you to elect people who represent your values. This is, at its heart, a transparency measure. It’s not designed to help Republicans or hurt Democrats, that and vice versa,” Roach said. Both sides acknowledged an increase of tension in recent years during school board meetings, like the banning of some books. Spar disagrees with Roach and believes this amendment would make these meetings more political. “We should be focused on students and their learning and their needs. We should be focused on the communities that we serve, and I think that’s what most school board members want to do,” Spar said. Both sides have messages for voters. “I think this will make our system of education better in the state of Florida because it’s going to allow voters to elect people who represent the values that they want their children to be inculcated with at the schoolhouse,” Roach said. Spar said, “This is an amendment that would make school board elections partisan and put political parties in charge of decisions that are made at school boards rather than the interests of the students, the families and the communities that our public schools serve.” If you vote “yes,” you are voting to ensure anyone who may run for a school board position declares what political party they affiliate with. If you vote “no,” you are voting to keep the system the same, meaning school board candidates won’t declare what political party they align with. Read the full amendment here. Read about Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt