Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veteransCaught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
CLEWISTON Homegoing services announced for 16-year-old killed by stray bullet The family of 16-year-old Ja’yhanna Johnson, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet, has announced memorial plans.
NAPLES Naples police hosting ‘Paws Fest’ to encourage dog adoptions The Naples Police Department will host Paws Fest to the public, where they can win a chance to take home a furry friend.
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
CLEWISTON Homegoing services announced for 16-year-old killed by stray bullet The family of 16-year-old Ja’yhanna Johnson, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet, has announced memorial plans.
NAPLES Naples police hosting ‘Paws Fest’ to encourage dog adoptions The Naples Police Department will host Paws Fest to the public, where they can win a chance to take home a furry friend.
On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida. With two hurricanes hitting southwest Florida in the last month alone, some thought voting turnout may be down on the first day of voting. The day after Milton Leah Valenti, the supervisor of elections for Charlotte County, said people requested mail-in ballots from the other states they relocated to because of the hurricane. She told WINK News that the damage from these recent hurricanes definitely had an impact on how many people are coming out to the polls early and not in the way you would think. “All our electrical stuff outside was underwater. My husband’s in his 80s. He’s still assessing stuff. This is more important right now,” said voter Kay Abs. Charlotte County was not spared by Hurricane Helene or Milton. “My favorite places to go eat, they all got flooded out,” said Charlotte County voter Anthony Nutt. Not even the early voting locations. “Our cellar flooded and unfortunately shorted our elevator, which rendered the elevator non-working, which the building is no longer ADA compliant,” said Leah Valenti, the supervisor of elections. If you think the loss this county experienced is causing people to lose out on their chance to cast their vote early, Think again. “Everybody goes through some trauma in life, but there are things that are very important that we just have to take care of. And I think voting in this election is one of them,” said Charlotte County voter Judith Grossman. Valenti, the supervisor of elections, knows that firsthand. “We have more vote by mail returned right now than in the entire primary election total,” said Valenti. “At the event center alone, within the first two and a half hours, there were more voters that showed up than in the primary election at all three locations for a day.” The hurricanes and what happened after them are actually the things driving people to the polls. “You know, who’s actually been on the ground making sure that the people are comfortable, making sure that the people receive communication, you know, which is essential,” said Nutt. “We do hear from voters and voter sentiment, and I think this is a heightened sense of who they want leading their county, their country,” said Valenti. To put into perspective just how big of a turnout Charlotte County has already seen, Valenti told WINK News that the vote by mail returns have already eclipsed the primary election. They already have 22,000 returned, and in the primary, they had a little over 19,000 in total.