Life Celebration Center of Punta Gorda hosts free garage sale for storm victimsWINK Neighborhood Watch: Burglary, unregistered weapons and drug possession
PUNTA GORDA Life Celebration Center of Punta Gorda hosts free garage sale for storm victims Hurricane Milton may be in the rearview mirror for some in southwest Florida, but certainly not for everyone.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Burglary, unregistered weapons and drug possession This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features burglary, an unregistered firearm and silencer, and illegal drug and gun possession.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA A seasonal Sunday ahead with clouds, sun and dry conditions The Weather Authority is tracking a nice and dry Sunday, with seasonal temperatures topping out in the mid-80s.
Funeral service held for 16-year-old-girl shot and killed by stray bullet Hundreds of friends and family gathered together to say their final goodbyes to Ja’yhanna Johnson on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Dunbar native celebrates 101st birthday with friends and family A Dunbar native celebrated her 101st birthday on Sunday, and the Dunbar Community band surprised her during the festivities.
NAPLES Naples community unites, raises over $360,000 at annual breast cancer walk The annual fundraiser that’s been making strides in Southwest Florida toward fighting breast cancer is happening.
Collier County chase on I-75 ends in arrest after PIT maneuver A high-speed chase on Interstate 75 ended when Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested a driver following a PIT maneuver near Mile Marker 101 in Collier County.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Clouds and sun with seasonal temperatures for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking clouds and sun on Saturday with only a chance for a few showers.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 9 Check out southwest Florida high school football teams in action with several district titles on the line in week nine.
CLEWISTON Remembering Ja’yhanna Johnson; Loved ones pay final respects to teen killed at party A family is paying their final respects to a teen, gone too soon. Sixteen year old Ja’yhanna Johnson was a cheerleader, and had a strong sense of faith.
Former FBI agent speaks on deadly deputy-involved shooting A former FBI agent said that deputies appeared to take the steps they could before jumping to lethal force.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents petitioning to stop demolition of school Bonita Springs residents have a little more than 200 signatures on their online petition to prevent the demolition of Bonita Springs Elementary School.
Nicotine pouch trend grows amongst teens The number of teens using tobacco products is at a 25-year low, but at the same time, kids are ditching cigarettes, and many are picking up another habit: nicotine pouches.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda funeral home supports community during Milton Two years ago, Hurricane Ian came and turned the Johnson Funeral Home in Punta Gorda into rubble.
FORT MYERS Drive-thru-only Starbucks enters construction phase while traffic concerns grow It looks like a construction zone for the time being, but soon it will be a one-of-a-kind Starbucks in Fort Myers.
PUNTA GORDA Life Celebration Center of Punta Gorda hosts free garage sale for storm victims Hurricane Milton may be in the rearview mirror for some in southwest Florida, but certainly not for everyone.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Burglary, unregistered weapons and drug possession This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features burglary, an unregistered firearm and silencer, and illegal drug and gun possession.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA A seasonal Sunday ahead with clouds, sun and dry conditions The Weather Authority is tracking a nice and dry Sunday, with seasonal temperatures topping out in the mid-80s.
Funeral service held for 16-year-old-girl shot and killed by stray bullet Hundreds of friends and family gathered together to say their final goodbyes to Ja’yhanna Johnson on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Dunbar native celebrates 101st birthday with friends and family A Dunbar native celebrated her 101st birthday on Sunday, and the Dunbar Community band surprised her during the festivities.
NAPLES Naples community unites, raises over $360,000 at annual breast cancer walk The annual fundraiser that’s been making strides in Southwest Florida toward fighting breast cancer is happening.
Collier County chase on I-75 ends in arrest after PIT maneuver A high-speed chase on Interstate 75 ended when Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested a driver following a PIT maneuver near Mile Marker 101 in Collier County.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Clouds and sun with seasonal temperatures for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking clouds and sun on Saturday with only a chance for a few showers.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 9 Check out southwest Florida high school football teams in action with several district titles on the line in week nine.
CLEWISTON Remembering Ja’yhanna Johnson; Loved ones pay final respects to teen killed at party A family is paying their final respects to a teen, gone too soon. Sixteen year old Ja’yhanna Johnson was a cheerleader, and had a strong sense of faith.
Former FBI agent speaks on deadly deputy-involved shooting A former FBI agent said that deputies appeared to take the steps they could before jumping to lethal force.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents petitioning to stop demolition of school Bonita Springs residents have a little more than 200 signatures on their online petition to prevent the demolition of Bonita Springs Elementary School.
Nicotine pouch trend grows amongst teens The number of teens using tobacco products is at a 25-year low, but at the same time, kids are ditching cigarettes, and many are picking up another habit: nicotine pouches.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda funeral home supports community during Milton Two years ago, Hurricane Ian came and turned the Johnson Funeral Home in Punta Gorda into rubble.
FORT MYERS Drive-thru-only Starbucks enters construction phase while traffic concerns grow It looks like a construction zone for the time being, but soon it will be a one-of-a-kind Starbucks in Fort Myers.
Hurricane Milton may be in the rearview mirror for some in southwest Florida, but certainly not for everyone. After Ian, the Johnson funeral had to be rebuilt, but instead of a new funeral home, the Life Celebration Center of Punta Gorda was born. On Sunday, a family came together and hosted a garage sale for people affected by the storms; WINK News reporter Paul Dolan attended the event. Clothes, baby items, towels, and more were laid out under tents at the Life Celebration Center of Punta Gorda. Sherry Taft and her family were the masterminds behind this garage sale, and with everything donated and given to those in need for free, it’s generosity incarnate. “We’re so blessed with what we have. So we just want to share that,” Sherry said. This family works just like a team; everyone helps, even the young ones. “This is what my husband and I do. This is our life. We help others…our family just sticks together,” she said. Erik Taft told WINK, “Anybody’s in need, neighbors, friends, just random people that we see…We’ve always been that family that just like to help do what we can.” And the generosity was contagious at the garage sale. People like Robert started donating bags all morning. “It feels good to give back, you know. Again, we made it through the hurricane fine. We’re lucky enough to have what we have, and we’ve shared it with others,” said Robert. The more items people took home, the more people came by to donate more. And for Sherry, she couldn’t ask for anything else. “I just want the light of Jesus to shine and people to know that there are people that care, really. I just want people to know that they’re not alone,” Sherry explained. Working hard all morning and afternoon, Sherry showed southwest Florida the personification of caring and generosity. If you’d like to donate or learn more about how you can help, you can reach them via Facebook here or here.