19 heavy metal bands to perform at 119-year-old Arcadia opera houseFlorida officials seek tougher penalties for illegal arcades
ARCADIA 19 heavy metal bands to perform at 119-year-old Arcadia opera house A 119-year-old opera house will host 19 local heavy metal bands as part of a two-day festival.
Florida officials seek tougher penalties for illegal arcades Experts say that illegal gaming places are like cockroaches: if you squash one of them, a bunch more pop up in their place.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents urged to stay vigilant as armed man eludes capture Authorities are still searching for a 20-year-old man considered armed and dangerous, who escaped from deputies during an attempted arrest.
CAPE CORAL Behind the scenes look at upcoming Sunplash upgrades Sunsplash Waterpark in Cape Coral is set to unveil its newest attraction, Paradise Cove, later this year.
little gasparilla island Relief for Little Gasparilla as barge begins debris removal after hurricanes Little Gasparilla Island is receiving much-needed assistance from Charlotte County to clear debris from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Space research may unlock heart repair breakthroughs Researchers are exploring new frontiers in medical science by conducting experiments in space to address cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death.
PORT CHARLOTTE 911 call released of man who shot and killed wife in Port Charlotte home The 911 call of a man who called to report he had shot his wife while his two children were inside the home has been released.
NORTH PORT Gabby Petito documentary coming to Netflix The story of Gabby Petito’s murder captured the hearts and minds of Southwest Florida and the entire country. Now, Netflix is picking it up.
NAPLES Silver anniversary of the Naples Winter Wine Festival brings in lots of green – $34M The Naples Winter Wine Festival auction on Saturday struck a chord with patrons and inspired them to open their wallets.
BONITA SPRINGS Fort Myers woman accused of throwing brick through ex-husband’s window A woman has been arrested after allegedly throwing a brick through her ex-husband’s Bonita Springs house window.
NORTH PORT North Port man accused of staging scene after murdering wife A North Port man has been arrested after allegedly murdering his wife and staging the scene to make the incident look self-inflicted.
NAPLES Child abuse incident at Naples Pier leads to police officer’s arrest A police officer found himself on the other side of law after severely striking his child with a belt on Naples Pier.
the weather authority Chilly January wraps up; what to expect for February’s weather? With January wrapping up, Southwest Florida experienced quite a chilly month. Only two days throughout the entire month reached temperatures of 80 degrees or higher, the fewest since 2016.
downtown fort myers UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz to Grand Marshall Edison Festival of Light Former UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion and Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz has been announced as the grand marshall of the 87th annual Edison Festival of Light parade.
18 year old buys Travelin Tom’s Coffee Truck serving Charlotte County It had been only a week since former Florida Gulf Coast University student Maddox Burns took possession of his first coffee franchise truck, but he was busy Jan. 25 when adults and children lined up at Babcock Ranch to purchase one of his more than two dozen beverages.
ARCADIA 19 heavy metal bands to perform at 119-year-old Arcadia opera house A 119-year-old opera house will host 19 local heavy metal bands as part of a two-day festival.
Florida officials seek tougher penalties for illegal arcades Experts say that illegal gaming places are like cockroaches: if you squash one of them, a bunch more pop up in their place.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents urged to stay vigilant as armed man eludes capture Authorities are still searching for a 20-year-old man considered armed and dangerous, who escaped from deputies during an attempted arrest.
CAPE CORAL Behind the scenes look at upcoming Sunplash upgrades Sunsplash Waterpark in Cape Coral is set to unveil its newest attraction, Paradise Cove, later this year.
little gasparilla island Relief for Little Gasparilla as barge begins debris removal after hurricanes Little Gasparilla Island is receiving much-needed assistance from Charlotte County to clear debris from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Space research may unlock heart repair breakthroughs Researchers are exploring new frontiers in medical science by conducting experiments in space to address cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death.
PORT CHARLOTTE 911 call released of man who shot and killed wife in Port Charlotte home The 911 call of a man who called to report he had shot his wife while his two children were inside the home has been released.
NORTH PORT Gabby Petito documentary coming to Netflix The story of Gabby Petito’s murder captured the hearts and minds of Southwest Florida and the entire country. Now, Netflix is picking it up.
NAPLES Silver anniversary of the Naples Winter Wine Festival brings in lots of green – $34M The Naples Winter Wine Festival auction on Saturday struck a chord with patrons and inspired them to open their wallets.
BONITA SPRINGS Fort Myers woman accused of throwing brick through ex-husband’s window A woman has been arrested after allegedly throwing a brick through her ex-husband’s Bonita Springs house window.
NORTH PORT North Port man accused of staging scene after murdering wife A North Port man has been arrested after allegedly murdering his wife and staging the scene to make the incident look self-inflicted.
NAPLES Child abuse incident at Naples Pier leads to police officer’s arrest A police officer found himself on the other side of law after severely striking his child with a belt on Naples Pier.
the weather authority Chilly January wraps up; what to expect for February’s weather? With January wrapping up, Southwest Florida experienced quite a chilly month. Only two days throughout the entire month reached temperatures of 80 degrees or higher, the fewest since 2016.
downtown fort myers UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz to Grand Marshall Edison Festival of Light Former UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion and Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz has been announced as the grand marshall of the 87th annual Edison Festival of Light parade.
18 year old buys Travelin Tom’s Coffee Truck serving Charlotte County It had been only a week since former Florida Gulf Coast University student Maddox Burns took possession of his first coffee franchise truck, but he was busy Jan. 25 when adults and children lined up at Babcock Ranch to purchase one of his more than two dozen beverages.
Florida panther. CREDIT: NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is launching the Florida Panther Payment for Ecosystem Services pilot program for ranchers. The program will provide per-acre payments for habitat conditions supporting panther conservation and landscape connectivity. RELATED: FWC enlists landowner’s assistance in endangered panther conservation Jim Strickland said he just had a feeling that panthers were in the area. “We knew there were panthers here,” said Strickland. “We’d seen panther tracks.” Strickland, owner of Blackbeard’s Ranch, hadn’t seen a panther his whole life until nine months ago. “It ran directly in front of me, directly in front of me, probably 50 yards,” said Strickland. “I had another young man that was with me, and both of us just stopped, and he was going, ‘That’s a– that’s a– that’s a–‘ I said, ‘That was a panther.'” Strickland has been a cowboy all his life and wanted to continue being part of the conservation of wildlife in Florida. “It was one of, I think, one of the most momentous times in Florida, truly is. This is a public-private partnership to pay ranchers that provide habitat for endangered species, money we’re feeding those panthers. We needed to get paid.” Depending on your proximity to the panther habitat, ranchers can get paid up to $17 an acre. WINK News reporter Zoe Warner spoke with Luis Gonzales, a spokesperson for the FWC, who said this is pivotal for the state of Florida. He said that private land ownership and public land ownership are both important to conservation. “Private lands are over 50% of the composition within the state of Florida,” said Gonzales. “So without them, we could not provide landscape level conservation throughout the entire state, there are critical linkages between existing, publicly owned conservation lands, and they are a key to provide those linkages for wide-ranging species such as the Florida panther.” The question I had was: Why do we need more space when there is already a panther habitat? Strickland said Floridians need more space even though there is already a panther habitat. “Because 27,000 acres may take care of four or five panthers,” said Strickland. “That’s it, and those panthers are going to travel, so if we can build on those hubs like our parks, whether it’s state or federal parks, and then actually go pay the people that feed the panthers.” And Strickland can speak for his rancher friends; this is bigger than just a habitat. “We all have passion for animals,” Strickland said. “Ranchers really have a passion for conservation and the species that are on their ranches. We also have to be environmentally conscious, financially conscious that there’s times that we don’t make a lot of money, and if we lose four or five calves, or if we lose 15 calves, depending on the operation, that could really hurt us financially.”