WINK News Digital

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A former Tampa police detective has been sentenced to eight months of home detention and five years of probation for stealing fraudulent tax refund checks from an evidence room. Media outlets report that Jeanette Hevel was sentenced Thursday. She previously pleaded guilty to theft of government property. Court records show Hevel […]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida’s unemployment rate continues to nudge down slightly. Officials announced Friday that the state’s jobless rate in December was 5 percent. This was a small decline of 0.1 percent from the revised rate of 5.1 percent for November. It’s the lowest the unemployment rate has been in seven years. The state […]

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Southwest Florida is mourning the loss of one of its great activists. The first black member of the Fort Myers City Council has passed away, but the impression she made on the city will carry on for years to come. Fort Myers City Council Member Johnny Streets stopped by the WINK News […]

DETROIT (AP) – Automobile recalls hit another record last year as stronger government enforcement and widening recalls of exploding air bags pushed the total above 51 million vehicles. The 2015 number barely beat the old record set in 2014, after that total was adjusted downward from nearly 64 million to eliminate double counting in the […]

DETROIT (AP) – Britax Child Safety is recalling more than 71,000 infant car seats because the carrying handles can break. The recall covers the B-Safe 35, the B-Safe 35 Elite and the B-Safe 35 Travel System made from Oct. 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015. Documents posted Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration […]

HONOLULU (AP) – The Marine Corps says the 12 Marines who were in two helicopters that crashed off Hawaii are considered dead. The status of the missing Marines changed to deceased on Wednesday, after five days of searching for them. The Marine Corps says casualty assistance calls officers personally notified each family of the change. […]

ENGLEWOOD, Fla.- A man lost eight teeth and had to have his jaw wired after he said his e-cigarette exploded in his face. Chris Thompson was on his way to breakfast with his dad, Mike, on Sunday when he said suddenly his e-cigarette exploded in his right hand. “I was about to take a puff […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials say a record number of airline passengers were caught last year trying to take guns on planes, and most of the weapons were loaded. The Transportation Security Administration says 2,653 firearms were found in carry-on bags in 2015, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, which had been a […]

NAPLES, Fla.- A $20 million construction project is bringing major changes to U.S. 41 and Collier Boulevard in East Naples. On Thursday, drivers began enjoying the wider lanes that mark the beginning of an even bigger project as the population of East Naples continues to rise. “Explosive is the perfect word for it,” said Collier County Commissioner Donna Fiala, describing […]

NAPLES, Fla. – An unoccupied Collier County Sheriff’s Office vehicle was shot at while parked at an apartment complex on Thursday. Two bullet holes were found on the front passenger door of the marked vehicle, which was parked at the Bermuda Isles Apartments at the intersection of Vanderbilt and Livingston roads, authorities said. The deputy […]