CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gapsBay Street Yard set to open in late May
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
FORT MYERS Could a Ferris wheel in downtown Fort Myers work? Right now, there are talks to bring a Ferris wheel to downtown Fort Myers, but several things are still up in the air.
LITTLE HICKORY BAY Improving ‘Hell’s Gate’ safety, a notoriously dangerous waterway for boaters A push to make an area known as “Hell’s Gate” safer since it’s a dangerous stretch of water with several blind corners within Little Hickory Bay.
WINK NEWS DeSantis says Florida needs to borrow federal money for unemployment budget As unemployed Floridians revise their budgets to live without the extra money from the federal government, the governor gave us a peek into how the state will pay for the president’s new proposed boost in unemployment benefits. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state’s best option is likely to ask the federal government for a […]
LEE COUNTY Can Florida afford to pay part of Trump’s proposed federal unemployment benefits? President Donald Trump has taken executive action aimed at helping those who are struggling. He announced $400 in weekly federal unemployment payments to Americans who are out of work. That’s $200 less than people were previously receiving, and states will be responsible for paying part of that. Nothing is set in stone, but one expert […]
WINK NEWS Unemployed Floridians worry as $600 federal benefits expire, payments now summarized on DEO website According to the state’s unemployment dashboard, it’s paid more than $8.5 billion in CARES Act benefits to unemployed Floridians. But, as of last Saturday, that extra $600 a week is over. We looked at how the decrease in unemployment benefits is impacting workers Southwest Florida Monday. For Bonnie Armstrong, losing the extra $600 in federal […]
LEE COUNTY Federal unemployment benefits set to expire, leaving recipients to face the unknown Losing federal unemployment benefits will make it hard for people in Southwest Florida to make ends meet. The $600 weekly benefit, a CARES Act addition to state benefits, will end July 25 in Florida unless Congress passes legislation to extend it. Anne Lindberg of Port Charlotte is out of work, but she’s paying her bills thanks […]
WINK NEWS June unemployment rate shows improvement, but future is up in the air Florida’s unemployment rate for June dropped to 10.4%. But those gains might be short lived, as parts of the state closed yet again. We spoke to a man in Southwest Florida who is riding this unemployment rollercoaster. Musician Scott McDonald is out of work — again. He initially stopped performing at the Cielo, a restaurant […]
WINK NEWS Unemployment call taker warns of longer wait times after state ends contracts The Department of Economic Opportunity has canceled contracts with two companies that were hired to pick up calls about unemployment claims of Floridians. A woman who still works for one of those companies told us she thinks wait times are going to get worse. DEO spokesperson Paige Landrum told us those companies are AECOM and […]
WINK NEWS COVID-19 rises in Florida, other states, but responses are different Florida, Texas and California are all reporting the highest death tolls among states in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic began. As cases grow, more governors are imposing restrictions. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has not decided to do the exact same thing. We continued to look at what the state is doing to respond to […]
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral councilman responds after being scrutinized for email threat, public behavior A Cape Coral councilman has gained negative attention after he was caught on camera with a mask over his entire face at the most recent city council meeting. He also abruptly left the meeting prior to that one. Now, a Cape Coral businessman says he was directly threatened by the elected leader. Jay LaGace, a […]
DEO says 100% eligible unemployment claimants paid; other applicants fall through cracks The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s claims dashboard says it has paid 100 percent of eligible claimants, yet dozens of people have told WINK News that they’re missing weeks of payments. Some have said they’ve gone months and still don’t know whether they’ve been approved. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said the DEO has been […]
WINK NEWS Unemployment claimants get wrong message for PEUC benefits, DEO working to remove it An apparent glitch in the system and inconsistent information is causing confusion over unemployment. We looked at what to do Thursday if your benefits have exhausted or they’re about to. Soon, claimants should get a link on CONNECT for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), the federal program that extends your benefits for 13 more weeks. […]