Professional Experience

2021 - present: WINK News morning anchor
2019 - 2021: WINK News weekend anchor/reporter
2018 - 2019: WINK News reporter
Previously worked as a weekend anchor and reporter at KMIZ in Columbia, Missouri.

Awards and Recognition

2019 Suncoast Regional Emmy Award nomination for reporting on a "Bomb Squad Search at a Home in Cape Coral."
Two Heart of America Gold Awards from the Kansas City Press Club for a special report on "Surviving a Mass Shooting" and for several reports on human and sex trafficking in mid-Missouri.

News Philosophy

Be a voice for the voiceless.

Education

Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism

Hometown

Canonsburg, PA

Hobbies and Interests & Community Involvement

I love soaking up the sun. You can find me relaxing at the beach or at the pool with a good murder mystery book. I enjoy working out and recently became a certified Les Mills Body Pump instructor. Being just a short flight away from so many beautiful countries and territories in the Caribbean, I love exploring new areas and cultures. Animals are my favorite. I am a volunteer at the Gulf Coast Humane Society and help other rescue organizations with events and fundraisers. I also volunteer with Best Buddies Southwest Florida and the Children's Advocacy Center.

Family and Pets

My husband and I are proud parents to two black cats named Isaac and Cleo.

Likes best about Southwest Florida:

The weather and beaches. We live where people vacation.

 

Trees torn down at downtown Fort Myers’ Centennial Park

Centennial Park has been closed since October 2020 when the city removed the homeless population for plans of a renovation. On Tuesday, trees surrounding the Uncommon Friends Fountain, were removed. The tree removal was part of the plan but people are upset. Community activists say the trees were part of Fort Myers’ legacy. They provided […]

Suspect faces 2nd-degree murder charge for June Lehigh Acres homicide

One man was arrested in connection to a road rage shooting death in Lehigh Acres. According to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, Yusafali Gooding, 27, of Lehigh Acres faces a charge of second-degree murder. On the evening of June 28, Yairo Oropeza, 23, was shot and killed along Sunrise Boulevard in what Marceno described as […]

Pilots in demand as airline industry struggles to keep up

Air travel has picked up again but the airline industry is struggling to keep up. Pilots are in demand, and American Airlines is canceling almost 1,000 flights because of the shortage. Katie Clagg is a flight instructor at Paragon Flight in Fort Myers. The academy at Page Field said it’s on pace for a record year […]

alexander connolly

Fort Myers police hope tips help search for missing-endangered teen, possible witness

Investigators hope you can help bring a Southwest Florida teenager home. Since Sunday, 16-year-old Alex Connolly of Fort Myers has been considered missing and endangered. Brand-new clues Tuesday might help find him. He was last seen near the Windsor East Apartments in Fort Myers where he lives. Fort Myers Police Department released new surveillance pictures […]

Woman saved after being stuck in canal for 9 hours in Cape Coral

Cape Coral Fire Department and Cape Coral Police Department responded to a senior woman in a canal Tuesday. According to CCFD, crews were in the 900 block of Archer Parkway E, where a woman says she went into a canal around 11 a.m. to get her dog and was unable to get out of the […]

lehigh shooting scene

LCSO investigating possible shooting in Lehigh Acres

A possible shooting is being investigated in Lehigh Acres, with the crime scene and roadblock clearing up after nearly 12 hours at around 8 a.m. Tuesday. Lee County Sheriff’s deputies blocked off Sunrise Boulevard from Andalucia Avenue South to Genoa Avenue South, a rural area with few homes around, to look into gunshots neighbors say […]

Cape Coral woman gets help from city after cars crash into her home

A Cape Coral woman who has had four cars crash into her home has gotten some help from the city to hopefully prevent it from happening again. The most recent crash ended with a car nearly inside Lauri Langone’s living room of her home on SE 20th Court. She said sleeping at night is the […]

Caught on cam: Thief uses counterfeit bill at ice cream shop, steals the tips

A downtown Fort Myers ice cream shop was robbed of its tips – and that’s not all. The manager of Scoops on First hopes that sharing the surveillance footage of the thief will help catch him. She also wants to warn other businesses to secure their tips and be on the lookout for fake bills. […]

Lee County man accused of molestation may have more victims, investigators say

Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help identifying additional victims who may have been sexually assaulted at the hands of a Lee County man. Heriberto Batista Montijo, 42, was arrested May 14 and faces 19 charges that include sexual assault on a victim under 12; child cruelty; lewd and lascivious behavior on […]

manatee

SWFL congressman pushes for manatees to be back on endangered species list

Community and political leaders are sounding the alarm on the rising number of manatee deaths. On average, there have been five manatee deaths per day since the beginning of the year. Rep. Vern Buchanan represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District and he wants to see manatees back on the endangered species list. Buchanan says this would […]