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.

 

Lee County bus driver goes unconscious taking students to school, none hurt

It was a scary ride to school for some children in Southwest Florida after their bus driver went unconscious behind the wheel. Luckily, the driver was able to pull over right before it happened. A Lee County bus driver was taking students to North Fort Myers Academy of the Arts when she passed out at […]

lee county commissioners

New Lee County commissioners sworn in, want to take action to combat COVID-19

Lee County swore in three new commissioners on Tuesday. They are eager to get right to work to curb the rise in COVID-19 cases but they have other top priorities as well. Newly sworn-in Commissioner Ray Sandelli said, “It’s jobs.” Commissioner Frank Mann said, “Water is a subject that never goes away.” But, newly-elected Commissioner […]

Residents keep wary eye on coyotes in Cape Coral neighborhood

An abandoned golf course is attracting coyotes to one Southwest Florida neighborhood. Karen Donnelly always has her eyes peeled when she takes her dog Kazi for a walk. She said Kazi stares down coyotes who venture out into her southeast Cape Coral neighborhood off Country Club Boulevard. “She’ll stop in the middle of the road […]

The plan to get the coronavirus vaccine to Florida

Pfizer announced today that they have a promising coronavirus vaccine candidate showing 90% effectiveness. They are now on track to apply for emergency authorization later in November. But who in Florida will have first access to this new vaccine? Dr. Alejandro Perez-Trepichio is a doctor with Millennium Physician Group. “That effective of 90% is certainly […]

Plasma supply running low for COVID-19 patients in SWFL

A COVID-19 survivor is pleading with you to donate your plasma if you’ve had the coronavirus. Lee Health is also asking for the community’s help. Supplies are running low and it’s becoming difficult to find matches for patients. “I kept hanging on to hope, even the last couple days, they said, ‘Maybe today will be […]

Cow

Cow seen roaming around a Lehigh Acres neighborhood finally caught

A nuisance animal found roaming around in Lehigh Acres for a month has finally been caught. No one is allowed to have livestock in the area, yet these neighbors have seen a mysterious cow helping themselves to their gardens for four weeks. Mary Pasetti says she’s seen plenty of wildlife outside her home in Lehigh. […]

A Halloween pumpkin. Photo via WINK News.

Keeping Halloween safe and fun in Southwest Florida

The pandemic is changing how we celebrate Halloween in Southwest Florida. Some people have found unique ways to get candy to kids, while others are handing out more than a sweet treat. Stefanie Underwood is doing her best to keep the Halloween tradition alive and her Harlem Heights neighborhood safe. She and her neighbors plan […]

toll road project

Toll road proposed to connect Polk and Collier counties is still in the early stages

A 140-mile stretch of road in Southwest Florida could become a new toll road. Truckers and farmers hope this will connect Polk and Collier Counties. This task force has only just begun to consider whether or not the toll road is even necessary. The Florida Trucking Association and the Florida Chamber of Commerce are both […]

snack house

Iconic downtown restaurant ‘The Snack House’ is getting a new home

The 1950s-style Snack House thrived from the Civil Rights era until the doors closed in the 1990s. The owners’ son shares the special history of the restaurant with WINK News Anchor Taylor Petras. Svea Scott remembers the booth in The Snack House where her family loved to sit. “Usually it was like the third booth […]