Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene reliefMan accused of filming woman in Target dressing room
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
A Florida man was bitten by a shark and walked home bleeding where a woman called 911 and had him taken to a hospital. News outlets reported the man was swimming in the waters off Siesta Key when the attack happened. WTVT reported a woman called 911 and said the 39-year-old man had been bitten on his hand and arm and was bleeding profusely. She was heard reassuring him “everything’s going to be OK.” Sarasota Memorial Hospital spokesman Kim Savage said a man had been admitted Tuesday and the wound was confirmed to have been a shark bite, but she said she could not provide any more details on his condition or personal information.
Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, Wall Street has started to stabilize, and new optimism has emerged for the places where we shop. Now local business owners wonder what the next step will be to get back to normal. Cole Peacock, owner of Seed & Bean Market in Fort Myers, says the key to keeping the doors of his coffee shop open has been safety, and if vaccinations become part of that, he is not opposed. “I think it’s just going to have to come down to, sometimes, employee choice, and really what’s best for the business, and in the restaurant industry what’s best for the patrons that are coming in and out,” Peacock said. Unlike other businesses in downtown Fort Myers, Seed & Bean Market is still only operating at 50% capacity due to safety concerns. “In a perfect world, I think the majority of people should be vaccinated; that’s the issue at hand, that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Peacock said. “That’s why you’re seeing the federal government move so quickly to do this. We don’t always live in a perfect world… so yeah, it’s like the flu shot, hopefully: People are going to take it, and some won’t, the majority will.” Tom Smythe, finance and economics professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says that if a business owner like Peacock were to market the fact that his employees were vaccinated, there’s no telling what the impact would be, especially since they are weeks away from getting their hands on the vaccine. “If we did not have a vaccine where we are, given the wave that we’re going through from a health perspective… economically, it would be worse than what we experienced in April or May, I have no doubt in my mind,” Smythe said. Smythe added that since the first vaccine was announced and approved, we’ve seen good stability in the markets, and he expects that to continue with news of the Moderna vaccine’s likely approval in a matter of days.
The Florida Highway Patrol arrested a man Wednesday morning in connection with November a hit-and-run case in Charlotte County. On Nov. 16, troopers responded to a hit-and-run crash on US-41 and Dahlgren Avenue after a car crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a motorcyclist, leaving him seriously injured, according to the FHP. On Dec. 3, troopers found a 2016 Honda Accord with a Pennsylvania license tag parked at a residential address on Marco Island. The vehicle matched the description of the one troopers had been looking for. The owner was cooperative, and the Honda had no obvious damage to the front, but upon closer inspection, it was determined that the front portion of the Honda had been repaired and that a transporter company was hired to drive the car on Nov. 12 from the owner’s residence in Pennsylvania to the address on Marco Island. The Honda was returned to the owner on Nov. 19 with the repairs. Joseph Borisovich Dolbun, 22, of North Port, was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Charlotte County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, tampering with evidence and grand theft auto.
After a muggy and warm start Wednesday, we are looking ahead to the return of scattered rain and breezy conditions this evening! The timing of our rain, and even a few storms, will be late this afternoon, evening, and overnight. For our northern counties, expect a few showers beginning around 5 p.m. We’ll continue to track rain for you live throughout the evening and overnight as the front approaches Southwest Florida. It should be right over us by Thursday morning. Once that front passes through, cooler and drier air filters in by Thursday afternoon and into the overnight hours. The result? Lows plummeting to the 40s and 50s by Friday morning!
Three people from Fort Myers, including the owner of a popular restaurant and a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, were killed Dec. 9 in a Texas crash. The crash involved an SUV and a semi-truck on I-10 in Orange County, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Orange County is far southeastern Texas and borders Louisiana. Troopers say the semi-truck was traveling westbound on I-10 and stopped due to traffic congestion from an earlier crash. The driver of a Toyota SUV was also traveling westbound on the I-10, failed to control his speed and rear-ended the semi-truck. The driver of the Toyota was identified as Timothy Mankin, 50, of Fort Myers. Mankin, who owns the BurgerQuE restaurant in Fort Myers, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passengers have been identified as 29-year-old Brittney Triglia and 63-year-old Maria Triglia. They were both taken to a hospital, where they died. KHOU in Houston reported that Brittney Triglia was pregnant and medical staff worked to deliver and save her baby, but the baby did not survive. The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured. No further details on the crash have been made available. The manager at BurgerQuE told WINK News on Wednesday that the restaurant will close permanently on Dec. 23. Trust WINK News for updates.
Several travelers we spoke to from out of state Tuesday told us they know how different the restrictions are in Florida compared to their home states. Some say they visited the area to enjoy less restrictions. Other visitors told us the lighter restrictions concern them, but they are going to do their part and follow the guidelines while they are here. Flying into Florida, many visitors say the COVID-19 rules are different than what they are used to. “It seems like where I am from COVID is being taken very seriously compared to restrictions that are here,” said Cole Greashaber, who was visiting from Missouri. In Florida, there is no statewide mask mandate. There are no restrictions on restaurants, and the governor says restaurants will stay open. “We just want to send the message, you know, some may want to shut you down,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference. “We want to pull you up. We’ve got your back.” For some travelers, the differences are what draws them here, but some say the lighter restrictions make them nervous. “Just walking around here, it’s very different up north,” said Julia Moore, who was visiting from Connecticut. “People are wearing masks everywhere, and I’m going in stores, and people aren’t. It makes me a little uncomfortable, and I hope that people take it seriously because it’s been really bad in our state.” Whether they have concerns or not, travelers told us they plan to do their part while they are here in Florida to keep everyone healthy and safe. “I will probably wear a mask most of the time,” Greashaber said. Earlier in December, the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommended Florida take stricter coronavirus measures, including requiring masks in public spaces at all times, closing or reducing capacity in indoor spaces and limiting outdoor gatherings. “I think that sometimes people are a little wary about leaving their own states to come here, but I think it’s very safe,” said Nancy, who moved to Naples from Chicago in July.
The pandemic isn’t stopping a neighborhood from spreading positivity in a time that people desperately need it. Neighbors at Victoria Park in Collier County say they are seeing even more people drive up and down their streets to see all the Christmas light displays the community is known for. “I think it’s the perfect timing because 2020 has been a really sucky year,” said Ana, who lives in Victoria Park. A homeowner told us they’ve noticed more lights and more people driving through than ever before. “It was happening when I moved here in 1981, and it just got busier and busier,” said Ken Nelson, who lives in Victoria Park. Nelson has lived in the neighborhood for 39 years and says, if anything, the pandemic is only feeding the Christmas celebration this holiday season “Most all of my neighbors have more lights than ever before,” Nelson said. “They’re all home, and they’ve all got time, and they are trying to cheer everyone up. It’s been a tough year.” Nelson said the Christmas cheer is a good diversion from the focus on the pandemic. The best part about it is the safety factor. Everyone remains in their cars to enjoy the holiday fun. “I think it’s safe if you’re in cars,” said Ali, who lives in Victoria Park. “The lights are amazing. The homeowners are the best.” We saw trolleys and buses still escorting groups of people down the roads, and we saw them wearing masks to stay safe. The homeowners say the busiest night of the year will be Christmas eve. Families driving through are happy. They can count on this tradition to continue on after many others have been canceled this year. “That’s why we are here,’ Ali said. “The whole family is in here. We celebrate every year.”
There is some help from Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Tuesday to assist certain people who have been getting unemployment benefits. If you’ve used all of your pandemic emergency unemployment compensation (PUEC) benefits, you might qualify for six more weeks of aid. There are a lot of conditions that will be different for each person’s situation. The state will notify you if you qualify. Watch “A Guide for Reemployment Assistance: Extended Benefits” on YouTube or below: MORE: Guide for Completing Your Extended Benefits Application For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the WINK News FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.
A grandson is heartbroken but also remembering the good times he had with his grandmother. Seth Wood’s grandmother, 86-year-old Ruby Roberts, was killed in a crash while driving her golf cart in North Fort Myers. Monday, law enforcement and rescue crews went to the crash at US-41 with Leesure Lane in front of Roberts’ community, Tamiami Village & RV Park. Woods says his grandma was the glue of his family and says she meant everything to him. Ruby Roberts loved her plants and her pets. She loved God, but most of all, she adored and loved her family. “She was everything you wanted somebody to be in terms of a grandma. She was as loving as she gets,” Woods said. “She really gave hope to a lot of people, including myself.” Roberts helped raise her grandson and even taught him how to stand up for himself. “She was a very strong woman. She was family first,” Woods said. “Protect yourself, and as long as you are abiding by God, then, you’re doing it right.” The woman who taught him everything is gone now after the crash that took her life. “The fact that it happened like that is definitely unforgettable and something I didn’t want to hear and something I can’t change,” Woods said. State troopers say Roberts drove into the path of another car, and she died at the scene. Woods and the rest of his family can’t piece together why she was on US-41 in her golf cart. “She lived such a beautiful life, and for it to end like that is very tragic,” Woods said. Roberts’ grandson promises her beautiful and vibrant life doesn’t end at the scene of the crash. Woods told us his grandma had a tradition of getting a new plant in honor of family members who died, and the family will continue that tradition and dedicate a whole section of their farm full of plants in her name. “Her memory lives on,” Woods said.
There are many questions, even fears and confusion circulating about the coronavirus vaccine. Conversation ranges from talks of side effects to how long protection last once you get vaccinated. We spoke to health professionals to curb some concerns that some might have about the COVID-19 vaccine. Scientists and doctors say they’re battling misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Is it safe to only get one dose of the vaccine? “Being partially protected is not going to get us to herd immunity,” said Dr. Susan Bailey, the president of the American Meical Association. To reach that, health leaders say we need 70% to 80% of Americans vaccinated. But if questions go unanswered, vaccines could go unused. “The vaccine does not do any good if it stays in that bottle,” said Patsy Stinchfield, the president-elect of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. Can you get COVID-19 from the vaccine? “There are no live viruses in the COVID vaccines that we have now. They’re incapable of giving you COVID-19,” Bailey said. “If you got COVID-19 for real right after getting your vaccine, that means you got the vaccine too late, and it was already incubating in you when you got the vaccine.” If get the vaccine, how protected am I from COVID-19? How long will that last? Answer: It depends because, while no vaccine is 100% effective, “Let’s say, it’s 95% effective against disease. That means you may be one in that 1 in 20 who, when you get exposed to the virus, is not protected,” said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center. Most of us can expect full protection from severe illness about a week after our second dose and beyond. “You’ll have protection for years, not decades, and you’ll have incomplete protection that likely protects against disease, but possibly not protection against asymptomatic shedding,” Offit said. That means a discomfort in the present can provide years of protection in the future. Will you experience side effects? Answer: About 15% of people developed short-lived symptoms at the site of the injection. Half developed headaches, chills, fatigue, muscle pain or fever lasting a day or two.