Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver deadSanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene
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.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
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.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
Families in Fort Myers are ready for transparency after years of violence and denial of it by those who serve the community. Bombshell documents after multiple arrests in the 2016 Club Blu shooting show in detail gang-related violence that’s gone on for years. Moms and dads affected by gang violence say leaders in their community denied the dangerous and costly activities for years. The City leaders we spoke to also agreed with the parents. Families we spoke to said they are now noticing a change. It’s a change a mom told us families in Fort Myers are desperately in need of, or moms like her will lose more children to crime. Angela McClary has seen her community living through gang violence. “We don’t want to see any other parent lose their child, especially me,” McClary said. “I don’t want us to see a parent have to feel the pain I feel, the grief in the heart brokenness.” McClary works with the Fort Myers Police Department violence intervention team to stop the kind of violence that cost her son’s life. McClary son was killed in a drive-by shooting. Six years later, she is celebrating what would have been his 40th birthday this December, and she continues to work toward justice. “You don’t want your parents to see you lying in a casket,” McClary said. “It’s hard, and for us to see him lying there, it just broke my heart. It really did.” Mayor Kevin Anderson was an officer with the FMPD for years. “Homicides in the city were high. That at the same time, there was a denial that there were gangs or that there was gang activity,” Anderson said. The mayor says people might have downplayed the violence because the groups here didn’t always fit the highly organized stereotype of a gang. “Back then, it was more of that loosely-nit criminal activity,” Anderson said. Councilman Johnny Streets says the time is now to name and tackle the gang problem. “We didn’t know who was among us that created such heinous crimes. That in itself is a relief for the community,” Streets said. “However, there is still a lot of people among us that have committed murders that have not been brought to justice.”
President-elect Joe Biden will deliver remarks Monday evening after members of the Electoral College gather nationwide to cast their ballots for president, formalizing Mr. Biden’s victory over President Trump and foreclosing another path for the president in his attempts overturn the results of the presidential election. Mr. Biden’s transition team said the speech, to be delivered from Wilmington, Delaware, will focus on the “electoral college vote certification and the strength and resilience of our democracy.” “In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed. We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact,” Mr. Biden plans to say, according to excerpts of the address released by his transition office. “And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.” Watch live in the player below or click here. The president-elect will also extol the strength and resilience of American democracy, which continued to endure during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. “If anyone didn’t know it before, we know it now. What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: democracy. The right to be heard. To have your vote counted. To choose the leaders of this nation. To govern ourselves,” Mr. Biden will say. “In America, politicians don’t take power — the people grant it to them. The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic —or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.” The 538 members of the Electoral College are convening at state capitals from coast to coast, where they are casting paper ballots individually for president and vice president. While the vote typically takes place without much fanfare, this year’s meeting has been thrust into the spotlight as Mr. Trump unsuccessfully attempted to pressure state Republican lawmakers to subvert the will of voters and name their own electors. A long-shot lawsuit from Texas filed with the Supreme Court against four key states attempted to extend Monday’s deadline for the Electoral College to meet and block electors from those states from voting. But the high court rejected the bid, backed by Mr. Trump, on Friday. As of Monday afternoon, electors in six battleground states where the president challenged the election results and alleged fraud — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada — all cast their ballots for Mr. Biden. Federal law dictates that presidential electors “shall meet and give their votes on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December,” which this year is December 14. Each state’s votes will occur at varying times, beginning at 10 a.m. ET and ending with Hawaii at 7 p.m. ET. Mr. Biden is expected to receive 306 electoral votes and Mr. Trump will have 232.
Many neighborhoods allow golf carts onto the roadways, but often they are gated or on golf courses. One Cape Coral community is asking City Council for permission, and it could have an even larger impact. When many people think of golf carts, they think of riding from hole to hole on the course. But these golf carts may be joining cars very soon. John d’Eustachio lives along Southeast 10th Street and Southeast 11th Terrace in Cape Coral. “It’s a nicer way to be because, when you’re in a golf cart and you see your neighbor, you stop, and it’s a nice way to be,” d’Eustachio said. John and his neighbors hope to be able to drive their golf carts on the road, similar to how the retirement community The Villages works. “They really use their golf carts instead of their cars, and as a result, I think it’s a healthier environment and a nicer, slower-moving environment,” d’Estachio said. Charles Piazza lives in Cape Coral too by Saratoga Park. His community received permission back in 2001 to drive golf carts on the street. But Piazza thinks it’s a disaster waiting to happen, especially with kids behind the wheel. “My concern is, one day if a car doesn’t see them, it’s going to knock them over, then fall into the street and crack their skulls,” he said. So Piazza hopes City Council is not in favor of the request. “I hope they vote against it because the fact is, if anyone gets hurt, they’re going to regret that decision,” said Piazza. The issue is set to come back up in late February or March at a Committee of the Whole meeting.
If you’re planning on buying a gift, consider one that includes a built-in donation! There are different ways companies give back, including one-for-one gifts, where every item bought buys a second one for someone in need. For the person who enjoys personal care products, there’s Soapbox Soaps. They donate a bar of soap for every product purchased. When it comes to fashionable shades, DIFF Eyewear donates a pair of reading glasses for every pair of sunglasses bought. If the gift is for a little one, consider a pottery painting kit by Pottery Awesomeness. For every kit sold a portion of the proceeds are spent on an “Art therapy kit” for a sick child in the hospital. To buy meals for the hungry, consider a tote or bag by Feed. A leather bag, for example, will buy 100 meals. And if you’re more of a backpack person, bag by Adventurist will buy 25 meals. For the plant person, there’s Lula’s Garden. Each garden sold provides six months of safe water for someone in the developing world. Before you click buy, make sure you understand where your money is going. You can do that by looking up the foundation it’s supporting on the website Charity Navigator.
When videos surface, they put our law enforcement under the microscope. They raise issues of bias and make people question training and actions that would land the average person in jail. Collier County deputies just went through training to help identify how bias could affect them on a day-to-day basis. Experts say what appears to be routine contact with law enforcement can escalate quickly. Sometimes this can happen when officers have an implicit bias against certain people. That’s where training comes in. The Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk invited WINK News and a session, which includes videos designed to help deputies identify bias. Bret Hood is a retired FBI special agent. He said, “What we try to generate in this class is to establish that safety net where other people, our colleagues can criticize us and let us know when implicit bias is taking over.” In one example, a video of a pool party in McKinney, Texas started with a call to police for trespassing. One officer pulled his gun on the teens. Nine more patrol cars followed. And the situation quickly got out of hand with panicking party-goers and costing a 10-year officer his job. In the training, they say, this is implicit bias… Making judgments about people and we don’t even know we’re doing it. Hood travels around the country instructing people about this bias. He said, “With police officers, that initial stereotype can lead us to believe someone is a criminal based on the way they look, based on the way they move, based on the way they act” And that’s why Sheriff Rambosk recently put all of his sworn personnel, about 700 people, through special training. “In law enforcement, if we can recognize that more readily, and set it aside we’ll have much better potential to have positive outcomes,” Rambosk explained. While the Sheriff said they haven’t had any complaints in Collier, Hood’s class helped make everyone aware that bias does exist – and it can affect response. Retired CCSO Captain Mark Baker is now a training manager and recognizes the importance of this training. “This person looks different or this person acts different, but what is it that you glean in that first few minutes of contact that may say everything is going to be alright, or hey what can I use from my experiences to make this outcome better.” At the end of the training, the Sheriff knows his people understand the dangers of implicit bias, and that they will take it to the streets of Collier County to protect the community. “If we do set it aside and try and listen and understand, we’ll make much better decisions.” All law enforcement goes through some form of bias training. If you want to find out if you have any bias, you can go to the Harvard website and they have Project Implicit. You can take some of these tests yourself by clicking here, and they’re anonymous. RESOURCES Trust & Justice: Implicit Bias IACP: Evaluation of Implicit Bias Training Cornell: Implicit Bias Resources University of Texas: Implicit Bias Concepts Unwrapped
A child with leukemia is spreading holiday cheer to other children who are in similar situations. Adyn Pickett and his sister, Abby, are donating 1,800 toys to children in hospitals. A white box truck acts as Adyn’s sleigh. “It feels really good,” he said. Adyn has his chariot filled with thousands of toys for children like them. “Last Christmas, I was in the hospital, and I had to stay there for Christmas,” Adyn said. Adyn has spent half of his 8 years of life in and out of the hospital because of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. “This is Adyn’s fourth relapse,” said Erica Pickett, Adyn’s mom. You would not know be he still had cancer with all of his energy and giving spirit. “Even on his worst days, he typically runs around and is in a great mood and great spirits,” Erica said. If you ask what helped him get through all those hospital visits, it’s Legos. “They helped me get through the day faster,” Adyn said. “I hope they are the same toys for the kids, so they’re not bored.” “We were going through a really hard time, and those toys made all the difference for our kids,” Erica said. That’s why he and his family started a toy drive. “I thought that it would be good to donate toys to kids that are stuck in the hospital for Christmas,” Adyn said. “We had donation boxes at about 20 businesses throughout Lee and Collier, where people donated toys to the businesses and then people just dropped them off at the door step,” Erica said. “Eighty-five percent of the patients we care for here at the children’s hospital are on some kind of government-subsidized insurance,” said Armando Llechu, the Lee Health chief officer of hospital operations. “We take care of a lot of kids whose families don’t have the means, so some of these families get to have a Christmas thanks to the generosity of the community.” Clearly the pandemic did not change the effort Adyn and his family put into their toy drive. Last year, they donated 1,200 toys. This year, the 1,800 toys they collected were donated to patients at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers. Those are both places that have cared for Adyn. The toys will sit in a quarantine bin for a few days before being delivered to the kids in the hospital.
Florida Highway Patrol responded to a deadly crash involving a vehicle versus a golf cart on US-41 in North Fort Myers Monday. According to the North Fort Myers Fire Control District, crews went to a scene on southbound US-41 in front of the Tamiami Village & RV Park, where an 86-year-old woman driving a golf cart was killed in a crash. A 20-year-old woman was the driver of the car involved. She had minor injuries. State troopers also confirmed a dog was with the woman on the golf cart. The woman’s family took the dog, and it’s not believed to have suffered any injuries; although, earlier reports indicated it might have. The crash was in front of the RV community at the intersection with US-41 and Leesure Lane, which is north of Littleton Road. According to FHP, the golf cart was going eastbound on Leesure Ln. toward US-41 when the car was heading southbound on US-41 toward the intersection. The golf cart went into the path of the car on US-41, and the front of the car hit the side of the golf cart. The 86-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 20-year-old was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Lee County Sheriff’s Office was at the scene directing traffic for several hours. FHP led the crash investigation, and the scene has since been cleared. After living at Tamiami Village & RV Park for about six years, Wanda Bline has seen her fair share of deadly crashes in front of where she lives. “There are accidents here all the time,” Bline said. “I almost had a bad accident here crossing here in my wheelchair.” Bline told us she was not surprised to be stuck in traffic close to home before rush hour. “I was in line for like 30 to 40 minutes,” Bline said. “Finally, I pulled around, and when I seen all of the golf cart parts, I knew what had happened, and it upset me very much.” This time, the crash was personal to Bline, who says she was friends with the woman in the golf cart. “I was in line, and when I seen who it was, it went through me,” Bline said. Bline believes the crashes like the one that has taken her friend could be avoided if a proper signal was put at the intersection. “It’s a shame. It’s a shame,” Bline said. Credit: Maxar Technologies.
An update to the story of another inspiring person WINK News told you about in November: Gulf Coast Hight School freshman Sadie Scardino was walking a mere 24 hours after having major surgery for scoliosis. The teen had two metal poles fused together in her back two weeks ago. She’s doing well, but still recovering at home. She was just awarded “Underclassman Runner of the Year” at Gulf Coast High School. Read the original story below: A Naples teen is proof you can do it all. Freshman Sadie Scardino is on the varsity cross country team, she acts, she even sings at Red Sox events. Imagine being her mom and dad, driving her to all those practices. What those who see her running from one thing to another may not know is that Sadie has a secret: she has scoliosis. “I found out in sixth grade, during a health screening,” Sadie said. “When I’m running my races, sometimes I get muscle spasms.” Three years later, she needs surgery. Her mother Kim Scardino is driving Sadie up to St. Petersburg to have a major procedure done. “When you have an s shape for a back, for a spine, it starts to push on other organs,” Kim Scardino said. “They’re going to cut her from the middle neck down, exposing her back and her spine.” A pair of metal rods will be fused to Sadie’s spine and bolted in place. “There’s a lot of worries as a mom,” Kim said. Sadie shares those worries, but she doesn’t show it. When asked for an interview, she agreed in the hope that her journey would inspire other kids facing challenges. “You can’t just let something pull you back from something you love,” Sadie said. Despite the pain, Sadie’s coach Mark Pembroke says she’s still on the track at 5 every morning, doing 800’s on repeat. “I could tell that she was a tough kid, and that’s something that you really don’t teach that easily,” Pembroke said. And she’s turned a scary countdown to surgery into something fun, creating a list of things to do before, like rock climbing. “Don’t let anything stop you,” Sadie said. “I think I cry about this more than she does,” Kim said. Sadie’s surgery is Nov. 30, and she’s already talking about when she can get back on the track.
Millions of health care workers and other essential workers are set to receive the coronavirus vaccine, but not all hospitals in Florida will require employees to get the shot. In fact, the nation’s leading nursing union argues it should be a person’s choice. We spoke to some Southwest Florida professionals in the health care field Monday to see who is taking the vaccine. “I’ve been dying to take it, so I can start like having a little bit of normalcy,” Dr. Luis Aponte said. Aponte is an independent doctor who is privileged to work at all Lee Health hospitals. “I think most of the medical team and everyone on the field are excited about the vaccine coming in,” Aponte said. Both Lee Health and NCH Health System highly encourage staff members to take the vaccine, but they will not require it the same way they do with the flu vaccine. Aponte told us he understands that. “It’s tough to like force some people to do something they can, but if you don’t have the systems of all the population to be able to put this pandemic behind us, it’s going to be impossible,” Aponte said. Dr. Rebekah Bernard, the president of Collier County Medical Society, is not in the first wave of health care workers to get the vaccine, but says she would take it right now. Bernard also explained why hospitals can mandate flu shots for their employees. “Other vaccines have been around for a long time and have a very strong safety record, so I agree with mandating vaccines that have a known safety track record,” Bernard said. Meanwhile, Bernard feels people should weigh the pros and cons. “When you’re confronted on that on a day-to-day basis and you’re seeing patients dying, I think that that resonates more, and it’s one of the reasons that a lot of my colleagues are interested in taking the vaccine even though it’s relatively new,” Bernard said. Aponte says we’re also living in a new technological era. “The technology nowadays compared to 10, 15, 30 years ago, it’s a different ballgame, so we do have the tools to make this vaccine safe,” Aponte said. Within hospital, frontline workers in the ER and COVID-19 response units will get the chance to receive the vaccine first. NCH told us, down the line, it could end up requiring its employees to get the vaccine the way it requires the flu shot.
The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Florida. At 10 a.m. during a press conference in Tampa, Governor Ron DeSantis said he saw the vaccines being unloaded. But just how many doses is Florida receiving? “We watched them unload, we saw him put it into the deep freeze, the Pfizer requires negative 70 degrees,” said DeSantis. Just an hour later, the vaccines were being put to use. “Today, we will have shots going in arms,” Governor DeSantis said. But Monday is just the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Florida. 20,000 more doses are waiting for frontline workers at Tampa General and other hospitals across the state. John D. Couris is the president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “The way I’ve described it to my team is…this is 20,000 doses of hope. This is the beginning to the end,” said Couris. Governor DeSantis said other people in the area, not just at Tampa General will be vaccinated. “You will be seeing folks at Tampa general with this shipment being vaccinated. But you also this week see employees from some of these other areas, be other hospitals be vaccinated,” DeSantis said. By Tuesday, expect more than 100,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to be spread across the five Florida hospital systems that were chosen for the initial rollout. Doses are said to be on the way for the state’s vulnerable older adult population. “We also have about 60,000 going to CVS and Walgreens for the long-term care mission,” said Governor DeSantis. For those older adults not living in nursing homes, the governor expects to vaccinate them by the third week of December if Moderna’s emergency use authorization goes through this week. For the rest of the population, Dr. Charles Lockwood, Dean of University of South Florida’s Medical School said, “We’re almost there. But this Herculean effort is going to really make a huge difference. And we will have a return to normality. Very quickly.” Governor DeSantis says that by the end of December, Florida could see anywhere from 700,000 to 1,000,000 doses of the vaccine. We could also receive 400,000 doses of Moderna’s vaccine next week. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.