Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after IanFort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene
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.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
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.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
In the next two weeks, two coronavirus vaccines will be up for emergency use authorization review, but a model from experts at the University of Washington shows a vaccine won’t reduce the number of coronavirus deaths by that much. We looked at what doctors and health experts believe will be more impactful against COVID-19 than a vaccine Friday. “I really worry about the ICU capacity and hospital capacity in our country at the moment,” said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard. As the pandemic drags on, Mina worries we’re becoming numb to the numbers. “Yesterday, we saw almost 3,000 deaths,” Mina said. “I worry that the population has been conditioned now to just think of them as numbers.” With the numbers of lives lost, people everywhere are pinning their hopes on the upcoming vaccines. “We’re talking about the potential availability of vaccines that may protect up to 95% of vaccine recipients being made available in the coming weeks,” said Dr. William Moss, the Executive Director of International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins. The latest COVID-19 death projections show a rapid roll out isn’t fast enough. “We are showing the total number of deaths from the beginning until April 1 to be 539,000 in the United States,” said Ali Mokdad, Ph.D., a professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington in Seattle. Mokdad said the vaccines won’t really impact our death rates until mid-2021 because it takes time to build up our collective immunity. Mokdad says his models show masks can save lives now and in the future. “If 95% of us wear a mask when we are outside our homes, we can save 66,000 lives between now and April 1,” Mokdad said. Looking at the University of Washington’s latest projections for Florida, if we adopted universal masking here in the Sunshine State, we could save about 3,000 lives between now and April 1. “These vaccines are not going to be the silver bullet that brings us back to the pre-pandemic period,” Moss said. “We’re still going to need, particularly in the months going forward, to continue to wear masks as a public.” MORE: Institute for Health Metrics – COVID-19 projections
A 9-year-old with brain cancer is doing his part to make sure kids just like him have a wonderful Christmas. He gathered more than 3,000 toys for kids at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital. Alex Meyer knows what it’s like to spend time in the hospital. So, back in October, Meyer used social media to get gifts for kids that will be spending Christmas at Golisano’s. “When I was at chemo I overheard some staff members just saying that the toy closet was empty,” said Meyer. “I told my parents I think we should donate some toys. So then when we started that it got bigger and bigger and bigger.” Tiffany Meyer is Alex’s mother. “Unless you’ve been through it you have no idea what it does to your family and these toys I really hope it alleviates some stress for those parents,” she said. Alex says he couldn’t imagine that he’d ever gather so many toys. “Did you ever expect it to get this big? None of us did!” His little elves are people from all across the country. And now, his living room looks a lot like the North Pole. “You couldn’t even see the floor,” Alex said. This project started off as a toy drive to collect just 1,000 toys. Now, over 3,000 have been collected to give to kids who will be spending their holidays at the hospital. “It’s going to be okay, we’re only eight months into this. If you find the joy and you have that positivity it makes it a lot better and I know it’s hard. Just try to be positive,” said Tiffany. Alex is smiling and filled with excitement because so many people were willing to donate and that he gets to help others. “I was pretty happy!” he said. “Merry Christmas and a happy new year.” Heroes Unmasked is a local nonprofit agency dedicated to sick kids. They were able to help Alex by donating 25 more boxes filled with toys.
A woman’s journey to Southwest Florida began with her own struggles. Now, she’s trying to make sure that minority communities can receive affordable healthcare. You can see the pride on Lawrence Egger’s face when he talks about his wife, Geneve. “Geneve is a wonderful person, she works very very hard, yes you do,” said Lawrence. Geneve gives the love right back. “And you too.” They run PANIRA Healthcare Clinic, on East Tamiami Trail in Collier County. It’s been a long journey for Geneve. She came to the U.S. from Haiti as a single mom in 2006. She was receiving Medicaid then. Geneve thought it’d be simple to treat her sinusitis and her son’s asthma in America. “and then it was a shock it wasn’t that easy,” she said. She remembers waiting hours in the ER for simple sinus problems but also not knowing where else to go. “I remember that was the one that really hit me hard. And that was really really frustrating and being a single mom your baby is waiting for you,” said Geneve. Egger is a Registered Nurse now and, as the CEO of PANIRA, she doesn’t want to see anyone else being put in that position. “I’m very honored to be a vehicle for those who are not… who don’t have insurance, those who don’t have much knowledge about healthcare,” said Geneve. PANIRA offers a sliding scale fee to some and has a free clinic. They also have staff who speak Creole and Spanish. Lawrence just says they’re grateful. “We are just very grateful to be here and we are very honored like Geneve says to be a part of this community…do the best we can,” he said. The clinic provides free rapid COVID-19 tests for uninsured patients.
We see sale prices all the time, but are you really getting the best deal? There are some tools you can use to keep your cash in your pocket. Before you complete a purchase, you can look up the item’s price history using Google’s price tracking tool. But remember, it doesn’t include amazon. To research Amazon prices, you can use CamelCamelCamel. For example, a Ring Video Doorbell 3, for example is currently almost $200 on Amazon. According to CamelCamelCamel, it was $60 cheaper in November. Google shopping says HSN is the best price right now at $140. The same as Amazon at its lowest in recent history. Next, go through cashback sites for rebates. Rakuten and RetailMeNot will knock off up to 15%. Sending the money you save directly to your account. When it’s time to check out, consider using Honey or Capital One Shopping. They’re browser extensions that automatically apply all of the promo codes they can find, like friends and family sales, new customer discounts, and more. If already bought something and see a lower price, find out if the retailer will price match. If they don’t, maybe order the second item, make sure it gets here on time, and return the first. Most stores have a pretty big return window for the holidays.
There is a sign of hope for people living in nursing homes. Their lives were turned upside down because of the pandemic. Now, a vaccine will be available to them. We learned more Friday about why it’s important to get this vaccine to the most vulnerable, as vaccines for the coronavirus could be good to go Dec. 21. “Having the vaccine on the horizon is something that, you know, it does give us hope because we’ve all been working so hard to try to make sure our seniors are taken care of,” said Kristen Knapp, the director of communications with Florida Healthcare Association (FHCA). FHCS represents a majority of the nursing centers in Florida. Their residents are at the top of the governor’s list to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Knapp told us they’re close to finalizing how people will get vaccinated. “Essentially the pharmacies will come to our buildings and develop and set up an onsite immunization clinic, where they’ll have a team of their pharmacists immunize our residents,” Knapp explained. But there’s still a lot unknown about a vaccine. “I think the biggest questions that we continue to have are the number of doses, obviously,” said Steve Bahmer, the president and CEO of LeadingAge Florida. “It’s still not clear which vaccine we’re even talking about while we wait for emergency use authorization of some vaccines.” CVS and Walgreens will meet with the FDA next week to talk about the emergency authorization of the vaccine from both Pfizer and Moderna. The Trump administration picked the two drugstore chains because they have more than 20,000 locations combined nationwide. Critics fear they are not the best option to serve people in low-income or minority communities. Having a vaccine available is half the battle. The CDC said, even after you get a shot, you must wear a mask and social distance. “I think it is fair to expect that there won’t be 100% uptake of the vaccine,” Bahmer said.
Cyber hackers are now attacking the companies and government organizations behind the COVID-19 vaccines. With a vaccine expected soon, there are warnings that foreign adversaries, such as Russia and North Korea, may conduct a cyber attack. One likely scenario, is a phishing attack, to get an employee at a pharmaceutical company or government worker to click on an email and unknowingly download malware. Senior VP John Benkert with Cignet Technology explained, “You’ve got bad guys just being bad guys that just want the notoriety of doing something like this, but then you’ve also got foreign intelligence agencies, foreign countries that may want to stop the rollout.” He said the reasons could vary, and stopping the rollout could continue to hurt the U.S. economy, which is just one of several potential reasons. Interestingly, since the vaccine has to be kept cold, researchers think the attack could be against the infrastructure required to keep it cold throughout the process. Benkert added agencies like the FBI, NSA and DHS are working to protect against something like that from happening. People involved throughout the distribution chain will have to remain sharp and vigilant to make sure they don’t give hackers access to their systems. RESOURCES IBM Uncovers Global Phishing Campaign Targeting the COVID-19 Vaccine Cold Chain IBM Releases Report on Cyber Actors Targeting the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain What is Spoofing and Phishing? Ransomware guidance and resources from CISA HHS Fact Sheet: Explaining Operation Warp Speed
A woman in North Fort Myers was out on a walk and nearly attacked by a huge dog recently. Angela Ross could be heard yelling in a recording that captured parts of her encounter with an aggressive dog in her neighborhood. “Looked like to me he was getting ready to bite my leg, and I was having a heart attack,” Ross said. “I’m screaming at him,’ No. No.’” Ross recorded the encounter on her phone, as the canine got dangerously close to her. She says the animal was not on a leash and went running and barking after her. Ross says, when she yelled at the dog’s owner, nothing happened. Rather, she says the dog kept going for her. Ross told us she was just walking around her neighborhood Thursday like she usually does. Early on during her walk, two unleashed dogs ran up to her. “I was a little nervous about it,” Ross said. She started recording video on her phone. “The dog came charging out after me, and I didn’t hear anything from the young woman who came walking out like, ‘No. No. Stop,’ or running out after him. It just didn’t seem like there was a lot of concern there,” Ross said. “I literally thought I was dead. Seriously. I mean, it wasn’t going to turn out good for me if that dog decided he wanted to lay into me.” Ross said she contacted Lee County Animal Services. She was told to fill out a complaint. According to a Lee County ordinance, if an animal isn’t restrained or shows aggressive behavior, then, animal services may investigate, resulting in either a citation or seizure of the animal. The dog’s owner rents a home nearby, and the landlord told us he’ll talk to her about containing the dog. Ross said she’s thankful the dog didn’t bite and thankful she didn’t have her dog, Chloe, with her, but she also said she won’t be walking around the neighborhood anymore. “I hope they just give them a warning and tell them, you know, listen; you need to have your dogs on a leash or controlled. Don’t let them come after people,” Ross said.
As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, there have been 1,039,207 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,022,354 Florida residents and 16,853 non-Florida residents. There are 18,994 Florida resident deaths reported, 242 non-resident deaths, and 56,095 hospitalizations at some point during illness, according to the Florida Department of Health. *Numbers are released by the DOH every afternoon. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of recorded cases: 1,039,207 (up from 1,018,160) Florida resident deaths: 18,994 (up from 18,874) Non-resident deaths: 242 (up from 238) Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 19,236 (up from 19,112) 10,177 total new cases reported Friday 120 new resident deaths reported Friday 4 new non-resident deaths reported Friday Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 8.19% This percent is the number of people who test PCR- or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total recorded cases in SWFL: 61,207 (up from 60,564) Deaths: 1,170 (up from 1,167) 643 total new cases reported Friday 5 new deaths reported Friday Lee County: 31,571 cases (up from 31,243) – 594 deaths Collier County: 18,548 (up from 18,334) – 289 deaths (4 new deaths) Charlotte County: 5,354 (up from 5,293) – 197 deaths DeSoto County: 2,473 (up from 2,450) – 35 deaths (1 new) Glades County: 685 (up from 683) – 10 deaths Hendry County: 2,576 (up from 2,561) – 45 deaths Click HERE* for a case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. *If not linked, the final report has not yet been made available. TESTING DATA Effective Oct. 27, the Florida Department of Health ceased releasing data showing overall testing numbers. Their statement: “The Florida Department of Health is making adjustments to the COVID-19 dashboard and daily report to provide clear, accurate information for Florida families. Moving forward, the daily report will focus on the number of tests reported to the state by day and the corresponding positivity rate by day. The previously reported cumulative number did not reflect the current status of the pandemic in Florida. This change is in line with the CDC recommendation that calculation of percent positivity [is] applied consistently and with clear communication, will allow public health officials to follow magnitude and trends effectively, and the trends will be useful for local public health decision making.” RESOURCES NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs #GulfshoreStrong: Covering people making a difference in SWFL FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Nov. 30 REPORT COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS/TEST: International self-reporting system IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.
A father and girlfriend have been arrested on charges for a deadly canal crash that killed two young boys. Following an investigation, Cape Coral police arrested the father, Kenneth Wayne Lawson, on two counts of DUI manslaughter after a car crashed into a Cape Coral canal and killed his two sons, 10-year-old John Wayne and 7-year-old Titus. CCPD also announced Friday afternoon that girlfriend, Julia Ann Drudy, who was also in the car at the time of the crash was wanted. She was arrested later that night. Brothers John Wayne and Titus. Credit: via WINK News. Lawson faces separate charges in Lee County related to property damage at a woman’s home. He is also wanted on charges in Michigan. CCPD confirmed Lawson will be prosecuted in Florida before he would see extradition to Michigan for charges there. However, Florida would have to pay to extradite him, since investigators there won’t. On Saturday, both had a first appearance in court. Lawson is held with bail set at $525,000; $250,000 for each DUI manslaughter count and another $25,000 for a suspended license charge. Drudy has bail set at $10,000. Both are restricted by the court from the possession of, or consuming, alcohol or drugs. “The prosecutor and the police have made the decision that, if he is caught out of state, they are not going to extradite him,” Swartz explained to WINK News previously. “Police officers have to come down here and transport the defendant up there, and it’s all a very expensive proposition.” A family member told us they are happy justice will be served for the two boys. Acting CCPD Chief Anthony Sizemore says the officers and the good Samaritan felt the same way the community did — anger over the deaths of the brothers and a need for justice. “Especially for our investigators and our team, I mean, we’re mothers and fathers and have children as well, and the firefighters who assisted and the good Samaritan,” Sizemore said. It is just tragedy upon tragedy.” Julia Ann Drudy, 31. Credit: via CCPD. Cape Coral Police Department arrested Julia Ann Drudy, 31, Friday night. According to police, Drudy spoke with officers after seeing the press conference and wanted to turn herself in. Drudy was arrested and faces charges for permitting an unauthorized operator to drive. She is in the process of being taken to Lee County Jail for booking. With the arrests made, community members continue to pray for the two brothers. Good Samaritan Tyler Ravert jumped into the canal and did everything he could to save John Wayne and Titus from the car they were trapped inside. “He (Lawson) put me in that situation. He put my wife in that situation,” Ravert said. “This is a very personal thing to me.” During the conference for Lawson’s arrest, acting Chief Sizemore explained how these investigations can affect the public and the police department. “I realize it can be frustrating as we wait for an arrest, but we sacrifice a quick arrest for a thorough investigation,” Sizemore said. Police say Lawson and Drudy got out of the car after the crash and left the boys behind. That’s something Ravert doesn’t accept. “It’s constantly in my head, just constantly, and it’s kind of like put a shadow over everything,” Ravert said. “This is like all I’m focusing on. It’s just for those children.” You can watch police announce Kenneth Lawson’s arrest below, or follow this link:
The Cape Coral Police Department is holding the 14th annual “Fill The Boat” Toy Drive for the 2020 holiday season. This is the 14th straight year that the Cape Coral Police Department has run this event. Each year, almost 2,000 toys are collected. The Cape Coral Police Department will be collecting toys for Cape Coral children in need on the following schedule: Friday, December 4th, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Walmart (1619 Del Prado Boulevard South) Saturday, December 5th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Walmart (1619 Del Prado Boulevard South) Sunday, December 6th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Walmart (1619 Del Prado Boulevard South) A Cape Coral Police Department Marine Unit boat will be on display and will serve as the drop-off/collection point. To donate, purchase a new, unwrapped toy and simply place it in the boat. At the end of the drive, the toys will be taken to the Cape Coral Police Department where they are then distributed to children in need throughout Cape Coral in time for the holidays. As always, we thank the community for their caring and generosity.