Everblades dominate Kansas City 8-1 in Kelly Cup Final Game 1 winLorenzo Walker Technical High School in Collier County closing
ESTERO Everblades dominate Kansas City 8-1 in Kelly Cup Final Game 1 win The Florida Everblades dominated Game 1 of the Kelly Cup Final with a 8-1 win over the Kansas City Mavericks.
EAST NAPLES Lorenzo Walker Technical High School in Collier County closing As kids are beginning their summer vacation, a group of students from one school are looking ahead to the next four school years
FORT MYERS ‘Scoops on First’ helps to beat the heat Workers at Scoops on First break a sweat so Southwest Florida ice cream lovers can tackle a triple-digit heat index.
FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee Bridge closes tonight; latest details We spoke with Janella Newsome, the communications director for the Florida Department of Transportation District 1, who explained why the bridge is closing.
Ensuring your air conditioner works ahead of Summer People are already trying to beat the heat and it isn’t even June 1, so one thing to avoid is having your air conditioner breaking at the peak of Summer.
NAPLES Homeless teens graduate high school with big plans WINK News met a group of homeless teens who are graduating high school and have big plans for the future.
FORT MYERS Last day of school for Lee County students The last day of school was Friday, May 31, marking the official start of summer for over a hundred thousand students in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL 39-year-old man arrested for Pine Island Road hit-and-run Police have arrested a man for the hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a person.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Workers in downtown Fort Myers skeptical about improved parking The Fort Myers City Council’s new parking plan hopes to fix downtown’s parking puzzle for business employees.
Preparing for hurricane season in SWFL Hurricane season begins in less than 24 hours, and so does the disaster sales tax holiday.
3 emaciated Dalmatians rescued by LCSO; man arrested A house garage was a scorching prison for three Dalmatians and the neglect was so severe the Dalmatian Rescue needed to step in to report it.
FORT MYERS SWFL community reacts to Trump’s guilty verdict Our community has given their opinion on Trump’s guilty verdict.
NORTH FORT MYERS Detours and traffic impacts as Caloosahatchee Bridge closure looms tonight The Caloosahatchee Bridge will undergo a significant closure on Friday evening, leaving drivers searching for detours until Monday, Aug. 11.
SNIP Collier working with county to help animals in need Tom Kepp founded SNIP Collier in 2013 after understanding the need for low-cost and improved spay/neuter services in Collier County.
LEE COUNTY Habitual offender faces 2 vehicular homicide charges in SR-82 crash Authorities are charging the driver involved in a deadly crash on State Road 82 off Sunshine Boulevard with vehicular homicide following an extensive investigation that still continues.
ESTERO Everblades dominate Kansas City 8-1 in Kelly Cup Final Game 1 win The Florida Everblades dominated Game 1 of the Kelly Cup Final with a 8-1 win over the Kansas City Mavericks.
EAST NAPLES Lorenzo Walker Technical High School in Collier County closing As kids are beginning their summer vacation, a group of students from one school are looking ahead to the next four school years
FORT MYERS ‘Scoops on First’ helps to beat the heat Workers at Scoops on First break a sweat so Southwest Florida ice cream lovers can tackle a triple-digit heat index.
FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee Bridge closes tonight; latest details We spoke with Janella Newsome, the communications director for the Florida Department of Transportation District 1, who explained why the bridge is closing.
Ensuring your air conditioner works ahead of Summer People are already trying to beat the heat and it isn’t even June 1, so one thing to avoid is having your air conditioner breaking at the peak of Summer.
NAPLES Homeless teens graduate high school with big plans WINK News met a group of homeless teens who are graduating high school and have big plans for the future.
FORT MYERS Last day of school for Lee County students The last day of school was Friday, May 31, marking the official start of summer for over a hundred thousand students in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL 39-year-old man arrested for Pine Island Road hit-and-run Police have arrested a man for the hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a person.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Workers in downtown Fort Myers skeptical about improved parking The Fort Myers City Council’s new parking plan hopes to fix downtown’s parking puzzle for business employees.
Preparing for hurricane season in SWFL Hurricane season begins in less than 24 hours, and so does the disaster sales tax holiday.
3 emaciated Dalmatians rescued by LCSO; man arrested A house garage was a scorching prison for three Dalmatians and the neglect was so severe the Dalmatian Rescue needed to step in to report it.
FORT MYERS SWFL community reacts to Trump’s guilty verdict Our community has given their opinion on Trump’s guilty verdict.
NORTH FORT MYERS Detours and traffic impacts as Caloosahatchee Bridge closure looms tonight The Caloosahatchee Bridge will undergo a significant closure on Friday evening, leaving drivers searching for detours until Monday, Aug. 11.
SNIP Collier working with county to help animals in need Tom Kepp founded SNIP Collier in 2013 after understanding the need for low-cost and improved spay/neuter services in Collier County.
LEE COUNTY Habitual offender faces 2 vehicular homicide charges in SR-82 crash Authorities are charging the driver involved in a deadly crash on State Road 82 off Sunshine Boulevard with vehicular homicide following an extensive investigation that still continues.
Charlotte County commissioners called an emergency meeting Monday at the county’s administration building on Murdock Circle and declared a state of emergency. They announced that all county offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. However, essential services such as waste management pickup are not expected to be impacted. Earlier, Charlotte County Public Schools announced that schools in the county will be closed August 29 and August 30. The county’s emergency management director Patrick Fuller provided an update at the commissioners’ meeting, then later at emergency management headquarters at the Public Safety Building on Airport Road in Punta Gorda. Commissioner Joe Tiseo expressed concerns that Hurricane Idalia would wobble as has been the case in past storms that impacted Charlotte County. By late afternoon on Monday, Tropical Storm Idalia was headed toward the northern part of the state, from Tampa north to the Big Bend area. But commissioners urged the public to follow the storm closely and to have a bag ready to go in the event an evacuation is called. Hurricane Charley in 2004 was also expected to impact Tampa, but it turned south toward Fort Myers, then made landfall at Captiva Island and moved up Charlotte Harbor toward Punta Gorda, destroying parts of the city and downtown area. Hurricane Ian last year was predicted to make landfall in Tampa but instead hit Cayo Costa and ravaged Fort Myers Beach and other parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast with storm surge. Fuller said no evacuations are being ordered, since Charlotte County’s storm surge is expected to be between 2 and 4 feet. However, if the storm changes direction and the storm surge is predicted to be 6 feet at the beaches, then evacuations would be called. A number of residents are still living in travel trailers and damaged homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Fuller said. He said they might feel unsafe and want to evacuate but have no place to go. Because of their needs, a refuge center was being prepared on Monday at Centennial Park Recreation Center, 1120 Centennial Boulevard in Port Charlotte. The center opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday. It is pet-friendly and those feeling unsafe and can choose to go there. Those needing a ride to the refuge center can call Charlotte County Transport at 941-575-4000. Commissioner Chris Constance commended Fuller, and said, “You’ve got 48 hours’ worth of work in a 24-hour day.” Charlotte County Fire and EMS Chief Jason Fair was also at the commissioners’ meeting. He said Charlotte County is prepared to send emergency vehicles to areas impacted by Idalia. Constance, who is a doctor, said he cancelled nonessential surgeries in the event patients from areas impacted by Idalia, need to be transported to Charlotte County hospitals. During Hurricane Charley, when the county’s three hospitals sustained severe damages, ambulances from Tampa, for instance, transported local patients to hospitals farther north. Fair said that Charlotte County in the past has sent its own vehicles as far as North Carolina to provide help following a hurricane. He and Constance likened Florida’s 67 counties to a brotherhood in times of disasters such as hurricanes. Some residences and businesses are still undergoing repairs from the effects of Hurricane Ian last year. There are those still living in temporary trailers and residential vehicles as their homes are being repaired. Services, such as trash and recycling pickups, could be suspended for Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. A decision was expected to be announced later Monday. Some county facilities are currently making their plans. The Centennial Park Recreation Center in Port Charlotte announced it closed at noon on Monday. “This isn’t our first rodeo,” said Patti Allen, general manager of Fishermen’s Village, which has numerous shops and restaurants. She said although the village sustained roof damage and water intrusion from Hurricane Ian, “We were up and operating after a week.” Fishermen’s Village has an entire plan of action it follows ahead of storms headed to the area. The Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda closed ahead of Idalia and will not reopen until Friday. A Punta Gorda Code Enforcement meeting slated for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the museum was cancelled. Punta Gorda City Hall suffered damages from Hurricane Ian last year, and City Council and other city departments have been meeting at the Military Heritage Museum. Punta Gorda has a separate public works department and council member Bill Dryburgh said so far, no decisions have been made for the city.