NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
NAPLES Increasing amount of homeless seniors in SWFL Saint Matthew House told Wink News that 20% of the people they shelter are over 60 years old.
NAPLES Man suspected of threatening pickelballers with machete A man has been arrested after authorities say he chased a group of pickleball players off a Naples court. “I don’t know. It just seemed like he snapped,” said William Nehrkorn, father of one of the pickleball players. 53-year-old Pelican Marsh maintenance worker Joseph Devalle ran toward Nehrkorn’s son and friends, not with a paddle […]
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
(Red Cross shelter sign. (Credit: WINK News) Shelters are a place to eat, sleep and find emotional support for those who lost their homes after Hurricane Ian. The Red Cross provides hurricane shelters in Lee and Collier counties. WINK News reporter Emma Heaton spoke to people staying at the Estero shelter, run by the Red Cross, and a nurse working there. The Estero shelter is located at the Estero Recreation Center. Michelle and Lynn are staying at the shelter for now. Their home is inside the Century 21 Mobile Home Community in Iona. Michelle: “Well, we both lost our mobiles. I was scared. We finally left at three o’clock in the morning, and the winds and the waters you could tell were already coming up from Sanibel because we don’t live that far from Sanibel. But we got out of there. By the time we got back, it was just mold. Mold is everywhere.” Emma: “So you’re forced to stay here. No place else to go? And what is your experience been like inside?” Michelle: “It’s awful. They haven’t so cold in there. They keep the lights on all night long. You know, on the far end of the gymnasium in there, they’ve locked the doors now. And I mean, I already didn’t feel safe because they propped the doors open, these kids, they all prop the doors open. So you don’t know who’s coming in and out. Emma: “Lynn, you were telling me that you don’t believe they want to let you guys stay here. Why is that?” Lynn: “Well, it’s just, you know, you’re low on toilet paper and this type of thing. And I don’t know, there’s always someone there to tattle on you. And I mean, I see what it is. And the volunteers are good, but they want to stay here like a week at a time. And then they changed the rules. Like we used to be able to have coffee at five o’clock in the morning. That wasn’t the rule on paper, but they let us in have coffee at five o’clock in the morning. And now you don’t. You have to wait till 6:30, 7 o’clock.” Emma: “So it doesn’t feel like home necessarily. But I also sort of want to give people like volunteers here the benefit of the doubt; what are some things that they’re doing right here?” Michelle: “Well, they do come up to you and ask if you’re doing OK. The sheltershave volunteers and nurses working tirelessly to make people feel as comfortable as possible. Emma Heaton spoke to one of the nurses. Nurse: “So we have a triage, we have a clinic, the guests, they can come there, if they’re not feeling well, or if they need help with prescriptions refilled, or you know, just anything medical that they may possibly need. We’re here to offer our services and help them and get them through the process.” Emma: “So your role is to make people as comfortable as possible.” Nurse: “Yes, and helping you know, different abrasions or cuts or you know, just not feeling well, just general things and that aspect. We’re here to just offer as much support that we can during this time.” Emma: “There are some people that are not comfortable inside, and they’re not necessarily happy with how things are going. But could you just talk about the work that you guys are putting in and how much effort you’re putting in to make these people feel more comfortable.” Nurse: “Well, we’re here to let them know that, you know, they’re not alone if there’s something they’re going through. And you know, right now we have, you know, doctors that are no longer, the practices are not functioning, we have pharmacies, they’re not functioning and basically they can come in and get the help and we can put the services in and so they can have their needs met. I mean we have people with blood pressure problems. We have people with sight problems. We have people with just general things and they don’t know where to go. They can’t get to where they normally are. So we are here to help them.” The Red Cross is working with southern baptists to feed all the people in emergency shelters if you’d like to donate time or money, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.