FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herselfSurrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcyclists ride in SWFL to help veterans battle suicide A group of veterans from the American Legion are grabbing their helmets and boots for a motorcycle ride to bring awareness to the staggering rates of suicide among veterans.
SARASOTA Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forward Father Riley worked at three churches in Charlotte County and another in Naples. On Friday, new allegations emerged from a news conference in Sarasota.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court A priest accused of sexually abusing four altar boys in Iowa nearly 40 years ago returned to Charlotte County court.
MGN Lack of sleep can lead to health problems for children and adults, so it is no wonder some people are turning to sleep coaches to help with one-on-one support for rest. Julia Howland and her husband couldn’t be more excited about raising their first child, one-year-old Eva. But from the beginning they knew she would be a handful. “It was immediately clear that she was a very alert child,” said Julia. Like most babies, Eva did not sleep through the night at first. Even after a few months, Eva had no interest in sleeping. Her lack of sleep was taking a toll on the family. “We had a hard time balancing our marriage and our careers with parenthood,” Julia said. After ruling out any medical conditions, Julia and her husband decided to give a sleep coach a try. “Children need sleep for many reasons. It helps them improve memory, it helps them learn, it helps them take in their environment,” explained sleep coach Linda Szmulewitz. So how does a sleeping coach work? After going over the sleep history and pattern of a client, the sleep coach typically visits the home to meet the family and see the sleep environment, and then develops a sleep plan custom-tailored to the family’s needs. “There are only a specific number of ways to change sleep bahavior due to the fact that it’s based on behavior modification, and its based on being very consistent and being consistent over a certain period of time,” said Szmulewitz. The key, according to Linda, is developing a plan and sticking to it. “It was really helpful to have an expert tell you do this, do this, do this, do it at this time in this way and then call me and we’ll see how it went and we’ll adapt as necessary,” recalled Julia. Kim West is a nationally recognized sleep consultant who has been helping families for 17 years. West notes there is no standardized certification for sleep coaches, and suggests doing your research before hiring a coach. “Have they taken a sleep coach training program, if so when did they graduate, how long have they been in practice?” said West. What do medical experts think of sleep coaching? Doctor Shalini Paruthi specializes in sleep medicine. She says she can appreciate the client-focused approach, but still recommends people see a physician who specializes in sleep. “I think my biggest concern has always been if we’re not sure of exactly how they’ve been trained, accredited or licensed, they may not have the same experience or expertise, as someone who has gone through medical school and residency,” said Dr. Paruthi. Julia is thankful for her experience. It took Eva just a few nights of training to start sleeping through the night. “From my perspective, doing this gentle sleep training and this gentle sleep coaching was a really important way to balance the needs of every member of our family,” she said. Sleep coaches focus on behavioral techniques, so they are typically used for babies and small children, not adults. Meanwhile, according to sleep coach Kim West, a committee has been formed to create standard training criteria for all sleep coaches. West says she thinks there will eventually be regulation of the field similar to the International Board of Lactation consultants.