League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofitsFriday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy afternoon after a comfortable morning The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
NAPLES 25-acre brush fire off I-75 in Collier County lowers air quality The Greater Naples Fire Rescue responded to a 25-acre brush fire at Mile Marker 96 on I-75 in the Picayune Strand State Forest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral softball coach arrested for alleged inappropriate conduct with student released on bond A former Cape Coral volunteer softball coach arrested for alleged sexual contact with a student was released from jail on bond.
FORT MYERS A prom like no other at Golisano Children’s Hospital Logan Stryker may be a little young for high school prom, but he’s the prom king of Golisano Children’s Hospital.
FORT MYERS Group protests death of Christopher Jordan Their messages were aimed at the Fort Myers police department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney Amira Fox.
FORT MYERS A least 3 cars involved in crash near Top Golf Way and Challenger Blvd. It happened near Top Golf Way and Challenger Boulevard in Fort Myers.
Hendry County Fired deputy charged with crimes had troubled past in law enforcement A local police officer resigned in lieu of termination after dozens of disciplinary actions against him, so how was he hired at another SWFL law enforcement agency?
New resolution could help fend off FEMA’s threat to pull flood insurance discount Some United States representatives are taking matters into their own hands to help those threatened by more expensive flood insurance.
NAPLES Local group rallies in solidarity with Israel Passover week is an important time for the Jewish community, but hostages are still being held.
From Verot to The Show: Blaze Alexander is living his MLB dream Former Bishop Verot star Blaze Alexander is now living his MLB dream as he got called up to join the Arizona Diamondbacks.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy afternoon after a comfortable morning The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
NAPLES 25-acre brush fire off I-75 in Collier County lowers air quality The Greater Naples Fire Rescue responded to a 25-acre brush fire at Mile Marker 96 on I-75 in the Picayune Strand State Forest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral softball coach arrested for alleged inappropriate conduct with student released on bond A former Cape Coral volunteer softball coach arrested for alleged sexual contact with a student was released from jail on bond.
FORT MYERS A prom like no other at Golisano Children’s Hospital Logan Stryker may be a little young for high school prom, but he’s the prom king of Golisano Children’s Hospital.
FORT MYERS Group protests death of Christopher Jordan Their messages were aimed at the Fort Myers police department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney Amira Fox.
FORT MYERS A least 3 cars involved in crash near Top Golf Way and Challenger Blvd. It happened near Top Golf Way and Challenger Boulevard in Fort Myers.
Hendry County Fired deputy charged with crimes had troubled past in law enforcement A local police officer resigned in lieu of termination after dozens of disciplinary actions against him, so how was he hired at another SWFL law enforcement agency?
New resolution could help fend off FEMA’s threat to pull flood insurance discount Some United States representatives are taking matters into their own hands to help those threatened by more expensive flood insurance.
NAPLES Local group rallies in solidarity with Israel Passover week is an important time for the Jewish community, but hostages are still being held.
From Verot to The Show: Blaze Alexander is living his MLB dream Former Bishop Verot star Blaze Alexander is now living his MLB dream as he got called up to join the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) FORT MYERS, Fla. – 600 pounds of chicken. 1,000 hot dogs. 25 children’s bikes and an entire year of planning. Those are some of the things local filmmaker Curtis Collins said it took to pull off a community event in Dunbar on Saturday. Parked cars lined the streets outside the Fort Myers STARS Complex, a youth recreational center off Edison Avenue, where hundreds of children played under the supervision of parents and law enforcement officers. Collins organized the event, Unity in the Community, as a way to thank officers for assisting him with his latest film project. “The Fort Myers Police Department and the Lee County sheriff were so into helping me out with my film by providing me with street closures, using the jail, inside the jail, so I wanted to do something special for them,” he said. While the large crowds enjoyed food and music, face painting, sports and giveaways, Collins said he was most proud of the interaction he saw between local law enforcement officers and residents. FMPD Interim Chief Dennis Eads attended the event alongside deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol. Dressed in a shirt that read “Unity” in big capital letters, Eads even participated in an intense game of kickball against a group of student athletes. “It feels good to see,” Collins said. “I mean, you don’t want to pat yourself on the back and say ‘Hey, you know you did a good thing’ but — how often do you see the police officers walking around having conversations with the community?” he said. “Intellectual, peaceful conversations. Not often at all. Not often, especially here.” Eads, who is being replaced by FMPD’s new permanent chief Derrick Diggs, spoke highly of Unity in the Community. “It was a good event. You’d have a hard time finding anyone who’d say it wasn’t and if you did, shame on them,” he said. The event was largely sponsored by South Florida Milling. Collins approached the company’s owner, Daniel Banks, for help. “You know this is a start. This somewhere we can start building the community. The community doesn’t trust the police. You know, there’s a disconnect somewhere in that. So when he asked me to start contributing to it, we got behind him and made today happen basically,” Banks said. Unity in the Community was an opportunity for officers to step away from their jobs to make personal connections with residents, Collins said. “Not to say anything bad about our police officers, ‘cause it’s not, but you can’t get to know somebody when you’re driving through a neighborhood and you see them on the street,” he said. “Here they’re having a dialogue and it’s not a bad dialogue. They’re actually communicating and that’s what we needed to do. So I think we did that.” Collins hopes to expand Unity in the Community next year, building it into an annual event. The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) FMPD Interim Chief Dennis Eads at bat in a kickball game (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) Curtis Collins, local filmmaker (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News) The first Unity in the Community drew a large crowd for a day of fun with law enforcement officers. (Chloe Herring/WINK News)