Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior nightPolice: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
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.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
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.
A Publix liquor store in Sebring, Fla. (Photo via Albertsons Florida Blog) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Floridians may soon be able to buy bourbon and bacon in the same place under a bill moving quickly through the state Legislature. A Senate panel on Thursday voted in favor of a bill that repeals a decades-old prohibition on grocery stores and other retailers from being able to also sell hard liquor in the same location. The measure (SB 106) now heads to the full Senate. Many other states already allow grocery stores to sell liquor such as vodka or rum next to other items. But in Florida liquor must be sold in a separate location that is not connected. Grocery stores are allowed to sell beer and wine. The liquor-wall measure, which has failed to advance in past sessions, pits retailers Wal-Mart and Target, both in favor of repealing the Depression-era law, against supermarket giant Publix and liquor-store chain ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater Republican, said he opposes the measure as it would allow 16-years-olds who work in grocery stores to have access to liquor. He said he’s never heard anyone complain “about a lack of access to alcoholic beverages.” “We’ve had a process set up that nobody cares about, except a couple of large international corporations who want to get into that business in Florida in their stores,” Latvala said. Sen. Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican who also voted against the bill, withdrew an amendment — after NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer objected — that would have allowed counties to ask voters if businesses that sell firearms and ammunition should be prohibited from also selling liquor. “The box stores are the only place in a lot of these rural areas where residents can buy guns and ammunition,” Hammer told the committee. “If you give the ability to a box store, that is profit oriented, to decide whether or not to give up guns, so that they can sell hard liquor in those stores, I’m afraid that’s going to be to the detriment of people who want to exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Because these box stores are going to opt for the profit margin every time.” The committee rejected a proposal by Latvala that would have required county governments to further allow the “wall to come down.” “Different parts of our state have different mores,” Latvala said. “Some places in Florida you still can’t buy alcohol on a Sunday.” The committee, however, approved an amendment that would require small bottles, 6.8 ounces or less, to be displayed only behind the counter. Despite intense media and lobbying attention on the liquor bill, sponsor Anitere Flores, R-Miami, acknowledged the proposal isn’t among the “top 10 or top 100,” issues facing the Legislature. “I look forward to the passage of this bill and not having to deal a whole lot more with this issue once it passes the Senate,” Flores said. The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.