Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the legExclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out
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.
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.
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.
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.
NAPLES, Fla. – Local ladies packed a women’s only gun course at the Alamo in Naples recently. The one-hour course, led by Shirley Watral with the ALTAIR Gun Club, gave a general overview of firearms and gun safety. Watral said while this started as a man’s sport, more women are interested in it and she wanted to offer a class that wasn’t intimidating for women. Watral started to learn more about guns after she says she was attacked by a now ex-boyfriend. “They [women] need to understand that an event like that can either determine who they’re going to become or they can take that event and make that a stepping stone to the person they want to be. For me, it took me a long time to figure that out and the turning point for me was four years ago when I started shooting.” Watral said she was held hostage in her attacker’s home for eight to 10 hours and physically and emotionally abused. At one point, she said her attacker brought out a gun and she thought that was the end. “I thought this is the end, I’m going to go out fighting because I’ve already been fighting this whole period, whole time. And I did not know at the time, and I might have known if I had a little more experience with firearms, that it wasn’t loaded. So I went for it thinking that if I got a shot off the neighbors would hear.” But the gun wasn’t loaded, and Watral said after that her attacker beat her even more. While it was obviously hard for her to share that story, she did so because she knows other women have had similar situations. In fact, during the class Watral asked every woman to answer yes or no to a single question: Have you ever been physically abused? “10 out of 16 women here have been physically abused at some point in their life, still over half…I want you to know that I’ve been there. I know what you’re going through,” she said while holding back tears. WINK News talked to several women at the class, all who said they were there because they worry about their safety. “The world unfortunately isn’t a pretty place anymore,” said Stephanie O’Malley, who already owns a gun but liked the idea of taking a ladies only class. “I think it’s a great opportunity for women to come out because it’s not going to be so intimidating.” Tracey Young who does not have a gun right now but plans on buying one echoed a similar thought. “I am a realtor in Naples and you hear about, it gives me chills just thinking about it, but you take a lot of people that you don’t know and you take them out into vacant houses. It’s just something to think about, better safe than sorry,” Young said. Saturday, June 4, ALTAIR Gun Club is hosting a Women’s Pistol 1 course in Copeland, FL. It will teach women basic handgun skills and how to select your own weapon. The Alamo also hosts Ladies Night on Mondays, where you can get free range time from 4 p.m. until close.