Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation
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.
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.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
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.
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.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato The newest movie theater in Southwest Florida opens April 29, and it does so with an array of entertainment offerings that go beyond the usual options across the region.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Soon after the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, another dark chapter in Florida gay history is getting a national showcase. “The Committee,” a documentary about politics and homosexuality, will air on more than 70 public TV stations across the country, including WGCU. The movie was made at the University of Central Florida by Lisa Mills, a film professor; fellow director Robert Cassanello, a history professor; and 15 of their students. “It is for us and for the students a way to share nationally what we feel is an extremely important story of discrimination by our state lawmakers,” Mills said. The film explains how the Florida Legislative Investigative Committee in the late 1950s and early 1960s conducted a witch hunt against college students and faculty members at the state’s public universities. Hundreds were interrogated about their sexual orientation. More than 200 lost their jobs or were expelled, but Mills adds that it isn’t clear exactly how many people dropped out or quit because of the intimidation. “One clear message as a historian speaks to me,” Cassanello said. “You have to contemplate the decisions you make today because future generations will judge you.” The panel was known as the Johns Committee because Florida Sen. Charley Johns, a former governor, was the chairman. It wanted to root out communism and initially tried to discredit the NAACP, which was well organized. Then the panel’s focus shifted to the gay community. “The (gay) population back then could not be out in the open and demand the constitutional rights that protected them,” Cassanello said. “There was the sense that people who were hiding secrets were susceptible to communists.” Johns, a Democrat from Starke, thought what he did was morally just, Cassanello said, but today’s generations just don’t understand. “It’s really fascinating to get kids thinking about this: What standard will you be held to?” Cassanello said. “It’s time to look back and see what we did to these citizens,” Mills said. “If we don’t watch out, history can repeat itself. People in other states need to see what Florida did to these citizens.” The film features interviews with two survivors, Chuck Woods and Ruth Jensen-Forbell, and an interrogator, John Tileston Sr., a retired member of the University of Florida Police Department. Another speaker is former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who was a University of Florida student when the committee was acting. Cassanello credited students with landing an interview with Graham, a former Florida governor. “He said he wanted to talk about it. He said it bothered him when he was a student,” Cassanello added. Aaron Hose, who produced and edited the film, suggested a reunion between Woods and Tileston. “Both were agreeable. Aaron thought it showed how things had changed,” Mills said. Work on “The Committee” started in 2011. “This was not a class of film students,” Mills said. “They didn’t know that much about shooting. We needed technical help, and Aaron was there to provide it.” “The Committee” premiered in 2012. It has played film festivals, won awards and undergone three revisions. One came after Tileston died in 2014. “John was thrilled to talk about what he did. It had always been bothering him,” Mills said. Another revision came after court rulings on same-sex marriage. The Johns Committee lost power when the University of South Florida forced the panel to hold its hearings in the open. The Purple Pamphlet, a report by the panel, turned off people who found the material obscene. “We wanted to get the story out nationally. It’s time the state owned up to its discriminatory history,” Mills said. But Cassanello doubts that will ever happen. “I don’t think anyone apologized for McCarthyism,” he said. “The point that makes me despair: What’s going on with transgender people and bathrooms. This is evidence of the forces that were the Johns Committee are at work today.”