‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidationHomeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods
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.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
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.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
NFL player and Cape Coral native Nate Allen (R) discusses his wrongful arrest lawsuit against the Fort Myers Police Department with his attorney, Sawyer Charles Smith (L). (WINK News) FORT MYERS, Fla. – A NFL player and Cape Coral native who was wrongfully arrested for masturbating in front of a 16-year-old filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon against the Fort Myers Police Department. The City of Fort Myers, former police chief Douglas Baker, and two Fort Myers police officers, Sgt. Jacquelyn Garrett and detective Audenia Thomas, were also named in the suit. The suit claims the February 2015 arrest of Nate Allen, a safety for the Oakland Raiders, violated his fourth and fourteenth amendment rights and that Baker, along with city officials, “created a policy and practice of encouraging its officers to use racial profiling” in making arrests. In addition, the suit claims Fort Myers police officers are not properly trained to investigate crimes and were encouraged to “cover up” wrongful arrests, including Allen’s. Baker was fired for lying during an internal investigation of the arrest, claiming he ordered Allen’s release. City officials said that did not happen. Four officers were reprimanded and two others were suspended for the incident. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wrongful arrest The teenager said a “mixed race” man in his 40s or 50s with a gray or white goatee pulled up in a truck next to her and started masturbating, according to the lawsuit. Officers were searching for the truck when they stopped Allen, 29, near Colonial Boulevard and Fowler Street. “What should have been apparent about the truck seen by (Fort Myers police officer Kelsey) Evenson is that it was lifted and it would have been impossible for the girl to have seen through the passenger side window from her car,” the suit said. Allen was stopped, then arrested for “exposure of sexual organs to a minor under 16 years of age,” the lawsuit said. “(The officer) was telling me I had made a pass at a girl and I had been accused of something and the next thing I know they’re searching me,” Allen said in an interview with WINK News. “And I’m being detained. They put me in cuffs.” One officer, Timothy McCormick, refused to be involved in the arrest, believing Allen was the wrong guy, the suit said. Allen’s attorney, Sawyer Charles Smith, described the arrest as “corrupt and illegal.” “We were able to determine right away that Mr. Allen was innocent of all the charges,” he said. “Why all of our tax money goes to a law enforcement agency that’s so ineffective and unconstitutional in its practices is beyond me.” Allen was pictured at a Red Lobster restaurant one minute before the teenager contacted 911, Smith said. While the emergency call was being made, Allen texted his mother, then called a friend, according to his phone records. Allen was eventually released – more than five hours later – after an assistant state attorney told the department they cannot hold someone for a misdemeanor that was not observed by an officer, the suit said. “This can’t be how things are supposed to be done,” Allen said. “Who gets arrested and doesn’t even know what’s going on? I honestly thought I was going to prison that night and had no clue why.” ‘Change in leadership’ Baker, the police chief at the time, told internal investigators he directed Capt. Melvin Perry, who oversees the department’s detectives, to release Allen. Perry told investigators that conversation never happened. When asked about Perry’s response, Baker said “I can’t explain it.” Baker later told city council members the internal investigation was “very thorough” and there were “no untruthfulness” to his statements, but added there were other motives behind an effort to remove him. “There’s no wild secret about the relationship between the (police) union and myself,” he said. “I’m not afraid to terminate when it reaches that level. I have no fear of arbitrators. I have no fear of losing in the event. The union’s going to do what the union does. They talk about agendas. They have an agenda too, but that’s their business, that’s what they do. We’re going to keep moving on. Tomorrow’s another day and it is what it is.” Baker’s August 2015 firing came two weeks after the head of the local police union called for his resignation. Former Fort Myers City Manager William Mitchell, in a memo to city leaders, said Baker’s contract was terminated “because it is my judgement as city manager that a change in leadership is necessary to enable the City of Fort Myers Police Department to continue to move forward.” How the department moves forward, Allen and Smith say, is why the lawsuit was filed. “Mr. Allen is going to be the client that forces an improvement in FMPD so we have the absolute best law enforcement agency that the state of Florida has ever known,” Smith said. “If they wont do it on their own, me and Nate are going to make them.”