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.
Credit: Cutout Photo: Ilmicrofono Oggiono / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ A fifth grade teacher in Collier County allegedly screamed “I’ll get a (expletive) gun and shoot her” at another staff member in front of deputies in a school parking lot in 2014. The teacher, who apparently lost his cool after bumping into another teacher’s car, was disciplined by the Florida Department of Education but did not lose his license. WINK News reviewed dozens of educator misconduct and discipline reports filed by the Lee and Collier county school districts from 2012 to 2017 and found 68 incidents of teachers accused of being aggressive and violent. Reports relevant to Charlotte County schools were heavily redacted and could not be analyzed. The research was in no way comprehensive or a complete look at exactly how many educators have had misconduct reports filed and discipline issued for this type of behavior. DATABASE: Search for educators with disciplinary actions against their license Other examples include an incident involving a Lee County assistant principal that alleges she “inappropriately disciplined” a first grader and bruised the child’s arm in 2015. Another Lee County teacher was accused of slapping students and hitting others in the genitals in 2013. Both of these teachers were disciplined, but still have licenses to teach in Florida. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act [SB 7026], signed into law by Governor Rick Scott allows for some educators to act as guardians at schools and carry weapons. The law does not specifically mention taking into consideration prior educator misconduct. Named for Aaron Feis, a coach killed in the February 14, massacre in Parkland, the armed guardian program is optional and voluntary. It does not allow teachers who are exclusively classroom teachers to carry firearms unless they have a military or law enforcement background. The program also calls for specific training and psychological evaluations. “I would think districts would have the common sense to consider [past misconduct],” said Mark Castellano, president of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County, a union group for educators. Castellano said it’s inevitable that teachers will lose their cool given rising stress and pressures in the classroom, and questioned whether or not adding firearms to the mix was a good idea. The Florida Education Association, a statewide teacher’s union, strongly opposed the portion of the SB 7026 that allows arming educators and has asked the Scott to veto the funds dedicated to the guardian program. No school districts in Southwest Florida have committed to taking part in the guardian program. The Desoto County School board has already voted unanimously against participating in the program, according to Superintendent of Schools Adrian Cline. Charlotte County schools superintendent plans to ask the board to vote against the idea. Both Lee and Collier counties are still taking everything into consideration. No one from the Hendry County school district could be reached for comment during their spring break. Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden has said he’d like to train volunteer school staff to carry guns at schools, but the school board is still reviewing that idea.