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.
NAPLES 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.
NAPLES 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.
Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox talks with a reporter in Tallahassee, Fla. Photo via AP/Phil Coale. An FBI corruption investigation that became an issue in the Florida governor’s race led to a 44-count federal indictment Wednesday against a city commissioner who once ran the state’s Democratic Party. The indictment charges Tallahassee Commissioner Scott Maddox with bribery, extortion, bank fraud, racketeering and other crimes. Not mentioned in the indictment is Democratic nominee for governor Andrew Gillum, who served as Tallahassee’s mayor during the investigation. Gillum lost the governor’s race to Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, who repeatedly said Gillum was being investigated by the FBI. Gillum repeatedly said he wasn’t a target. Gillum lost by 32,463 votes out of more than 8.2 million cast – a margin so close it required a statewide recount. Maddox once served as Tallahassee’s mayor. In 2002, he was elected as chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. He resigned in 2005 to run for governor but dropped out of the race before the primary. He has also unsuccessfully run for attorney general and agriculture commissioner, both Cabinet positions. Republican Gov. Rick Scott suspended Maddox from office shortly after the indictment. Longtime Maddox associate Paige Carter-Smith is also charged. The indictment alleges that when Maddox returned to the city commission in 2012, he falsely claimed that he sold his interest in a lobbying and consulting firm to Paige and no longer had an interest in it. The indictment alleges that Maddox and Carter-Smith continued to work together while Maddox was on the commission and took money from clients in exchange for favorable votes by Maddox, including ride-hailing company Uber. It also alleges the two conspired to defraud a bank of more than $250,000 through two fraudulent short sales of real property and lied to investigators about their business arrangements and other matters. Carter-Smith served as chief executive officer of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority during the investigation, which also involve the Internal Revenue Service. Maddox and Carter-Smith appeared in federal court wearing leg shackles Wednesday afternoon. They pleaded not guilty to all charges. There were released under the condition they turn in their passports and not leave the region. A trial date was set for Jan. 14. During the investigation, Gillum spent time with undercover FBI agents in New York City, joining them on a boat ride and accepting tickets to the Broadway show “Hamilton.” The agents were posing as businessmen interested in Tallahassee development projects. The state ethics commission is considering a separate complaint that Gillum accepted illegal gifts, including from the undercover agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney’ Stephen Kunz told federal Judge Charles Stampelos the FBI corruption investigation is ongoing.