Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concernsStudents benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars
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.
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.
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.
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.
In this Saturday, March 23, 2019 photo, a pin on Rick Townsend’s sweater memorializes his daughter, Lauren, who was killed in the April 20, 1999, mass shooting at Columbine High School in suburban Denver. Several survivors and family members of the victims gathered at the school’s library to speak to the media Saturday. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert) Families of the Columbine High School shooting victims gathered at the school on Saturday to tell their stories 20 years after the tragedy, and they spoke of forgiveness, inclusion and healing, and the balm that sometimes only silence can bring. It was on April 20, 1999, that two Columbine students gunned down 12 classmates and a teacher in the Denver suburb of Littleton. A dozen parents, siblings, former students and others who suffered through the ordeal met with reporters ahead of next month’s anniversary. Here are some of their stories. Darrell and Sandy Scott Darrell Scott was thinking about forgiveness Saturday. Darrell and Sandy Scott’s daughter, Rachel, was killed at Columbine, and they founded a program called Rachel’s Challenge in her honor. One principle the program teaches is forgiveness, a path the Scotts chose after Rachel was killed. “It was a difficult choice, but it’s enabled us to help students who are struggling with issues in their own life,” Darrell Scott said. Forgiveness frees you, Scott said. “And if you don’t forgive, you’re going to be unforgiving and bitter and angry and seek revenge,” he said. Craig Scott The Scotts’ son, Craig, was also a student at Columbine and was at the school the day of the attack. He worries that school shootings have become “a part of the American psyche.” “The formula, unfortunately, is, you’re bullied at school, so maybe you’re going to do a school shooting,” said Scott, who has an organization called Value Up and speaks to students about valuing human life and not turning to violence. “If you’re bullied at school or harassed, that’s wrong,” he said. “But that’s also temporary. … When you choose to go and end somebody’s life, that’s permanent. That’s a permanent judgment.” Frank DeAngelis Frank DeAngelis, who was Columbine’s principal at the time of the shooting, wondered aloud how the killers grew so hateful, and whether part of the answer was that they felt excluded. “We talk about things to make schools safer,” he said, including security cameras and metal detectors. “But the thing you can’t underestimate is making everyone feel welcome, inclusiveness.” Schools are becoming more inclusive, he said, but now they have to fight cyberbullying. “That’s the thing that scares me,” DeAngelis said. “Now, when someone posts something on this phone, it’s there forever, and these kids feel their lives are destroyed forever.” Missy Mendo and Heather Martin Missy Mendo and Heather Martin were Columbine students who escaped the attack physically unhurt, but the emotional trauma kept them away from the school for years. “I struggled a lot after Columbine,” Martin said. She eventually ventured back to the school on the 10th anniversary of the shootings, in 2009, but Mendo had not returned before this year. Mendo and Martin helped found the Rebels Project — named for the Columbine High School mascot — to help other survivors of mass trauma. That work helped Mendo gather the courage to return Saturday. “Helping others, knowing that you help them with steps that you had to help yourself through” allowed her to go back, she said. “And knowing that when we were coming here today, we would be able to let other people know we were here if they needed us.” Tom Mauser For Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed at Columbine, the 20th anniversary will be just another day, and a bad one. “We live it every day,” he said. “It’s a remembrance that we have every day that we lost our son, just like anybody who has lost a child.” But he appreciates that other people want to honor the victims and ask how the survivors are faring. More meaningful than observing anniversaries would be to ask whether society will act to prevent school shootings, Mauser said. “What resolve do we have to stop this from happening again?” he said. Rick Townsend Rick Townsend, whose daughter Lauren was slain at Columbine, was thinking about kindness and recalling the outpouring of support that the families felt from people around the world. “There was a time then when people were saying, ‘You know, we really need to be nicer to each other. We need to support each other,’ ” he said. “I think that over time some of that’s been lost, and I’m not sure why.” Dawn Anna Dawn Anna, Lauren Townsend’s mother, said she finds solace by helping others through tragedy. The most important thing, she said, is not to talk but simply be present. She learned that from a friend she described as a “motor mouth” who came to her house after the Columbine shootings but — to her surprise and relief — said nothing. She only sat with her, occasionally getting up to get her a glass of water. “Don’t say anything, because there’s not a single word you can say that’s going to mean a thing,” Anna said. “And then when they’re ready, or if they ask a question, then you can start to talk.”