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.
Suspect sketch in North Port sexual battery case. (North Port Police Department) North Port police are searching for a man after a 15-year-old girl reported she had been sexually battered while jogging near her home. Twenty-four hours after a sketch was released, the man still has not been caught putting the neighborhood on edge. The juvenile said on Jan. 6, around 4:41 p.m., a man sexually battered her near the area of Landover Terrace in North Port. 15-year-old girl reports sexual battery (WINK News) The victim provided information to police which caused them to believe she was targeted and this was not a random act. The victim gave a detailed description of the suspect. He is described as about 36-38 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, average to muscular build, dark blonde hair styled in a buzz cut, goatee and greenish-blue eyes. His clothing was described as blue jeans with a black t-shirt with a red and orange design on the front. Detectives are looking into the 20 tips called into the office since Wednesday evening. They hope to get back DNA results collected at the scene by next weekend. Police say he was last seen traveling northbound on Landover Terrace in an older black four-door car, possibly a Ford. Police have spent dozens of hours in the neighborhood canvassing and looking at surveillance video for leads, but so far, nothing to help them find the person responsible. They are asking the public to please check any recording devices they may have which could help us in this investigation. Neighbors are frantic to help find who committed the crime in broad daylight. “Somebody would be that bold, during the day, to do something like that to a child,” asked Inez Barrett of North Port. Neighbors say detectives flooded the property Monday with crime scene tape up, blocking off the side of the house and focusing their search behind a shed. “It’s shocking because we thought it was a safe neighborhood,” said Rhonda Anzevino. None of the community members we talked to seem to recognize the man described by the victim. “He looks so, so, like, common,” said Stephanie Higgins. “You know what I mean? It could be anybody.” But neighbors say they’re not taking any chances, knowing he’s still out there. “I don’t think I’m going to start my walking routine in the morning,” Anzevino said. “If this guy has attacked a 15-year-old…in the broad daylight, chances are, this isn’t his first time,” Higgins said. Kelsey Whealy, an interim director for Sarasota County Schools, said there are no special measures being taken. Whealy said the following to WINK News: We are continually in contact with our local law enforcement partners about a variety of happenings that could have a potential impact on our school communities. In this instance, our schools have been operating as usual, no special measures taken. We defer to the insights and advice of the NPPD, as this is their case. Our students, teachers, staff and visitors are all aware of how to report suspicious activity/persons near or around campus. As you know, all traditional public schools have a single-point of entry at the front office, and all visitors on campus are required to check-in at the front office and have their driver’s license/ID scanned against a criminal database before entering a campus. Self-defense classes geared for anyone in the community are offered at Suncoast Technical College’s various campuses – you would need to contact them directly about what the courses entail and how frequently they occur. If anyone is able to identify this subject or obtains any information please contact the North Port Police Department, Det. Kishia Veigel at 941-429-7335 or kveigel@northportpd.com.