Alleged sexual abuse victims of Port Charlotte priest comes forwardPort Charlotte priest accused of sexual abuse appears in court
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.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
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.
Three Sisters Spring Toast the manatee released by FWC, SeaWorld and Casey DeSantis near Crystal River A manatee named Toast was released back into the Florida waters after a final medical evaluation from wildlife officials.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
Credit: WINK News So many of you are fed up, tired of dealing with a seemingly broken unemployment system online and over the phone. Mike Baroody’s patience is wavering. “When you get to a prompt, it says you need to speak to an agent. It tells you that if you want to wait more than 10 minutes, they will call you back, and after that it drops you off the phone,” he says. Since he started the application two weeks ago, he’s been trying to update his information. “Two days ago I did that 75 times. Yesterday I did that about 50 times,” he said. UNEMPLOYMENT RESOURCES Mobile application for new applicants Original website for existing applicants Unemployment paper application Help with resetting your PIN with CareerSource Tired of unanswered questions, some of you have taken to Facebook to ask your neighbors. One woman who applied on the new website wrote: “They left important info out that you would think [would] be a considering factor” and “No bank account info entered…nothing asked.” Many others with pending applications commented that you still can’t log on to the original website to claim benefits, verify your identity or simply get anyone on the phone to help. In a news conference Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis said he’s put an unprecedented amount of manpower into addressing these problems. “I’m hoping they can do it as quickly as possible, but just even before this rush, this is a process that took three weeks,” he said. “My focus is on, let’s just get these checks out.” Baroody’s message to the state: “People need their benefits and they don’t need them four weeks from now when the system is going to be fixed. They need them two weeks ago when this whole system crashed down.” We’ve taken all your questions to the state – both the governor’s office and the Department of Economic Opportunity. The DEO wasn’t able to answer all of our questions but responded saying after people file with the new website or paper application, they’ll process the claim and contact you if they need more information. They encourage you to visit covid19.floridajobs.org for frequently asked questions. You can read their full statement below: The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) recently announced multiple actions taken to improve the ability for Floridians to access the Reemployment Assistance program. Last week, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-93, directing DEO and other executive agencies to take all necessary actions to improve the Reemployment Assistance program. Click here for the press release and click here to view the Governor’s roundtable discussion with DEO, the Departments of Management Services and Revenue. This week, the department also announced a new mobile-friendly application for Reemployment Assistance available at Floridajobs.org/COVID-19. Floridians who do not have a current open Reemployment Assistance claim should complete their application online. Click here for the press release. After an individual files a claim in our new online application or submits a paper application, DEO will process their claim for Reemployment Assistance. If further information is needed, the agency will contact the claimant. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is seeing historic increases in Floridians filing for Reemployment Assistance. For the week ending March 21, Florida received 74,313 applications for Reemployment Assistance. For the week ending March 28, Florida received 226,999 applications for Reemployment Assistance. For the week ending April 4, Florida received 169,831 applications for Reemployment Assistance. For the week ending April 11, to date, Florida has received 229,524 applications for Reemployment Assistance. If a Floridian’s employment has been negatively impacted as a result of COVID-19, they may be eligible to receive Reemployment Assistance. Individuals who are eligible for Reemployment Assistance may include: Those who are quarantined by a medical professional or a government agency, Those who are laid off or sent home without pay for an extended period by their employer due to COVID-19 concerns, or Those who are caring for an immediate family member who is diagnosed with COVID-19. Individuals whose employment has been impacted, but are still receiving wages through paid leave are not eligible to receive Reemployment Assistance. DEO will issue additional information about Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance as it becomes available. Benefits will be paid from the date they became eligible under the CARES Act. At this time, individuals who apply for Reemployment Assistance whose employment was negatively impacted as a result of COVID-19 will follow the same application, review and payment process as all applicants for Reemployment Assistance in Florida. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, expands Reemployment Assistance benefits. The team at DEO is working diligently to get the resources provided through the CARES Act to Floridians as soon as possible and will be providing more information in the coming days.