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.
Comedian John Loeber. Credit: Shared with WINK News. We spoke to a Southwest Florida comedian Thursday who has the coronavirus. From the stage to a hospital bed, he wants community members to take precautions for COVID-19. “When the bars and restaurants opened up, I was going out every night,” John Loeber told WINK News. “I wasn’t wearing a mask. I just didn’t take it seriously at all.” Loeber is now being cared for at Gulf Coast Medical Center in south Fort Myers, undergoing test after test. Doctors told him he’s going to be there for a while. From his hospital bed in the medical center, he told us he originally believed COVID-19 was blown out of proportion. Because, with all these numbers and cases, he didn’t know a single person who tested positive. But, now, that person is him, and he’s fighting for his life. Loeber, a stand-up comedian, loves to make people burst out laughing when he’s performing. But his message to all is more sobering as he deals with COVID-19 personally. “It’s a serious condition,” Loeber said. “And, if you think that you’re not gonna get it, well, I hope you don’t, but I also thought I wouldn’t get it.” Loeber is dealing with the coronavirus and has also been diagnosed with pneumonia. Every three hours, he has a CT scan of his lungs and has blood work done. “No one can come to visit you,” Loeber said. “You just sit here, and luckily you have social media to connect, but like no one can stop by, say hello. They just can’t.” And Loeber says he thought social distancing was lonely. He also thought it was a joke. “I have not taken this seriously at all since the beginning,” Loeber said. “I thought the quarantine was overkill.” Last Thursday, hours before a comedy show, Loeber became suddenly dizzy and sweating, so he canceled the show. “I was all excited because I haven’t done a show in three months,” Loeber said. “So I was all ready to try out these new jokes about the quarantine, how much weight I gained during it, how difficult it was to online date.” Now, it’s difficult for him to think about all of the precautions he never took. “I see the numbers on the news every night,” Loeber said. “And I was like those are just numbers. How bad could this really be when the bars and restaurants opened up. I was going out every night. I wasn’t wearing a mask. I just didn’t take it seriously at all.” “Unfortunately, I could’ve exposed other people to it and I have to live with that,” Loeber said. Loeber said he’s now waiting on a blood transfusion to get antibodies. But he never had a fever or a cough. He originally thought what he has was vertigo, but it turned out to be the coronavirus. A true comedian, Loeber wants to see people smile, see people healthy and never see them go through pain like his. “I woke up today, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going home today.’ They’re like, ‘No, you’re not going home for a while,” Loeber said. “My lungs are getting worse and worse, so I won’t be going anywhere soon.”