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.
Whiskey had deep cuts from a rope, a large gash on his leg from being dragged, and a hole where his tail once was. Despite the abuse, he’s going to make it. Abused dogs, some in unimaginable conditions, are being brought from all over the state to recover in Southwest Florida. Love is Fur Ever Dog Rescue – or LIFE Rescue – in Lehigh Acres takes the worst of the worst and spends whatever’s necessary to help dogs recover. Dogs like Whiskey, whose wounds were so severe that WINK News had to blur the images in order to show them. “We believe that every dog has a purpose for living and we wanted to make sure that he didn’t die or suffer in the shelter any longer, so we moved as quickly as we could and brought him here,” said Victoria Frazier, the rescue’s founder. Whiskey had deep cuts from a rope, a large gash on his leg from being dragged, and a hole where his tail once was. Despite the abuse, he’s going to make it. “He is a gentle giant and you would think that everything that he’s endured, that he would have some sort of anger or scarcity towards people but he is absolutely by far the most charming, sweet young man, sweet young puppy, that you could imagine,” Frazier said. Frazier searches the state for dogs who have been battered and abused, and brings them to her Lehigh Acres rescue. She started the organization in 2013 after rescuing a dog on the street, fixing her, and getting her adopted. Eight-month-old Whiskey came from Miami, where he was found on the street. Love is Fur Ever knew they had to take him, even though they were already in debt with other vet bills. “It will be a fight to find justice and we may never find that, but at least we have attempted to bring whomever has done this forward,” she said. Whiskey is set to have skin graft surgery next week, with a vet bill that will range from $20,000 to $40,000. Then, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office will honor Whiskey by naming him a “Deputy Dog.” “He’s going to be a face for our community for animal abuse,” Frazier said. WINK News was getting ready to talk with the vet who’s caring for Whiskey, but he had to suddenly cancel when another dog from the rescue needed emergency surgery. Sadly, this animal abuse is not rare. Because Whiskey’s abuse happened in Miami, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said all they could do is take down the information and forward the report to Miami-Dade police, who have not opened a case. Florida’s law states animal abuse is only punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. Frazier said that’s not nearly enough. For more information on Love is Fur Ever Dog Rescue, click here.