Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoodsWhat changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area?
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
Credit: DEO website. It’s deja vu. Complaints are rolling in again about the state’s unemployment website. One person tweeted, “got bounced out and looped, no exaggeration, 50-plus times.” Another said, “get halfway done then kicks me back to the screen before logging in. for 4 hours now.” Despite more people going back to work, problems with the website are not ending. The CONNECT system is experiencing higher than average wait times when trying to enter the system. You may be placed in the Virtual Waiting Room while other claimants access the system. If you need assistance, visit the RA Help Center. More here: https://t.co/679Q42mAUg — FloridaCommerce (@FLACommerce) June 3, 2021 “Utterly ridiculous.” It feels like we’ve been here before. “It’s been slow,” said Karrina Wood who has been unemployed since April 2020. “It took over an hour and a half. Even trying to talk on chat you’d get booted. It’s been bad, the site has been so bad.” The problems are reminiscent of last year, at the start of the pandemic, when so many people were forced to turn to unemployment benefits that it overwhelmed the system. That’s what unemployed people have to deal with today, again. “It’s just, it’s glitch after glitch,” Wood said. Now, Wood says she hasn’t been able to collect her benefits for more than nine weeks, in part because of an ID-verification issue. And this week, the CONNECT website won’t let her log on. “I would go and put in my social and stuff like that. And it would put me right back to the first page again. Now finally, when you would get logged in, then if you tried to click on anything else on your home screen, it would give you an error,” Wood said. And when Wood tried to use the online chat option for help, she waited behind 370 other people for three hours until it crashed. Friday, the DEO announced the chat is no longer available. Attention Claimants! The Reemployment Assistance Customer Service Center Chat feature is no longer available for use. If you need assistance with your claim, please call 1-833-FL-APPLY, or visit the Reemployment Assistance Help Center, here: https://t.co/djXeTooPfd — FloridaCommerce (@FLACommerce) June 4, 2021 Instead, DEO is telling people to call or use their automated Help Center which DEO says is still being updated with more features. All of the issues come at the same time that DEO is now requiring people to input their information on their job searches. The qualification was paused during the pandemic and only just now restarted. Leading up to the reinstatement of work searches, DEO Secretary Dane Eagle said CONNECT was prepared to take that on. “They’re already required to go in every two weeks and file their claims. And even though the job search requirements have been waived, those boxes were still there to be populated. So I don’t think there should be an issue,” Eagle said. Meanwhile, for people like Wood, the situation feels hopeless. “I thought this system was supposed to be fixed. And it just seems like it’s worse than what it was,” she said. Last month Eagle said many of the roughly 435 new people DEO plans to hire will work behind the scenes of the new help center. He also said the website isn’t perfect but it’s working better than last year. WINK News asked DEO why so many people are seeing issues with the website now, and a representative provided this statement a few days after this story aired: “The CONNECT system has experienced an increase in user traffic this past week. The Department continuously updates the CONNECT system capacity and how claimant traffic is distributed among servers. Claimants should begin to see better performance when accessing CONNECT. During times of heavy traffic, users may be placed in the CONNECT Virtual Waiting Room while other users access the system. If users need immediate assistance, please encourage your viewers to utilize the Reemployment Assistance Help Center, here. The Department remains committed and focused on making sure all eligible Floridians are paid the benefits they are owed and improving the Reemployment Assistance program. As part of the General Appropriations Act recently signed by the Governor, the Florida Legislature provided $92.4 million in state and federal funds for continued operations and to modernize the state’s unemployment system. This funding will allow DEO to provide a more user-friendly experience for claimants applying for Reemployment Assistance benefits. For more information on the Department’s roadmap to improving the Reemployment Assistance program, including the CONNECT system, please click here.”