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.
It’s week seven since Brent Grayson signed up for public homeless assistance in Lee County. He worked and waited through the holidays, the tornadoes. “The storm was kind of ugly because you know being out here, you got to find something basically the cover your head,” says Grayson. “I was a little wet, but hey, I went to work.” He also weathered the near-record cold, not knowing when he’d get the help Lee County says it provides the homeless to get into places of their own. “I get frustrated on the inside, but I say my day is going to come,” says Grayson. A week ago, Grayson says his case manager, who forwarded our requests for an interview to her boss, told him he qualified for rental vouchers to pay for up-front costs, including first month, last month and security deposit. He’s still waiting for the County to help him convince a landlord to take in a convicted felon. MORE: Click here for continuing coverage in The Working Homeless series Brent Grayson “A lot of places are rejecting me, they’re not accepting me,” says Grayson. “I’m a person with a felony conviction, we call ourselves returning citizens. So, I know those barriers firsthand,” says Deputy Director Neil Volz, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Volz feels Lee County’s homeless assistance services need work and Grayson’s experience proves it. “It’s because he has some challenges to navigate the system, that we should hear his voice and hear his experiences, so that we can create a system that isn’t just geared towards one segment of the population,” says Volz. “This reminds me of the tornado we just had. When we see another person in pain, we run up to them, and we want to help them. We don’t say like, hey, do you have a past felony conviction?” “We should do all that we can to help. Such as what you’re doing. You’re raising the visibility of how people are living in our great country, a land of abundance,” says Lee County NAACP President James Muwakkil. Lee County NAACP President James Muwakkil. As an African American, who’s also a convicted felon and once homeless, Muwakkil says he can relate to Grayson’s situation. He says County Commissioners can’t say the same. “They don’t understand that it’s easier for family to get help being homeless than it is for an individual by himself, especially a black male,” says Muwakkil. County Commissioner Brian Hamman tells WINK News there are plenty of services for the working homeless, including here at the Salvation Army Resource Day Center. Commissioner Brian Hamman Hamman: “I could watch your story and maybe not get the impression that the day center even existed, because it hasn’t been highlighted yet. But I’m looking forward to seeing it highlighted in tonight’s story.” Celine: “Well, the thing is that we haven’t been allowed in. Brent: “Yeah.” Celine: “We would have done that. And we’ve been asking for a month.” All of our requests to the Salvation Army to talk about Grayson, or the working homeless in general, have been denied. Hamman also doesn’t think we should be allowed to follow Grayson, step by step through the process, despite Grayson giving his permission. Brent to his outreach worker: “Why? Why is that thought? If I’m giving… but it’s me and I’m giving you permission…” “The experts tell me that they don’t believe it’s in any client’s best interest to break that confidentiality and to put those conversations on television,” says Hamman. Lee County also denied us access to outreach workers or case managers not related to Grayson’s case. Celine: “We were turned down by the county and that’s unfortunate.” Hamman: “You know, sometimes you got to keep digging.” Salvation Army Homeless Resource Day Center in Fort Myers. Grayson agrees, saying, “It’s very important to let people know what’s really going on and ask these questions,” “The people closest to the pain, closest to the problem, are usually closest to the solution,” says Volz. “He has to fight. Okay. If he’s not getting anywhere, that’s taxpayer dollars.” We’re pushing for access, so you can see what does and doesn’t work when it comes to public homeless assistance. As we continue to investigate, some Florida lawmakers are working on legislation (SB 1732) to reduce liability for landlords who rent to people with past felony convictions. They’re also considering legislation (HB 1259 and SB 1548) that would reduce barriers for some convicted felons to earn professional licenses. Introduced bills: Senator Randolph (D): SB 1732 Senator Spencer Roach (R): HB 1259 Senator Keith Perry (R): SB 1548 If you want to weigh in on the conversation or have something you want us to investigate, send an email to celine.mcarthur@winknews.com. Continuing Coverage: The Working Homeless Series