360-degree storm documentation: A closer look at Hurricane Ian’s aftermath FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament
West Palm Beach 360-degree storm documentation: A closer look at Hurricane Ian’s aftermath At the Governor’s Conference exhibit hall, Dylan Faraone, Regional Director of Mosaic, showcased his work using a 360-degree camera mounted on his car to document the aftermath of major storms, including Hurricane Ian’s impact on southwest Florida.
GAINESVILLE FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville, where she fell in love with the sport again playing for Santa Fe College.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
CAPE CORAL Suspect in custody after a North Fort Myers family loses everything in a fire Their investigation led them to the area of Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a suspect from the Bogart Drive incident is in custody.
FORT MYERS Deadly motorcycle crash shuts down roads on Fowler and Winkler Ave. Fort Myers Police Department has confirmed that a motorcyclist has died in a crash on Fowler and Winkler Avenue on Thursday.
Sarasota How well does a diverging diamond really work? The Sarasota diverging diamond is located at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. It was put in to alleviate heavy traffic.
FORT MYERS RSW experiencing terminal expansion delay Lee County commissioners gave us an update on the RSW terminal expansion project, which is long overdue. Now we know why.
IMMOKALEE National Weather Service surveys storm damage in Immokalee The National Weather Service in Miami concluded after a survey the damage wasn’t from a tornado. It was from a downburst of straight-line wind between 60 – 70 mph.
SANIBEL Sanibel considering e-bike changes Biking is almost as common as driving on Sanibel, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee wants to keep that trend going.
CAPE CORAL Family of victim sues Lee County School District, claiming it failed to protect student Family sued Lee County School District for failing to keep their student safe.
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts down all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
IMMOKALEE Strong storms cause wind damage in Immokalee, power outages reported Powerful storms leading to flood advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings have been impacting Southwest Florida for most of Thursday.
NAPLES Busy summer on horizon for top SWFL recruit The wide receiver has more than 30 offers from NCAA Division I programs, the majority of which are in power five conferences.
Port Authority, Lee County to work together on terminal expansion project A delay of at least a year in finishing the Southwest Florida International Airport terminal expansion construction project prompted elected officials to make a change.
West Palm Beach 360-degree storm documentation: A closer look at Hurricane Ian’s aftermath At the Governor’s Conference exhibit hall, Dylan Faraone, Regional Director of Mosaic, showcased his work using a 360-degree camera mounted on his car to document the aftermath of major storms, including Hurricane Ian’s impact on southwest Florida.
GAINESVILLE FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville, where she fell in love with the sport again playing for Santa Fe College.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
CAPE CORAL Suspect in custody after a North Fort Myers family loses everything in a fire Their investigation led them to the area of Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a suspect from the Bogart Drive incident is in custody.
FORT MYERS Deadly motorcycle crash shuts down roads on Fowler and Winkler Ave. Fort Myers Police Department has confirmed that a motorcyclist has died in a crash on Fowler and Winkler Avenue on Thursday.
Sarasota How well does a diverging diamond really work? The Sarasota diverging diamond is located at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. It was put in to alleviate heavy traffic.
FORT MYERS RSW experiencing terminal expansion delay Lee County commissioners gave us an update on the RSW terminal expansion project, which is long overdue. Now we know why.
IMMOKALEE National Weather Service surveys storm damage in Immokalee The National Weather Service in Miami concluded after a survey the damage wasn’t from a tornado. It was from a downburst of straight-line wind between 60 – 70 mph.
SANIBEL Sanibel considering e-bike changes Biking is almost as common as driving on Sanibel, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee wants to keep that trend going.
CAPE CORAL Family of victim sues Lee County School District, claiming it failed to protect student Family sued Lee County School District for failing to keep their student safe.
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts down all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
IMMOKALEE Strong storms cause wind damage in Immokalee, power outages reported Powerful storms leading to flood advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings have been impacting Southwest Florida for most of Thursday.
NAPLES Busy summer on horizon for top SWFL recruit The wide receiver has more than 30 offers from NCAA Division I programs, the majority of which are in power five conferences.
Port Authority, Lee County to work together on terminal expansion project A delay of at least a year in finishing the Southwest Florida International Airport terminal expansion construction project prompted elected officials to make a change.
Credit: WINK News Spam calls have caused us issues for decades. But now, spam texts are taking over. Between 2021 and 2022, spam texts have risen nearly 60%. Now, WINK News is showing you how to spot them and how to keep yourself safe. From romance scams to fake amazon updates to phony bank messages, many of us are not new to the false messages that have been going around. Now, a fake police department t-shirt scam is going around in Southwest Florida. The Cape Coral Police Department posted screenshots of these messages on social media to warn the community that Cape PD does not sell t-shirts. According to a report from spam-blocking app RoboKiller, spam texts rose 58% in 2021 from the previous year. Alan Crowetz is the CEO of InfoStream Inc. and is a cyber expert. “It costs them nothing to send out millions of those. If even 100th of 1% of people fall for the scam, they’re making lots and lots of money,” said Crowetz. Spam texts often come out of the blue and include a link. Crowetz said that’s because it is very easy to copy a website link. “They often will put a link in there. Sometimes it looks legitimate, sometimes less legitimate,” Crowetz said. “But in either case, the trick is not to follow the link in the email, go directly to that source, and directly check with them or in worst case, pick up the phone and give them a call.” So what happens if you respond to spam texts or you accidentally open a link? “Generally, not the end of the world. The ones to watch out for that you’ll see is anything that involves cash, Bitcoin, or gift cards. When that money is gone, it’s gone,” said Corwetz. In terms of spam texts, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that these types of texts aren’t going away anytime soon. The good news is that you can take steps and make sure that you receive. For example, you can block the sender or turn on filtering on your device. “The best filter there is by far is the person watching this story. You are the main filter, your brain, and your paranoia,” said Crowetz. And your best bet, if you continue to receive smishing messages, is to ignore them. “These bad guys are not fools. They’re very, very smart in most cases. So, whatever the latest technology is, the latest angle, if they find something that works, they’re going to use a lot of that. And right now, text messaging is another hot one to try to take advantage of people,” said Crowetz. Crowetz told WINK News that engaging with a text can make you vulnerable. So, if you do speak on the phone with a scammer or provide any personal information, be sure to call your bank and credit card provider company to let them know what happened.