OLGA 2 teens identified in Franklin Lock Park drowning Authorities have released the identities of two of the three Franklin Lock Park drowning victims.
Title and trust company expands to Charlotte County It’s a family affair at Lyons Title & Trust, which recently opened its third office in Port Charlotte.
Collier rejects $23M price tag for 2,247 acres Collier County commissioners unanimously rejected a $23 million price for a 2,247-acre Immokalee property for possible affordable workforce housing, fire house and other uses, opting to continue negotiating.
Voodoo Brewing Co. upends brewery business model Voodoo Brewing Co. began in 2005 and has since expanded to five corporate locations and 14 franchise locations, with the Fort Myers spot being the first to open in Florida.
COLLIER COUNTY Truck overturns, spills cargo; I-75 at mile marker 63 closed The Rest Area Access Road, under I-75 at mile marker 63, is closed due to an overturned truck that spilled its cargo onto the roadway.
FORT MYERS “I’m so grateful candlelight is here” Gulf Coast Symphony fills venue with thousands of candles Gulf Coast Symphony holds Candlelight concerts in an effort to introduce classical musicians and string quartets to the community in a unique atmosphere.
WINK NEWS 2 men arrested for fleeing from State Troopers; throwing backpack filled with drugs from car on I-75 Two men have been arrested after allegedly fleeing from State Troopers on Interstate 75 and throwing a backpack with drugs out of the car.
fort myers Local NAACP Branch plans protest in response to state attorney’s ruling The Lee County NAACP plans on protesting the state attorney’s ruling of an FMPD detective’s killing of an unarmed black man.
WINK NEWS Car fire on I-75 northbound temporarily closes lanes A car on fire has been reported near Bonita Beach Road on I-75 northbound.
downtown fort myers The downtown Fort Myers post office has reopened The downtown Fort Myers post office has officially reopened.
WINK NEWS Woman allegedly involved in one of Southwest Florida’s largest drug rings scheduled in court for plea hearing One woman suspected of being involved in one of the largest drug rings in Southwest Florida is set to appear in court for a plea hearing.
PUNTA GORDA Accused hitman in Punta Gorda double homicide will be in court for arraignment An accused hitman involved in a double homicide in Punta Gorda is scheduled to appear in court this morning for his arraignment.
WINK NEWS Poll results reveal more children are drinking caffeine For many, the morning routine is incomplete without a cup of coffee, but do you remember how old you were when you started your caffeine kick?
FORT MYERS Detective returns to work after Christopher Jordan investigation The detective with the Fort Myers Police Department who shot and killed an unarmed black man is set to return to work.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, supreme leader’s protégé, dies at 63 in helicopter crash Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of the country’s supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone-and-missile attack on Israel, has died. He was 63.
OLGA 2 teens identified in Franklin Lock Park drowning Authorities have released the identities of two of the three Franklin Lock Park drowning victims.
Title and trust company expands to Charlotte County It’s a family affair at Lyons Title & Trust, which recently opened its third office in Port Charlotte.
Collier rejects $23M price tag for 2,247 acres Collier County commissioners unanimously rejected a $23 million price for a 2,247-acre Immokalee property for possible affordable workforce housing, fire house and other uses, opting to continue negotiating.
Voodoo Brewing Co. upends brewery business model Voodoo Brewing Co. began in 2005 and has since expanded to five corporate locations and 14 franchise locations, with the Fort Myers spot being the first to open in Florida.
COLLIER COUNTY Truck overturns, spills cargo; I-75 at mile marker 63 closed The Rest Area Access Road, under I-75 at mile marker 63, is closed due to an overturned truck that spilled its cargo onto the roadway.
FORT MYERS “I’m so grateful candlelight is here” Gulf Coast Symphony fills venue with thousands of candles Gulf Coast Symphony holds Candlelight concerts in an effort to introduce classical musicians and string quartets to the community in a unique atmosphere.
WINK NEWS 2 men arrested for fleeing from State Troopers; throwing backpack filled with drugs from car on I-75 Two men have been arrested after allegedly fleeing from State Troopers on Interstate 75 and throwing a backpack with drugs out of the car.
fort myers Local NAACP Branch plans protest in response to state attorney’s ruling The Lee County NAACP plans on protesting the state attorney’s ruling of an FMPD detective’s killing of an unarmed black man.
WINK NEWS Car fire on I-75 northbound temporarily closes lanes A car on fire has been reported near Bonita Beach Road on I-75 northbound.
downtown fort myers The downtown Fort Myers post office has reopened The downtown Fort Myers post office has officially reopened.
WINK NEWS Woman allegedly involved in one of Southwest Florida’s largest drug rings scheduled in court for plea hearing One woman suspected of being involved in one of the largest drug rings in Southwest Florida is set to appear in court for a plea hearing.
PUNTA GORDA Accused hitman in Punta Gorda double homicide will be in court for arraignment An accused hitman involved in a double homicide in Punta Gorda is scheduled to appear in court this morning for his arraignment.
WINK NEWS Poll results reveal more children are drinking caffeine For many, the morning routine is incomplete without a cup of coffee, but do you remember how old you were when you started your caffeine kick?
FORT MYERS Detective returns to work after Christopher Jordan investigation The detective with the Fort Myers Police Department who shot and killed an unarmed black man is set to return to work.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, supreme leader’s protégé, dies at 63 in helicopter crash Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of the country’s supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone-and-missile attack on Israel, has died. He was 63.
Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz, checks into evidence the weapon used in the MSD shooting during the penalty phase of shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (CREDIT: Carline Jean/ Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz got their first view Monday of the AR-15-style rifle he used to murder 17 students and staff members four years ago at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, staring intently as it was carried to the front of the courtroom. Lead prosecutor Mike Satz removed the black semi-automatic Smith & Wesson from a cardboard box and carried it to Broward sheriff’s Sgt. Gloria Crespo, who said it was found on the landing of a third-floor stairwell. Video seen by jurors previously showed Cruz placed it there along with the black shooter’s vest he had been wearing before fleeing the school. The defense objected to the weapon’s introduction, saying without explanation that it lacked relevance and was unfairly prejudicial. The defense also objected to Satz placing the gun on the floor behind him in easy view of the jurors instead of placing it on an evidence table away from them. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected the objections. David S. Weinstein, a Miami criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case, said the defense believes that since Cruz pleaded guilty, the gun and other evidence such as surveillance video and crime scene photos are no longer relevant and serve to inflame the jurors’ emotions. Prosecutors have successfully argued that such evidence is necessary to prove the murders included at least one aggravating factor such as being committed in a cruel or heinous manner or during a crime that endangered the lives of many people. Crespo also testified that Cruz, then 19, had five gun magazines remaining in the vest, containing 160 total bullets. He had fired more than 100 shots as he stalked the three-story building for seven minutes, firing down hallways and into classrooms. The former Stoneman Douglas student, who had been expelled a year earlier, wounded 17 in addition to the 14 students and three staff members. Inside a vest pocket, Cruz, now 23, also had a police identification card his late father had been issued by a New York department. Roger Cruz died when Nikolas Cruz was 5, succumbing to a heart attack in front of him. Prosecutors did not say if Roger Cruz had been a police officer or if it were some other type of ID. The jurors also were shown photos Crespo took of the bodies of five students and a teacher who died on the third-floor, all with multiple wounds from being shot at close range. Those were not shown to the gallery, where several parents and family members sat. Last week, jurors saw their first graphic crime scene and autopsy photos. Earlier Monday, the seven-man and five-woman jury and their 10 alternates heard from Uber driver Laura Zecchini, whom Cruz hired to drive him to the school. She said he appeared nervous during the 13-minute ride and was carrying a large black soft-sided carrying case. Cruz told Zecchini he was going to his music lesson. Cruz pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder, so the jury will only decide if he is sentenced to death or life without parole. His is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history to reach trial. Nine U.S. gunmen besides Cruz who killed at least 17 people died during or immediately after their shootings, either by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in a 10th, the 2019 slaying of 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, is awaiting trial. When jurors eventually get the case, probably in October or November, they will vote 17 times, once for each of the victims, on whether to recommend capital punishment. For each death sentence, the jury must be unanimous or the sentence for that victim is life. The jurors are told that to vote for death, the prosecution’s aggravating circumstances for that victim must, in their judgment, “outweigh” the defense’s mitigators. A juror can also vote for life out of mercy for Cruz. During jury selection, the panelists said under oath that they are capable of voting for either sentence. ___ Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.