FORT MYERS Pandemic could change hiring, business and charities during holiday season Seasonal employment is usually a mark that the holiday season is in full swing but because of the pandemic, these jobs may be the employment so many people need to stay afloat. “At Christmas, we need to be fully staffed,” said Vasil Babamov, owner of First Street Restaurant and Bar. Normally, seasonal hiring also signals […]
FORT MYERS Judge rules on felons paying fines before voting Almost 800,000 Floridians will be affected by the new ruling regarding felons paying fines and fees before voting. A federal judge ruled that any felon who wants to vote must pay all fines, fees and restitution before doing so. A lower court had previously ruled that felons can vote without paying, so long as they’ve […]
WINK NEWS Political text messages become common aspect of election cycles Political text messages have become a common aspect of the election season. Phones are receiving political campaign messages like never before. We looked at the possibility of limiting political texts messages or stopping them altogether Thursday. “Someone just taps send, send, send,” said Eric Beans, the CEO of Texting Base. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act […]
WINK NEWS Deadline to file a claim for Hurricane Irma damages is here The deadline to file a claim for Hurricane Irma is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The damages caused by Irma in Southwest Florida were endless, and more than one million claims have been made ahead of the deadline. We visited the Island Park community in south Fort Myers, where neighbors told us about the importance of filing […]
FORT MYERS South Fort Myers residents contend with worst flooding since Hurricane Irma Homeowners are still drying out flooding soaked neighborhoods in south Fort Myers last night. People there say the water left behind is the worst they’ve seen since Hurricane Irma. “It just works on you mentally,” said Fort Myers resident Guy Slifko. “It tires you out.” Slifko has had to do a lot of cleaning up […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Labor Day crowds struggle between partying, social distancing While the Labor Day crowds don’t compare to what was seen on Independence Day, crowds could still be seen on Fort Myers Beach with not much social distancing. Some people wore masks but many didn’t. For many “staycationers,” like Veronica Vega and Cheyanne Griffin, the holiday came at the right time. “Everybody’s keeping six feet […]
FORT MYERS Parents, students struggle with technical issues when using Lee Home Connect Learning at home away from your teacher is hard enough. Imagine doing it with major tech issues. Distorted sound, a robotic-sounding voice, screen glitches and lots of lag time; that’s the reality for some kids in Lee Home Connect right now. By day three, they’re over it. The district created Lee Home Connect to give […]
CAPE CORAL Lee County schools take extra steps for safe student pick-up Lee County schools are taking added precautions to protect kids and parents during the first week’s notoriously slow student pick-up. Every school in Lee manages its own dismissal process, but they’ve all had to tweak things to ensure social distancing. For many elementary schools, like Cape Elementary, that means the students leave one at a […]
FORT MYERS Pandemic causing even more difficulties for homeless population As many face everyday struggles, we’re hearing from our most vulnerable. Lynyrd Byer was just getting her life back together when she lost her job. Now, she’s back on the streets and not able to find a job due to not having access to the internet to apply for jobs. Byer used to drive by […]
MARCO ISLAND FWC team rescues stranded manatee in Marco Island If you saw a manatee stranded in shallow waters, what would you do? “If you see a person who is injured, you’re going to call 911. We’re kind of like the marine mammal paramedics. So if you see a distressed marine mammal, immediately call us,” said Hada Herring, a marine research biologist with FWC. Lucky […]