PUNTA GORDA British teen in solo round-the-world record bid stops in Punta Gorda An 18-year-old man from Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, is on a journey to become the youngest solo pilot to fly around the world in a single-engine plane. The current titleholder, Mason Andrews from Louisiana, was also 18 when he completed the trek in 2018. WINK News caught up with the pilot, Travis Ludlow, when he stopped […]
NORTH PORT Charlotte County family finds home after inspection forces eviction A mother and her three children now have a safe place to call home after a failing inspection forced them out of their rental in Port Charlotte. Jennifer Cooks and her kids had nowhere to go and an even harder time finding a place to live that would accommodate her daughter Alexandra’s medical equipment. Alexandra […]
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County boy who was in need of bone marrow is now cancer-free WINK News first introduced you to 8-year-old Kobe last year when he was in need of a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. After living with leukemia, Jakobe Washington finally heard the words “cancer free.” Now, he and his family are celebrating. Kobe has spent months fighting against a rare form of leukemia. “It’s […]
BABCOCK RANCH Finn Farms begins production at Babcock Ranch From seeds to your table, there’s a one-of-a-kind prototype greenhouse in Southwest Florida. The goal is to naturally grow produce year-round without fighting Florida’s humidity, and one company did it with 95% less water than traditional agriculture. “This is controlled environment agriculture at its best,” said Oskari Kariste, founder and CEO of Finn Farms at […]
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Charlotte County K-9 unit dog has success finding missing-endangered people A hero stepped into action to help find a missing man in distress. A special K-9 unit dog made a name for himself on the force at Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office after he successfully located multiple missing people over the past few months. Among those recently, Copper, the CCSO K-9 unit dog, helped to save […]
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County participates in ‘World’s Largest Swim Lesson’ Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. In the last two months, at least two drownings have been reported in Cape Coral. The CDC reports 1 in 5 drowning victims is under 15. It’s vital for children and adults in Florida to know how to swim, which is why Charlotte County […]
ENGLEWOOD Mom of Englewood teen accused in fatal shooting arrested for letting son keep guns The mother of a Charlotte County teen accused in the accidental shooting death of his girlfriend has been arrested. Lori Lynn Wik, 46, was jailed Wednesday morning for letting her 17-year-old son Hayden possess a gun illegally. According to the arrest affidavit, Wik let her son keep guns in a gun safe in his bedroom […]
CHARLOTTE COUNTY 14-year-old SWFL boy looks to earn HS diploma, college degree simultaneously A Southwest Florida teen is jumping four years ahead by getting his high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree all in one. The child prodigy has a goal to turn his hobby into a career, and his family is ready to help make that happen by packing up and moving to Florida’s East Coast. Noah […]
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Charlotte Harbor seagrass lost 3 decades of recovery in 2 years Seagrass in Charlotte Harbor has lost three decades worth of recovery growth in just two years. Charlotte Harbor is home to manatees sea turtles and plenty of fish. Marine life there relies on the harbor’s seagrass for food and shelter. That seagrass depends on clean water and sunlight to thrive. Eric Milbrandt is the marine […]
PUNTA GORDA Progress being made on Punta Gorda Airport expansion WINK News got an exclusive look Friday at the progress being made on Punta Gorda’s airport expansion plans. These plans include office spaces, a full-service restaurant and event space. We asked travelers at the Punta Gorda Airport how they’d describe PGD as it is now. “It’s smaller from what I can tell so far,” said […]