Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Multiple units fighting structure fire in Cape Coral Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
Miracle Moment: Christina Soriero Doctors diagnosed 22-year-old Christina Soriero with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 18. A time in her life when the only thing she should have been dealing with was senioritis and getting ready for life after high school.
DeSantis signs bill impacting new mothers and jury duty Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will impact new mothers and their eligibility to serve on jury duty.
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Multiple units fighting structure fire in Cape Coral Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
Miracle Moment: Christina Soriero Doctors diagnosed 22-year-old Christina Soriero with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 18. A time in her life when the only thing she should have been dealing with was senioritis and getting ready for life after high school.
DeSantis signs bill impacting new mothers and jury duty Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will impact new mothers and their eligibility to serve on jury duty.
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
The decades old sludge site on South Street in Fort Myers was supposed to become a park. Now, the neighborhood’s long-awaited promise could be in jeopardy. Even though the sludge is gone, the arsenic and other unhealthy minerals may be back. The gated lot across the street from Jordon Brown’s home in Dunbar hasn’t changed much in his life. He used to play in it s a kid. But as an adult, he learned his childhood playground was a lime sludge dump site. “We used to play in the woods but we didn’t know we were playing on toxins,” Brown said. “Now we know.” While arsenic naturally occurs in the environment, groundwater samples in 2017 showed arsenic levels in excess of residential standards. The City of Fort Myers had the lime sludge cleaned up in 2018 and early 2019. Then, promised the community City View Park in its place along South Street and Henderson Avenue. City View Park Conceptual Design Presentation “[If] they got the toxins out of there and they put a park there, yeah, it would make the neighborhood better,” Brown added. Instead, for nearly five years, the lot has become overgrown. Back in February 2024, the Director of Parks and Rec told WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard a design firm would present plans, designs and renderings to Fort Myers City Council in April. But now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection wants to know the lot is safe before the city moves forward. “Clean all the toxic out,” Brown said. “That’s what I care about.” Current drone video of former sludge site, CREDIT: WINK News Groundwater monitoring report results WINK News obtained multiple emails and documents between the FDEP and the City of Fort Myers. They show the City stopped monitoring and testing the groundwater at the site after the lime sludge was removed. In fact, some of the monitoring wells were destroyed. The FDEP said in emails the City needed to build new wells, continue testing and send them the results. So, the City re-hired the same groundwater monitoring company, GFA International, that it used in the past to get back to testing. The company later produced a 60-page report detailing all the findings from its sampling and testing back in December 2023. You can read the full report here. Florida Gulf Coast University’s Hydrogeologist Dr. Rachel Rotz went over it with Sheppard. She said the number highlighted in yellow are concerning. FGCU Hydrogeologist Dr. Rachel Rotz reviews groundwater monitoring report with WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard, CREDIT: WINK News “These areas might be concentrations that are either exceeding the primary drinking water standard, the secondary water standard, or the groundwater cleanup target level,” Dr. Rotz explained. All but one of the eight wells had high concentrations levels of one of more contaminants like arsenic, iron and uranium. Monitoring Well 10 (MW-10) is technically not on the old sludge site since it’s across the street but the groundwater sampling report found it had high levels of arsenic. Yet, in the report, it doesn’t seem the arsenic came from the sludge site. “It sort of takes the lime residual off the hook for being the source of the arsenic,” Dr. Rotz added. “But, they are very clearly stating here that there’s still arsenic very close to the site, that there’s still a high level of other contaminants on the site and that the groundwater is still very poor quality or poor quality at the site.” The GFA report says digging up an removing the lime sludge created a depression. That changed the direction the groundwater flows. GFA speculates it’s bringing in contaminants from other sites in the area, including from a nearby landfill. “There’s potentially one or more sources of arsenic and other contaminants that are causing the groundwater to be of poor quality in this entire area and this entire neighborhood,” Dr. Rotz pointed out. And while people in the neighborhood like Jordon Brown aren’t using the shallow groundwater as drinking water, Dr. Rotz believes everyone has the right to know what’s in it, especially if you have a well on your property to water plants and garden. Groundwater monitoring report, CREDIT: WINK News “Arsenic can be absorbed into the skin when it’s wet. If you’re eating foods that easily uptake arsenic, you could be eating arsenic and ingesting it into your body,” Dr. Rotz continued. “Our surface waters and our groundwaters are very closely connected and they mix very easily. So if we have contaminated shallow groundwater, there’s a high possibility that the groundwater could flow out into the canals in our neighborhoods, and then ultimately out to the Caloosahatchee River and out to the bay.” If you are concerned about your well water, Dr. Rotz recommends contacting the University of Florida’s IFAS Lee County Extension to have it tested. WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard reached out to Mayor Kevin Anderson and the City Councilman for Dunbar, Johnny Streets. Neither has returned her calls. She also emailed the Parks and Recreation Director who has also not responded. The City is supposed to send the FDEP more samples May 17, 2024. Council members are expected to talk about the park at the council meeting on Monday, April 15. Background on sludge site June 12, 2017: Former toxic dump site sits near Dunbar homes November 29, 2018: Contaminated sludge from 1960s slowly removed from Dunbar neighborhood December 11, 2018: DEP approves City of Fort Myers’ plan to ship sludge to Polk County January 9, 2019: Polk County commission on Dunbar sludge: “keep [your] problems in Fort Myers” March 1, 2019: Dunbar sludge removal finally complete November 12, 2019: Dunbar sludge site set to come to life as new park January 6, 2020: Dunbar sludge lawsuit against City of Fort Myers tossed out by federal judge February 19, 2024: Where’s the park? Fort Myers promised to turn former Dunbar sludge site into park; nearly 5 years later, no park