Tons of trash collected at homeless camp By WINK News Story Created: Mar 20, 2010 at 12:05 PM EDT Story Updated: Mar 20, 2010 at 12:05 PM EDT CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla.- The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office began cleanup Saturday of three major homeless camps not far from the Homeless Coalition operation. Tons of trash was picked up by 20 Charlotte County Jail inmates starting at 8 a.m. off S.R. 776 and Collingswood Blvd. in an area of Cedarwood, Lullaby, and Kenesaw streets. Cleanup will continue until around 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon. This was a coordinated effort with Keep Charlotte Beautiful, the County Jail, Community Policing, and Waste Management. Commission Chairman Bob Starr came out to get first hand information and toured the camp sites off Lullaby Street. Starr said, “This was a real eye opening experience and evidence we have to do something. I’m disgusted to see this kind of filth in these camp sites and I now have a different perspective about how some of the homeless live. I promise you, I’m going to work on how we can fix this.” At the Lullaby Street location, tents were still set up on each of its abandoned three camp sites, however, two homeless men had moved in last night and were told to leave while inmates started cleanup. Tons of debris were scattered throughout the camps that included beer cans, liquor bottles, clothing, mattresses, tents, cookware, toilet holes, fire pits, furniture, garbage, rugs, and even an artificial Christmas tree. Inmates also found drug paraphernalia including used and unused syringes. Commissioner Starr said, “One thing that really caught my eye, was a pile of liquor bottles, beer cans, and numerous lottery tickets.” CCSO Environmental Crimes Detective Billie Hatmaker estimates there are roughly 150 homeless campsites across Charlotte County. “There are so many problems getting land owners to respond in cleaning up their property, and getting permission for deputies to go onto the property and issue trespassing charges. The big problem is when they leave one campsite, they move on to another piece of property and the long process starts all over again.” Commissioner Starr said, “Now that I’ve seen this horrible situation today, I will work to see what other counties have legally done to combat this problem and see what our Commission can do to address ordinances.” Det. Hatmaker calls this a Health Department problem. “There are severe issues with vermin and sanitation in every campsite.” Community Policing Deputy First Class David Kettleson said, “We had planned having inmates clean up two other major campsites today. But, with the tons of trash to clean up off Lullaby Street, we’ll have to reschedule those sites at another time. Previous article Golden Gate Teen Missing Next article Missing Man Found
March 20, 2010 | Posted in
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Golden Gate Teen Missing By WINK News Story Created: Mar 20, 2010 at 12:09 PM EDT Story Updated: Mar 20, 2010 at 12:09 PM EDT COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- Deputies are searching for a 16-year-old Golden Gate girl who has been missing since late Friday night. Alexandra Attard was last seen by her parents leaving their Quartz Lane residence around 9:30 p.m. and getting into a black two-door vehicle driven by a friend, deputies said. Her parents told deputies that they believe Alexandra may harm herself, deputies said. Deputies said the teen is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 120 pounds with long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, a dark blue hooded jacket, blue jeans and sandals. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 252-9300. Previous article Deputies search for armed bingo robbers Next article Tons of trash collected at homeless camp
March 20, 2010 | Posted in
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Sled hockey program takes off after WINK News story By WINK News Story Created: Mar 17, 2010 at 5:17 PM EDT Story Updated: Mar 17, 2010 at 5:17 PM EDT LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Last month WINK News told you about the “Florida Eels” sled hockey program starting in Lee County for people with disabilities. Back then, the program was looking for enough players for a team. Now, after our story aired, the program has too many players and needs more sleds. The team is accepting donations. To help, you can send donations to the team at: FLORIDA EELS SLED HOCKEY 4112 NW 36th Lane Cape Coral You can request a non-profit donation receipt. Previous article SWFL Reading Festival is Saturday Next article Three home invasions in one day
March 18, 2010 | Posted in
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Lee County to consider cap on “booting” cars By Jeremiah Jacobsen Story Created: Mar 16, 2010 at 10:15 PM EDT Story Updated: Mar 16, 2010 at 10:15 PM EDT LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Lee County could soon follow Collier County’s lead in stopping high fees for “booting” cars. The county attorney’s office says some companies are taking advantage of a loophole in Lee County’s towing laws, charging high fees to remove immobilizing boots from a car. One man who used to apply those boots for a living agrees. “They started me booting, I became very good at it, finding cars that some of the other booters never did see out there,” said Ernest Aviles, who left his job with a security company last month. “I felt very uncomfortable because it became very normal to boot cars that weren’t directly in the rules and regulations to boot cars for,” Aviles said. Aviles says he would be asked to boot cars for breaking rules in private communities, but also for expired license tags, often at a cost of $160 or more to get it removed. “Probably 15, 25, 30 cars a month,” Aviles said. “Every time someone forgets to get their tags renewed.” Next week, Lee County commissioners will consider capping boot-removal fees at $50. Late last year, Collier County set a similar cap at 25 dollars, after receiving complaints about fees topping $200. Aviles says a lower fee is only fair, especially in the economy right now. “I’ve seen people wake up in the morning, they couldn’t take their kids to school, they couldn’t go to work, they didn’t have 160 dollars cash in their pocket to get that boot taken off,” Aviles said. Collier County is considering raising its cap to $75 after some housing communities said security companies stopped enforcing rules altogether at the lower rate. Previous article Suspicious racing boat reported in Robert’s Bay Next article Man arrested for growing marijuana asks public for money
March 17, 2010 | Posted in
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LCEC charging customers for going green? By Christina Hernandez, WINK News Story Created: Mar 16, 2010 at 3:47 PM EDT Story Updated: Mar 16, 2010 at 6:55 PM EDT LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Homeowners may think they are saving some when they install solar panels, but LCEC is actually tacking on charges to customers who go green. Tom Irlbeck had solar panels installed a few months ago. He said even though his monthly bill went way down, some charges, like the customer service charge, went up. “On your bill it’d be 15 dollars. On our bill it’s 19.22.” “I was disappointed. It didn’t seem right.” Cheryl Anderson lives nearby and has the same concerns. “They’re charging us more as a membership fee. They’re charging us more per kilowatt hour.” Customers with solar panels pay .6 percent more per kilowatt hour than the average consumer, but LCEC said they have to make up the money they’re losing somewhere. “We rely on revenues to operate and maintain the system. If we’re not getting those revenues because they’re generating their own electricity we still need to recover the cost for the infrastructure.” It’s a solution that doesn’t sit well with these green customers. “We thought the bills would be lower than what they are and when you start breaking down the bills and start looking at the extra charges you start to understand what’s going on.” “It just sounds like something is wrong with the system.” This is all fairly new to LCEC and depending on how things develop, they may change their rates in the future. Previous article WINK News Now at your desk Next article Immokalee Student Accepted into Prestigious School
March 16, 2010 | Posted in
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Naples area home sales up 50% By Haley Hinds, WINK News Story Created: Mar 13, 2010 at 11:48 PM EST Story Updated: Mar 13, 2010 at 11:48 PM EST COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – More positive signs for southwest Florida’s housing market. According to a new report, home sales have doubled. This time last year, “down” would have been an understatement to describe the local housing market. But fast forward to 2010, and the only number that’s down according to the Naples Area Board of Realtors, is the inventory. Home sales are up, pending condo sales are up, and buyers are not afraid to spend the big bucks. “The markets between $300,000 and $500,000, $500,000 and 1 million, 1 million and 2 million, all those markets were up between 60% and 65% in February,” said Brett Brown, 2009 NABOR President This time last year, for the 12 months ending in February, overall home sales were at 4,951 compared to an astounding 7,426 this year. The overall median closed price dropped only 3% from $185,000 in 2009 to $179,000 in 2010. Another new trend realtors and developers in both Lee and Collier are seeing is homebuyers coming down from foreign countries, especially our neighbors to the north. “Last year, there were a lot more lookers and nobody was buying,” said local developer Ray Ambrozy. “Since January, I’ve probably had a half a dozen other Canadian couples come through which seems to be the people with the money looking for a wonderful winter residence.” More sales mean fewer for sale signs – a welcome sight for local homeowners. “Absolutely, it’s good we’re having a high turnover of sales, that’s great,” said Ron Nash. With dropping inventory and the First Time Homebuyer Credit expiring at the end of April, realtors say the stage could be set for a continued upswing. “It’s a bright sign for us to look at to see things start to come around,” said Brown. Next article Prevent child pool drownings
March 14, 2010 | Posted in
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Mom Arrested for Attempted Murder By WINK News Story Created: Mar 13, 2010 at 12:03 PM EST Story Updated: Mar 13, 2010 at 12:03 PM EST CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested the Sarasota mother who tried to drown her two babies February 26 in Port Charlotte. The warrant was served Friday on Brittany Morgan Livingston, 21, 3253 Nature Circle, Sarasota, and she was transported directly to the Charlotte County Jail. The warrant charges her with two counts of Attempted Murder. Major Crimes Unit detectives interviewed Livingston Friday night concerning this case. Livingston was treated at a crisis intervention center before her arrest. The children are now safe in the custody of their grandparents. Next article Arrest in Friday night stabbing
March 13, 2010 | Posted in
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First On WINK: 18 arrested in undercover drug sweep in Lee County By Nick Spinetto, WINK News Story Created: Mar 11, 2010 at 5:25 PM EST Story Updated: Mar 11, 2010 at 7:10 PM EST Lee County, Fla – On Thursday, the Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cape Coral Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration made more than a dozen arrests. It was part of an ongoing undercover drug investigation called “Operation Winter Snow”. For nearly six months undercover officers targeted street and mid-level drug dealers purchasing more than one thousand grams of cocaine from 34 individuals. So far, police arrested the following people: Rashid Turner (d.o.b. 10-28-86) Sale of Cocaine and Possession of Cocaine Carnes Cadet (d.ob. 11-12-88) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a school and Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a Childcare facility and Possession of Cocaine Kimberly Hutchins (d.o.b. 2-24-66) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a school and Possession of Cocaine Barnadette Daniels (d.o.b. 11-12-63) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a school and Possession of Cocaine Vincent Davis (d.o.b. 3-17-69) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a School and Possession of Cocaine Jimmie Lee Walker (d.o.b. 6-7-56) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a School and Possession of Cocaine Lorenzie Jones (d.o.b. 4-20-59) Sale of Cocaine within 1000 feet of a School and Possession of Cocaine Connie Roberts (d.o.b. 10-10-75) Trafficking in cocaine Sandra Young (d.o.b. 11-16-61) Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Noderick Young (d.o.b 12-14-84) Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Rodney Winn (d.o.b. 8-17-84) Cocaine Trafficking Roy Cahill (d.o.b. 4-3-62) Trafficking in Opium or Derivative Eric Lavon Riley (d.o.b. 12-26-80) Cocaine Trafficking Robert Chapman (d.o.b. 4-30-81) Sale of Cocaine, Trafficking in Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Sell Anthony Hernandez (d.o.b. 7-23-79) Trafficking in Cocaine William Crews (d.o.b. 12-20-79) Trafficking in Cocaine The following people are still wanted by police: Melvin McKay (d.o.b 11/03/82) Tony Person (d.o.b. 03/09/82) Otis Jiles (d.o.b. 09/18/74) Roderick Young (d.o.b. 09/09/81) Eric Thompson (d.o.b. 05/23/75) Reginald Bush (d.o.b. 04/06/69) Lester Butler Jr. (d.o.b. 06/26/78) Terrance Hodge (d.o.b. 7-11-77) Donte Dorisca (d.o.b. 2-28-89) Walter Ross (d.o.b. 4-9-85) Steven Rose (d.o.b. 6-15-81) Walter Coles (d.o.b. 1-17-55) Sedorian Gloster (d.o.b. 8-19-87) Jerry Griffin (d.o.b. 12-30-58) Marisa Hathaway (d.o.b. 3-17-69) Wendie Howard (d.o.b. 7-23-80) Dorothy Maxwell (d.o.b. 10-19-69) Antron Sheard (d.o.b. 4-27-80) Anyone with information is urged to call police. Previous article More people claiming they were drugged at popular nightclub Next article WINK News rides along with FHP
March 12, 2010 | Posted in
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Government blames high gas prices on increasing unemployment; Fort Myers oil company blames government By Christina Hernandez, WINK News Story Created: Mar 10, 2010 at 4:07 PM EST Story Updated: Mar 10, 2010 at 6:42 PM EST LEE COUNTY, Fla. – It’s your money and gas prices are slowly inching toward three dollars a gallon. Right now, you’re paying about 83 cents a gallon more than you were at this time last year – and experts predict that number will keep rising. Some people say we’re paying about twice as much as we should. The government is blaming high gas prices on unemployment, but a local oil company is blaming the government. Filling up on gas is never fun…especially when the prices on signs continue to grow. “I’m usually spending about 60 dollars a week on gas.” Robert Rodriguez isn’t looking forward to paying more either. “I spend like 10 bucks a day just to go from Bonita Springs to Coronado High School. 10 bucks a day is a lot of money just to go to school.” According to USA Today, the cost of fuel is increasing because unemployment is increasing, so people aren’t driving like they used to… but Patrick Eakins, Vice President of Edison Oil Company, said that doesn’t make sense. “When demand is low and supply is high – prices go down, and that’s what happening right now.” But the prices keep going up. Instead of the unemployed, Eakins blames big businesses. “…who have leased super tankers and are buying both crude and refined product and storing it – manipulating the market up and then dumping it onto the market. Then you have commodity traders who are trading nothing but paper and not ever taking any kind of possession of the product itself.” He said the supply may appear to be low – but it’s all an illusion. His advice to lawmakers: “Limit trades so that we have real trading and not the speculative trading that creates all of the havoc.” Havoc – costing you at the pump. “They’re stock hoarding it just in case.” Experts said this trend should last until the 4th of July. Previous article City declares impasse in negotiations with FMPD Next article Man Dead after Barricaded Inside Home
March 11, 2010 | Posted in
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Man Dead after Barricaded Inside Home By WINK News Story Created: Mar 10, 2010 at 12:57 PM EST Story Updated: Mar 10, 2010 at 3:33 PM EST LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A man is dead after a standoff in Buckingham. The person inside the home took his own life. Deputies received a call just before 10 a.m. from a person claiming the man inside the house wanted to harm himself. The man locked himself in the bathroom and claimed to have a fun. The scene is now clear. Residents allowed back in their homes. The man’s identity has not been released yet Previous article Government blames high gas prices on increasing unemployment; Fort Myers oil company blames government Next article Church evacuated after someone sprays mace into air conditioning system
March 11, 2010 | Posted in
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