Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salonWINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire
FORT MYERS Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salon The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a homicide after police found a man’s dead body in the parking lot of a Fort Myers beauty salon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire This weeks segment of WINK Neighborhood watch features: An angry driver, a posterior puncture, and a family camper up in flames.
OCALA Memorial held for migrant bus crash victims A memorial was held in Ocala Friday night after a bus crash left eight people dead and 45 injured this past Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE ROAD 3 injured in deadly crash on Immokalee road The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating a deadly crash on Immokalee road.
NAPLES Collier deputies investigating car submerged in water The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating the scene of a submerged vehicle in Naples.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
FORT MYERS Police investigate homicide in front of Fort Myers beauty salon The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a homicide after police found a man’s dead body in the parking lot of a Fort Myers beauty salon.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: road rage, domestic violence and camper fire This weeks segment of WINK Neighborhood watch features: An angry driver, a posterior puncture, and a family camper up in flames.
OCALA Memorial held for migrant bus crash victims A memorial was held in Ocala Friday night after a bus crash left eight people dead and 45 injured this past Tuesday.
IMMOKALEE ROAD 3 injured in deadly crash on Immokalee road The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating a deadly crash on Immokalee road.
NAPLES Collier deputies investigating car submerged in water The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating the scene of a submerged vehicle in Naples.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball reflects on season and team’s legacy FGCU softball reflects on the historic season following their elimination doubleheader Saturday as well as what made this team special.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA The Weather Authority: Scattered storms in the forecast for your Sunday Expect sun and clouds throughout the day, along with scattered rain. Some of the storms have the potential to become severe.
CAPE CORAL Do we need a federal gun database for mental illness? One family says yes One family is on a mission to create a new national gun database. It would require medical professionals to enter mental health information.
ALVA Three dead in triple drowning near the Franklin Lock in Olga The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responding to a scene of a water rescue where three people were recovered.
PUNTA GORDA The Weather Authority helps you prepare for the hurricane season at the 2024 Charlotte County Hurricane Expo With hurricane season less than two weeks away, it’s important to start preparing.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball senior balances EMT training and Regional play Ahead of NCAA Regional play, FGCU senior outfielder Riley Oakes started EMT training as she works toward being a trauma surgeon.
PUNTA GORDA Homes For Our Troops grants veteran new home Through all the cheers and a community-wide escort, it’s a ‘welcome to your forever home for army sergeant veteran Brandon Rethmel and his family.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beat the Heat: Stay safe during extreme weather The Weather Authority has issued a heat advisory for portions of South, Southeast, and Southwest Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Leaders discuss possibility of shutting down Caloosahatchee Bridge Should residents endure two years of partial lane closures, or fully shut the Caloosahatchee bridge down for 10 weeks?
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball parents cherish NCAA Tournament experience The parents of the FGCU softball team are relishing seeing their daughters play in the NCAA Tournament.
Scientists conducting a necropsy for a smalltooth sawfish. CREDIT: FWC Florida wildlife officials have updated the sawfish mortality numbers that have been happening during the ongoing abnormal fish behavior event in the Florida Keys. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 38 endangered sawfish mortalities have been reported to the commission as of Wednesday. Close up of an endangered smalltooth sawfish necropsy. CREDIT: FWC In the Florida Keys Abnormal Fish Behavior Event FWC report, 426 fish kill hotline reports have been filed, 211 fish samples have been collected and 163 water samples have been collected. These numbers have increased since the March 27 report. At that time, 365 fish kills had been reported, and 203 fish samples and 138 water samples had been collected. “The smalltooth sawfish was the first marine fish to receive federal protection as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in 2003. They were historically found in coastal waters from Texas to North Carolina, but now generally only found in Florida,” says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries website. Smalltooth sawfish held up before necropsy. CREDIT: FWC “We suspect that total mortalities are greater, since sawfish are negatively buoyant and thus unlikely to float after death,” said Adam Brame, NOAA Fisheries’ sawfish recovery coordinator. “Given the limited population size of smalltooth sawfish, the mortality of at least two dozen sawfish could have an impact on the recovery of this species.” More than 50 species have been impacted by the bizarre Florida Keys mortality event. Some of the impacted species include the Atlantic Needlefish, Atlantic Stingray, Ballyhoo, Bigeye Scad, Blacktip Shark, Blue Runner, Blue Striped Grunt, Bonnethead Shark and many more. “Reports of spinning fish from the Florida Keys started in the fall of 2023 and smalltooth sawfish mortalities were first reported in January 2024. It is possible that these two events could be related,” says the FWC website. CREDIT: FWC 52 fish have been sent to the University of South Alabama for analyses from FWC. RELATED: Sawfish emergency response seeks answers to Florida Keys mortality event RELATED: 21 endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths spur fishkill investigation The updated report says after conducting all of the necropsies so far, “There are no signs of a communicable pathogen and specimens were negative for bacterial infection.” Authorities also don’t think dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH and temperature are the suspected reason for the fish’s behavior or kills. Scientists examining the animal. CREDIT: FWC FWC has conducted necropsies on several recovered smalltooth sawfish. They analyzed blood and tissue samples from the collected animals. Recently, the NOAA Fisheries began coordinating an emergency response for the endangered smalltooth sawfish mortality event. “If the opportunity presents itself, this would be the first attempt ever to rescue and rehabilitate smalltooth sawfish from the wild,” said Brame. “We’re hopeful for positive outcomes from these rescue attempts and grateful to our partners for their support as we work to protect this endangered species.” Necropsy of the endangered species. CREDIT: FWC Other organizations helping the emergency response include Havenworth Coastal Conservation, Ripley’s Aquariums, Mote Marine Laboratory and Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc. Report any fish kills to the Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511. Authorities don’t recommend you swim where there are dead fish. It’s still unclear what is causing the endangered sawfish to die. You can help by reporting fish concerns, reporting sawfish concerns or other species. FWC locates the reported dead sawfish. CREDIT: FWC Click here to submit an online fish kill report. Click here for more information on reporting a sawfish sighting to FWC. Click here for more information on fish and wildlife health concerns. View this post on Instagram A post shared by U.S. Sawfish Recovery (@u.s.sawfishrecovery)