Collier County schools have renewed their partnership with law enforcement to keep schools safe by having their presence on every school campus.

Either somebody from the sheriff’s office or from Marco Island Police Department will be on school campuses at all times, from 30 minutes before the school day starts, and 30 minutes after the day ends.

Teachers at the school say it’s refreshing knowing their presence will be on campus, and they can focus on teaching.

“My concentration was on teaching the kids not on safety drills and what not,” said Tim Hamilton.

“I feel much better with the resource officer there it’s nice to know they’re around watching taking care of everything,” said Briana Stainer.

The district will make a one time payment for the program, and the price is based on the number of students in each school.

Rita Citovaca is dealing with a problem with one of her neighbors near Lakewood Blvd. in Naples.

“Basically sometimes I have problems with my neighbor,” Citovaca said. “They’re smoking weed and especially when I have little baby, you know it’s not the right thing I want next to my apartment.”

But she is worried if she reports the problem to Collier County, her neighbor will find out.

“Were scared that we are not protected from consequences,” Citovaca said.

Back in 2013, Collier County commissioners approved requiring residents to provide both their name and phone numbers for public record when making a formal complaint. The only way a person could remain anonymous is if the problem was an urgent health, safety or welfare concern.

District 4 Commissioner Penny Taylor said this topic all comes down to having trust for their department to use discretion on the person’s behalf.

“They can trust and that’s the big T,” Taylor said. “Trust the offices of the commissioners to keep their name out of the public venue and it seems to have worked.”

Now the commissioner board is reviewing the policy to see if any changes need to be made. But others have said this is an issue that should have been left in the hands of the voters to decide this previous election cycle and not for the commission.

“It should be like you know, during the election where you can vote on something like that,” William Cooley said, a concerned neighbor.

But Commissioner Taylor said even though every complaint will be different, they will work to resolve the problem without having any repercussions for either side.

A nurse at Palmetto Elementary in Collier County tipped off deputies to an awful child abuse case.

While there are more than 3,000 reports of child abuse cases each year, according to Children’s Advocacy Center, it still shocks residents when these crimes happen against children living in Southwest Florida.

Christina Breen said she can’t begin to imagine what kind of person. “As a mom it hits home the worst,” Breen said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Collier County deputies said Ordene Christie is the kind of person who would harm a child. Christie, 50, is accused of beating three kids under her care with a belt, stick and machete after they attempted to obtain food from the kitchen.

She even threatened to “chop off their hands and head.”

Her arrest report said the children tried to procure the food because they are never full. All three children, who are ages 7, 8 and 9, are underweight. The youngest weighs 41 pounds.

“I can’t even think about that,” Monica Thonday said, a neighbor. “I don’t know, I have no idea — that’s insane.

A nurse at Palmetto Elementary ultimately save their lives. She noticed the bruising and proceeded to report it to deputies.

“It is comforting knowing people are looking out for children,” Breen said, “and are watching out for these things.”

The district policy states employees are required to report student abuse or neglect if they suspect — just like the nurse did. All staff members are required to train with the Department of Children and Family Services on identifying abuse.

“You don’t know what someone’s mindset is,” Thonday said. “You don’t know what they’re going to do to your kids. You can’t trust everybody.”

If you know of or suspect child abuse, call the Florida Abuse Hotline. It can be reached at 1-800-96 ABUSE (800-962-2873). The agency is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Caller information is kept confidential.

Now that it is season in southwest Florida, it is clear that there are more cars on the road. But as season picks up, drivers can expect more crashes too.

Traffic and distracted driver expert Scott Bills says all drivers, no matter the age, need to keep a close eye on the roadways.

“The statistics will show that the very young and the very old are the worst drivers per accident,” Bills said.

But there are very different factors that increase their risk of accidents, Bills says.

“The very young are more likely than not to be on their cell phones, be texting or whatever,” Bills said. “But, the very old, maybe having a difficult time exactly finding out where they’re going, and worrying about everything going on around them.”

John Cassedy, who’s been driving more than 70 years, says his insurance agent told him they have no reservations about offering him coverage.

“Never had an accident, never had a police citation or anything,” Cassedy said. “My insurance agent told me recently, she told me that they’re not concerned. The insurance companies would rather have the elderly than the younger ones (driving).”

Cassedy said that sometimes older drivers get a bad wrap. He understands why people think the Florida Division of Motor Vehicles should retest after a certain age, and he agrees.

“I wouldn’t just cut everyone’s driving privileges away, but to have them retested,” Cassedy said. “Maybe the basics of the job would be beneficial at a certain age.”

In Naples, there are more older than younger drivers on the road. According to the DMV, there are more than 33,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 21 to 39, but there are more than 46,000 drivers ages 71 to 79 in Collier County.

Helping business and the community grow, a better evacuation route and decreasing truck traffic will help improve State Road 29 in Immokalee. People WINK News spoke to said the local roadway needs needs to be widened and better patrolled because they said crashes are far too common.

A Florida Department of Transportation project will update parts of SR 29 in Immokalee to prevent car crashes, WINK News reports Thursday.

“There was a fatal accident up here where a woman and her 7-year-old kid were killed,” Cougar McBride. “Rest in peace, but the cars on both sides of the highway were backed up for about five miles.”

Other drivers said it is because the roadway lacks lights and speed limit signs.

“You got to be very careful,” Aldo Fernandez said. “You can get into accidents. Like I said, I think they need to widen the road and fix it yes.”

Both Fernandez and McBride feel the car crashes on SR 29 mainly happen near Oil Well Road and hope FDOT does something about it soon.

“I just think the amount of money it would take to fix this roadway effectively, you’d have to turn this thing into a freeway,” McBride said.

Not a freeway exactly, but FDOT is looking to make changes to the roadway including going from two lanes to four, adding bike lanes, a few medians and better lighting.

There is a meeting at CareerSource Southwest Florida to discuss a project to update SR 29 in Immokalee 5 to 7 p.m., today, Thursday. The meeting at CareerSource is open to the public to voice concerns as well as learn more about the project.

Fernadez believes it is a good step in the right direction.

“Yes, and I believe they need to still widen the road and again put more lights,” Fernandez said. “You have to still be careful.”

As we watched Hurricane Michael devastate our neighbors in the Panhandle, many of us wanted to help. That especially includes our Southwest Florida firefighters, but departments are already spread thin. It’s not cheap to send local fire-rescue departments to provide relief for natural disasters elsewhere.

Most recently, North Collier Fire and Rescue District sent crews up to the Panhandle to help with Hurricane Michael.

“Part of what we do and the core of who we are is to serve and protect and that doesn’t always happen within our boundaries,” said Firefighter Sal D’Angelo of NCFRD.

That’s when helping other becomes a balancing budget act. Fire departments don’t budget for natural disasters that happen outside their area. They get reimbursed by the state.

But sometimes that reimbursement can take a while, putting more pressure on an already tight fund.

“We’re here to help, and that’s what we do,” D’Angelo said. “It’s ingrained in our culture. It’s our philosophy. It’s everything we stand for.”

Here is the dilemma.

“Do we find ourselves in those situations where we’d like to send more resources?” D’Angelo said. “The answer is yes,  but we’ve even had to scale back on how much we send out.”

Their last deployment up to the Panhandle cost about $117,000 in overtime.

When fire departments are already battling budget concerns, a long reimbursement process is a double whammy.

But, why are fire departments facing nation-wide funding shortages?

“It is getting harder and harder because we are seeing more and more demands for service placed upon us,” D’Angelo said.

Without proper funding, services could be impacted.

“If they can’t get the funding they need, they’re not going to be able to do their job,” Steve Austin said.

NCFRD said there’s no real clear solution. It’s just a balancing act, deciding what services to cut, what to keep and work within the funds they have. The fire district said another big help is community emergency response teams. Those are volunteers who go through training to help in disasters.

“I want to feel safe and not at risk,” Briggs said. “So, I’m all for whatever we can do.”

A woman died after being hit by a car in Naples Monday.

A 95-year-old man was backing out of his driveway on Lely Palms Drive when he hit Pamela Brown Rae, 94, who was crossing the street behind him, FHP said.

The driver, when questioned, said he was unaware of the crash and initially drove away, FHP said.

Rae was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where she died from her injuries, according to FHP.

The crash remains under investigation.

The latest red tide map shows high concentrations along Sanibel Island and near Englewood. There is also medium concentration near Pine island Sound. WINK News looked at whether cooler temperatures could help fight against red tide.

“I’m totally cool with wearing jeans and a sweater or whatever if it means dead fish are gone,” Jason Akrami said.

Akrami said it’s a good tradeoff and said this past summer in Southwest Florida was brutal.

“You’d walk down, and it was like a war zone — small fish, big fish just laying across,” Akrami said.

The beaches are mostly clear in Collier County. New red tide tests show levels near Keewaydin and very low levels on south Marco Island.

“I hope it doesn’t come back for a long time,” Akrami said.

The City of Naples natural resources manager told WINK News the cool weather can only help. He said the bigger the drop in temperature, the longer the cooler weather sticks around and which way the wind blows can also lessen red tide’s impact.

“I think it’s good that, the change in climate, it’s getting colder, the effect on the ecosystem,” Tom Getty III said. “The ocean is important to try to bring this back into balance.”

For now, beach goers are enjoying the taste of fall and what it brings.

“A little wind breaker down here and if it makes the red tide subside, we’re all for it,” Karren Popple said.

The driver of a truck put more than 30 students on a school bus at risk. This comes one week after Collier County deputies made a big push to step up patrols and raise awareness for bus safety.

A truck driver slammed into the back of a car properly stopped behind a school bus with its stop sign and flashing lights in use off Golden Gate Boulevard Monday.

“Ignorance like that is what increases the chances of kids losing their lives,” Kency Cesar said. “And it’s kind of sad that people would continue to do that.”

Both the truck driver and driver of the car that was hit were taken to the hospital.

The bus driver and all of the children who were on the bus were unharmed.

Even with hefty fines increased, drivers are still not paying attention.

“I can’t imagine the parents,” Elena Ripley said. “They don’t want to let children on the bus. I wouldn’t probably after such a thing. Probably kids got scared.”

Trust WINK News to update you as more information becomes available.

Parents do you know what is in your kids room at all times? With the help of Collier Sheriff’s Office, and the new “Hidden in Plain Sight” trailer, parents can now learn new ways to figure out where their kids might be hiding things they aren’t suppose to have.

CCSO has come up with a trailer design that mimics that of a teenagers room, and it is used to show real life examples of how every day items, can be used to hide drugs or alcohol.

“Parents should start looking in their kids rooms about late elementary,” said Sgt. Tiffany Castle of CCSO and Youth Relation Bureau.

Parents can enter the trailer, and are given the opportunity to search and find various things that you might not want your children to have. Once completing the search, the officers will then go in and show them all the searching spots they missed. Often times, items like candles can be used to cover smells, or tampon tubes can be modified to hold alcohol like a flask. One parent said she found a marker that turned out to be a one-hitter for marijuana.

“I’m totally amazed. I didn’t realize there was that much to know about everything you have to worry about as a parent. It’s just overwhelming really to think about all the things you have to check in your child’s room,” said Sheri Heckenlaible, who has a young teen.

To book the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer contact the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Youth Relations Bureau at 239-252-0144. The sheriff’s office will bring the trailer out to community and HOA events, but remember it is only for parents. Also, there is a Spanish speaking video that can be viewed with the trailer.

Collier Area Transit will bring the beach within reach free of charge from November 23 – April 29, 2019.

CAT will take you to the beach, shopping or dining for free during peak season. The busses and trams serve Vanderbilt Beach, Delnor- Wiggins Pass State Park, and ConnerPark Parking.

The Beach Bus will operate from 8am until 3:10 p.m., then 4:30 p.m. until 7:10 p.m., Friday through Monday.

A $2 fee per person will be charged to enter Delnor-WigginsPass State Park.

For more information visit colliercountyfl.gov.

Calling all small business owners and managers in Southwest Florida! Will your business be open on November, 24 for Small Business Saturday? Let us know if you’ll be offering any deals so you can be included in our upcoming list. Complete the short form below by November, 23.

Click HERE to submit your business.

A 72-year-old woman is speaking out after hiring someone for help online lead to criminal behavior.

“I don’t think people should do what I did,” she said. “I actually put room for rent and I figured then you could talk to anybody and then say well you don’t have to pay rent you can do work.”

She posted an ad on Facebook, which said she needed a hand around her house. James Stevenson, a stranger, answered the ad.

But now, he is behind bars.

On Monday, Collier County Sheriff Deputies arrested him. He is facing battery charges.

“I don’t like being treated that way,” she said.

Reports show while Stevenson, 37-years-old, was living in the house, he groped the woman’s chest and gave her rear end a smack.

“That was just so disgusting,” the woman said, whose name is confidential because she is a victim of sexual assault. “I knew then i couldn’t help him.”

Report show Stevenson told deputies none of that is true. But the woman’s son said he watched it all happen.

“It is a complete betrayal of trust,” Clarke Pollard said, from Caregiver Support Network.

An expert from Caregiver Support Network said anytime you are hiring help, “don’t rely on an ad on Craigslist or a well mean friend referral,” Pollard said.

The best way to hire a caregiver of any kind is to use an agency — don’t go through something private.

“That way if you’re using an agency you get a person coming into your home who has background checked,” Pollard  said. “Agency itself is licensed and bonded and that person represents that company so you have an area of recourse if you need it.”

You go to the beach to see the waves, beautiful shore and dolphins — not dead sea life carried away on a golf cart. But that is what happened after a dolphin washed ashore Monday at Barefoot Beach, and it’s not the first one

Florida, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials have taken away at least five dead dolphins from Southwest Florida beaches in the past few days.

“It’s always a turtle, a dolphin, or even just little bait fish,” Colleen Gill said. “It breaks my heart every time.”

No matter what kind of marine life washes ashore, it is not something anyone wants along the beach.

The continued loss of marine life hit Gill hard when she stumbled upon the dead dolphin on Naples Beach this morning.

“Normal red tide should not be doing this to the dolphins,” Gill said. “It should not be impacting this much of a large population, especially large creatures like them.”

Fishing guide captain Tony Fontana of Naples Saltwater Fishing fears the lingering red tide is also to blame for several recent dolphin deaths in Collier County.

“To me it’s sad,” Fontana said. “It’s just as sad as any other sea life that’s dying. I mean, it strikes home with us humans because they’re mammals.”

Off Vanderbilt Beach, the presence of red tide is also noticeable. There are dead fish and birds lining the beach.

“It is concerning, as did we choose the right place to purchase a second home we’re thinking of retiring in? Brian Pulis said. “It’ll be interesting to see next year’s numbers.”

NOAA researches have linked nearly 80 stranded dolphins to the blooms this year. Fontana believes this tragic number is a sign.

“Our water quality is becoming more and more poor,” Fontana said.

Scientists will have to run tests on these dolphins to see if red tide killed them.

NOAA said it is crucial to report a dead dolphin sighting.

“If it’s what it’s eating, then we know that the fish are still sick,” Gill said. “And it’s still very much a problem in the water, so it’s a bigger issue than everyone’s coming to grasp.”

Sprouts Farmers Market said it’s ‘growing’ and will soon add to its healthy reach. Presently, it has six stores in the sunshine state.

Next year it will add one in Clearwater and another right here in Collier County.

“I think i speak for a lot of people here,” Melissa Hill said, of Golden Gate Estates. “We really want more things moving toward our direction so we’re not traveling so far just to go grocery shopping.”

The retailer focuses on farm-fresh produce and other healthy choices. It’s motto declares, you don’t have “to be wealthy to eat healthy” at sprouts! But it joins a crowded field in Southwest Florida. It is nearby Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, each of which offer similar options.

“It’ll be nice to have some variety,” Hill said.

“We really like to see the healthier grocery stores popping up,” Nicole Torres said, who works at North Naples Crossfit.

Also coming to Logan Landings, up to 10 restaurants, a dentist, nail salon and other office space. While some have concerns about traffic on “already busy” Immokalee Road, other said its a small price to pay.

“Traffic for me is just something that comes with growth and development,” Hill said. “I love options.”

“We like that there’s expansion coming east of the interstate,” Torres said.

With the National Weather Service predicting temperatures in the Interior/Northern Collier (Immokalee) area of 38-40F and in Western Collier of 40-44F, Collier County staff and the Red Cross will open the following warming shelters:

Golden Gate Community Center
4701 Golden Gate Parkway
Naples, Florida 34116

Immokalee Community Park
321 N. First Street
Immokalee, Florida 34142.

The shelters open at 8 p.m., Tuesday, November 27. Guests must leave the shelters by 8 a.m., Wednesday, November 28.

No food services will be provided. Those who plan to use the warming center should take their own bedding, food, medications, toiletries, water, and anything else they need to be comfortable. Dogs and cats are permitted only if they are properly caged/crated. For information on the warming centers, call 239-253-4673.

As a reminder, cold weather safety rules include:

• Protect People: Pay careful attention to children and the elderly. They are especially vulnerable to the cold and the least able to protect themselves. Dress in layers and wear a hat that covers your ears when outdoors.
• Protect Pets: Bring pets indoors. Pets that must be left outside should have an enclosed shelter with the entrance facing away from the wind.
• Protect Against Fires in the Home: Take the time to prepare and inspect heating equipment before using. According to the National Fire Protection Association, incorrect use of heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires.

Steve Abbott and Jim Farrior hoped to interact with some of the dolphins when they set out to kayak near Bonita Beach.

“We rode side by side with one for a mile a couple years ago,” Abbott said, who lives in Fort Myers. “We have a real place in our hearts for what they are and what’s going on with them.”

A recent spike in dead dolphins washing up on shores in Lee and Collier County seem to be attributed to the lingering red tide: the suspected killer.

“Lot of fish and eels on the beach,” Jeff Wiseman said, from Bonita Springs, “never a dolphin.”

Crews picked up more than seven dead dolphins on Tuesday, one of which was not too far away from where Wiseman works on Bonita Beach.

“If a mammal that large can be killed,” Wiseman said, “there’s something going on in the water.”

While there are no beach advisories as of Tuesday, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau has released a statement that noted in recent samples, there are patchy areas of red tide conditions along SWFL shorelines.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is conducting tests on the water, with results expected to come in soon, to better determine red tide levels in beach waters.

Red tide, which usually runs from October to January or February of the following year, has been an ongoing problem in SWFL.

In a 2016 study partly conducted by the University of Florida, those who then planned to visit Florida within three months overwhelmingly stated they would avoid traveling to an area that has been declared, a “state of emergency.”

While red tide conditions presently are not at that level, the deaths of these animals are certainly a cause for worry. The dolphin deaths will impact local and traveling beach-goers, once again putting a dent in tourism industry revenues.

Over the last week in Lee and Collier County, there have been 37 dead dolphins that have washed ashore, which has traditionally been a rare sight.

NOAA Marine Mammal Expert Blair Mase believes the food these dolphins consume may contribute to its deaths.

“They are either impacted by ingesting fish that have the toxin,” Mase said. “That’s how they’re impacted or by inhalation.”

Mase said if the bottle nose dolphins continue to die at the rate we’re seeing, it could hurt the population.

“It is quite concerning,” Mase said. “It’s hard to see an impact at this level, especially when we thought things were improving.”

A Marco Island teacher faces serious allegations after being accused of hitting students in the classroom.

Several mothers, who asked that we not identify them, say they’ve gone through a range of emotions since hearing claims that a teacher hit their children.

A Marco police crime report refers to “Battery, simple assault” of four 11-year-old children — three girls and one boy.

The report says it happened on Trinidad Avenue on Marco Island, the address for Marco Island Charter Middle School.

The claims are against Joe Jarrett, who is listed on the school’s website as a computer teacher.

One mother says, “I want this fully investigated and if he did what our children said he did, I want charges pressed, and I want him to own up to what he’s done and face the consequences.”

Marco Island Police and the Department of Children and Families have both confirmed they are actively investigating the claims.

Parents shared an email sent by the school’s principal just days after parents filed police reports. It states in part:

“The school has received some inquiries about the absence of our computer and intensive math teacher. Since this is a personnel issue, it is not only inappropriate but also against our policy to elaborate.. On the matter until the matter has been resolved. What I can tell you is that, until the matter is resolved, the teacher will not be returning to class.”

“I found out from another parent, her daughter came to her and was worried about my son and being hit and yelled at almost on a daily basis in class. And she was so concerned for my child that she told her mother,” a concerned parent said.

The parents say Jarrett hit and screamed at their children in front of other students, and that he’s done it to others as well.

Marco Island Police reached out to DCF, which is standard with complaints involving children. The moms also confirm caseworkers have interviewed their children.

WINK News went to Jarrett’s gated community to ask him about the allegations and he would not allow us in or comment. We also called and emailed, but he never responded.

As the busy holiday shipping season gets underway, neighbors in Golden Gate Estates said they are worried important mail might get lost.

“It’s a huge black eye for the united states postal service,” Dorthy Hoover said. “There are a lot of carriers and a lot of workers out there who do a great job and these people are making them have a bad name.”

Neighbors told WINK News and to one another on a neighborhood app, carriers from the United States Postal Service Annex are not always getting them their mail. They believe the carriers are delivering the mail to the wrong address, and in some cases are even tossing packages carelessly, sometimes captured on camera.

Dorthy Hoover said she has received other people’s mail so much, she started writing letters to her carrier and attaching them to the mail.

Bob and Pat McLoughlin said they started forwarding their mail to a commercial mailbox while they went on a vacation for two months. The couple claims, they have not received mail since.

“I really, really, want to press to know who is supervising these carriers,” McLoughlin said, a Golden Gates Estates resident. “Who is training them because it is becoming clear to us that somewhere along the lines someone is missing their responsibility and accountability.”

“On very rare occasions, instances of mail delivery issues occur,” a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson said in a statement. “We apologize for any mail service issues that may have been experienced by customers living in the Naples area… and the service you describe is unacceptable.”

“A lot of the apologies are nice and they certainly seem like they care but at the same breath,” McLoughlin said. “The link is broken here in the service postal chain.”

The search is on for a suspect involved in a hit and run incident that left one dead in Collier County, says Florida Highway Patrol.

FHP says, a Ford Mercury driven by an unknown driver was heading east on County Road 890, west of Krystal Lane. Margarita Gonzalez, 71, was on the eastbound lane of CR 890 as well, in the path of the Mercury.

The front of the car struck Margarita on her left side, and then sped off without checking to see if any injury had been caused, which is required by Florida law.

Margarita passed away from injuries sustained during the crash.

FHP says the car they are looking for has damage on the left front bumper, and front left headlight.

If any information is known about the driver involved in the hit and run, they are asked to contact Corporal G Cornier at 239-344-1730.