A Southwest Florida builder has received a national award. WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is protesting Burger King’s headquarters in Miami today. They want the fast food giant to pay workers another penny a pound for harvesting tomatoes. Burger King says the coalition can’t prove workers are receiving the extra penny. CIW says Burger King is trying to skirt the issue. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

The AARP wants to see more companies work harder to provide for the needs of the older work force. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports on the recent list of top companies accomplishing that task…especially one in Lee County.

The number of discount nail salons have mushroomed in Florida over the last two decades. The state has twice as many nail salons as any other Southern state, and 6 times as many nail techs--particularly Vietnamese--who make up nearly forty percent of the country's 6-point-3-billion-dollar industry. WGCU's Christine Buckley discussed the business with one Florida family.

The Seminole word “Immokalee” means “my home”. Each winter, the rural Collier county settlement of that name becomes home to migrants from Mexico, Central America, Haiti and neighboring nations. These workers come to pick the area’s citrus, tomatoes, and other crops. They have made Immokalee the state’s largest farm worker community and a major supplier of the country’s winter produce. With Florida’s growing season now in full swing, WGCU’s Christine Buckley visited a market where the locals do their shopping - and socializing.

Pirate radio stations are popping up all over the radio dial. Broadcasters say the illegal operations interfere with their frequencies, cut into their profits and irritate listeners. The problem is especially bad in Florida. Nationwide the Federal Communications Commission shut down more than 200 unlicensed stations in 2003. Now Florida has a new tool to crack down on the people operating them. As WGCU’s Amy Tardif reports, pirating a radio signal is now a felony in Florida.

Shoppers turned out in full force in Southwest Florida Friday. By 9:30 a.m. the parking lot at the Miromar Outlet mall in Estero was overflowing. WGCU’s Valerie Alker conducted this informal shopper’s survey.

Holiday shopping #1
Lewis
For: 11-24-05 PM / 11-25-05 AM


Tomorrow (Friday) marks the kick-off of the holiday shopping season. For many businesses the next four weeks are a make-or-break time for the entire yearShoppers will be out en-masse the Friday after Thanksgiving. Many stores will open early…some as soon as 5 a-m. Business owners hope those customers will be carrying lots of cash or credit cards and leave with bags stuffed with merchandise. Economists say it’s been a sluggish year for retailers but it is expected to pick up. Florida Gulf Coast University Marketing Professor Stuart Van Auken says the impact of the Internet is becoming a bigger force. He says while shoppers brave the stores this weekend...online buying kicks off next week.

“And one of the theories is, that consumers will shop at bricks and mortars stores Friday through Sunday and also talk with their friends and relatives about gifts and then they go online on Monday. The idea is to maybe find some of things they have discovered at bricks and mortar stores for cheaper prices.”

Van Auken says the online shopping season wraps up around mid-December because after that, internet retailers often have a difficult time making deliveries. Russell Lewis, WGCU News.

Holiday shopping #2
Lewis
For: 11-24-05 PM / 11-25-05 AM


Shoppers will brave the malls and stores tomorrow (Friday) to cash in on the first major holiday sales. This time of year is an important one for retailers as they try to make up for a sluggish beginning of the season. W-G-C-U’s Russell Lewis has more.

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Economists are expecting this year’s holiday buying period to be marginally better than last year. They predict a sales increase of five or ten percent. Online sales are projected to be as much as 20-percent higher. That’s due in part to more bricks and mortar stores offering free shipping and discounts on their websites. Florida Gulf Coast University Marketing Professor Stuart Van Auken says toy sales have dropped the last couple of years...but what is UP are sales of electronics to children.

“So what we’re seeing is a movement away from so-called traditional toys into like consumer electronics geared for kids. And the trend for this Christmas is smaller, but higher-priced. And so it’s sort of like small items are in including consumer electronics at maybe a higher price.”

Van Auken says that’s good for retailers because smaller items take up less space so they can stock more and make a bigger profit. Russell Lewis, WGCU News.