The
number of children going hungry in Lee County is growing at an alarming
rate. Sixty-two percent of elementary school kids in the district are
eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. That’s up from 49-percent
in 2006.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports on how community leaders are
trying to get food to those who need it.

Spring
Creek Elementary School in Bonita Springs will remain closed all week
after an 11-year-old boy there tested positive for one of the first
cases of swine flu in the state.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

There’s
a new option for women in the fight against breast cancer: a
five-minute screening that can identify abnormalities in the breast,
long before they turn into tumors. There are just a few physicians in
Florida offering the procedure. Katie Pankow found one, and has this
report.

Hundreds
of people with sickle cell disease – or friends or relatives of people
with the inherited blood disorder - will converge on Tallahassee
Thursday.  They will urge lawmakers not to cut anymore funding for
outreach and research programs…funding that’s aimed at what they call
“Breaking the Sickle Cycle”.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker has more.

As
high school seniors prepare for prom and graduation one southwest
Florida organization is asking parents to talk to their kids about
alcohol at a younger age.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Lee Memorial Health System hosts a rally on Thursday calling on local lawmakers to support a measure in the state legislature
to increase the tax on tobacco products.  WGCU’s John Davis reports

It’s estimated defective drywall from China was used in the construction of 60 thousand homes in this country – houses that went up just before the building boom went bust. The drywall is said to be making homeowners ill. 36 thousand of the homes are in Florida. And Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is using part of his Easter Break from Congress to assure affected constituents he’s seeking answers, and remedies. Valerie Alker reports.

March
is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and doctors want people to know
that this of all cancers is the one that’s most treatable.  WGCU’s Luis
Hernandez reports.

Researchers
call it The Kanzius Radiofrequency Field Device- Kanzius RF
for short.   It was developed in the mind…and garage…of Sanibel winter
resident and former broadcaster John Kanzius.  The inventor passed away
last month from pneumonia after multiple rounds of chemotherapy
treatments for his leukemia.  The device, initially viewed with
skepticism,  has quickly gained the research community’s attention. 
WGCU’s Mike Kiniry filed this report…

State
health officials are still unsure if Chinese drywall used in some
Florida homes presents any health risks. So far all people know is that
it can be costly to homeowners. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez has this report.