Fire Districts in Florida are funded by property taxes.  In recent years they’ve seen their budgets shrink along with the value of the homes they’re meant to protect.  Next Tuesday voters in one Lee County fire district will be asked if they’d like to try a different approach: a flat fee annual assessment.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry has more…

Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? What do Muslims like and dislike about the West? What do Muslim women really want? A new film being screened in Fort Myers on Saturday evening will address these questions, and more. It’s called “Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think.” It’s based on the results of a 5-year study by the Gallup Organization, which interviewed Muslims in 35 countries, as well as in Europe & America. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry spoke to Mohamed Al-Darsani, he’s Imam at the Islamic Center for PEACE in Fort Myers, about the film and its findings. Al-Darsani says there IS a conflict between the West and East, but it’s based almost entirely on misperceptions…

To learn more about the film or the Islamic Center for PEACE, or to register for Saturday’s screening, go to www.ic-peace.com. The event starts at 6:00. There will be a panel discussion after the film.

On a sweltering summer day in Fort Myers a group of about 20 people gather at a tennis court, not to play tennis…but bike polo.  That’s right, polo on bicycles.  The mainly ‘Do It Yourself’ sport has a growing, and enthusiastic following in Southwest Florida, and around the world.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry has more…

A new report by the Nature Conservancy says restoring the Gulf of Mexico to its pre-spill state won’t be enough to reverse decades of degradation.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports.

According to new government computer models there’s less than a 1-percent chance that southwest Florida’s coast will be directly impacted by oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry has more.

Not a whole lot is known about the long term impact of oil on coastal ecosystems.  A researcher at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota studied a spill near the mouth of Tampa Bay back in 1993…and did a follow up study 8 years later.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports on what she found…

The first two sea turtle nests of the year on the gulf coast were found this week on beaches in Sarasota County.  Sea turtle nesting season runs from the first of May to the end of October.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports.

There’s a bill awaiting Governor Charlie Crist’s signature that would make owning or importing Burmese pythons – and several other species of non-native snakes and reptiles – illegal in Florida.  He is expected to sign it.  It comes in response to what biologists agree is a serious threat to South Florida’s ecosystem.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry recently attended a training session for what’s called Python Patrol.  It’s an effort to stem the spread of these prolific breeders that have no natural enemies…with help from the public.

If you buy a potato anywhere in the United States during this time of year it’s a pretty safe bet it’s either been in storage since the fall, or was grown in Southwest Florida.  Don Troyer has farmed potatoes in Lee & Collier Counties since 1983. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry took a tour of his operation and has this report…

The U-S Environmental Protection Agency has extended the comment period on proposed new water rules. As WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports, the decision came after EPA officials met with Florida lawmakers Thursday morning.