Collier County recently declined to participate in a project to put toll lines on I-75. But for now Lee County is still interested in working with the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. WGCU’s John Davis has more…

The Collier County School Board fired its superintendent Tuesday, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision. WGCU’s John Davis has more.

The Urban Land Institute’s SWFL Chapter is examining the idea of hometown democracy…that’s a ballot initiative that would take the power to control growth out of the hands of elected officials, and put it into the hands of voters. WGCU’s John Davis has more.

The Collier County branch of the NAACP met Monday to look at the restoration of voting and other civil rights for ex-offenders in Florida. WGCU's John Davis reports.

A Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy working with the Division of Natural Resources is now one of the only local law enforcement officers in the country to receive Federal Deputy Game Warden status.

Sheriff’s Deputy, Joe Ragen works as a marine officer with the Lee County Division of Natural Resources enforcing manatee speed zone laws, investigating abandoned and derelict boats and protecting the county’s artificial reefs. But now he’ll also act as a Deputy U.S. Game Warden with the authority to enforce federal laws. The agency’s Senior Environmental Specialist, Justin McBride, says the authority to enforce federal regulations will not dramatically change Ragen’s day to day tasks and responsibilities.

“If he stops someone in a manatee zone, he will have the ability to write either a federal citation or a state citation, so from that aspect he’s going to learn the different burden of proof necessary to write a federal citation. Federal citations carry more weight in certain situations so it’s just a newer tool in his tool box for resource protection.”

Until now, only U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers had the authority to enforce federal marine protection laws.

Cathy Dewitt is a jazz vocalist and pianist, a bluegrass guitarist and folksinger/songwriter. She’s a nationally published writer, concert producer and bandleader for the jazz quartet, Moondancer, as well as a member of an all women’s folk/bluegrass band and the music director for her church. WGCU’s John Davis has more about how this diverse performer is also a healer.

 
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is recommending 16 animal species be removed from the state’s threatened species lis.

The recommendations follow biological status reviews of 61 species that began in 2007. Eight of the 16 species recommended for de-listing can be found in Southwest Florida. They include the Black Bear, Brown Pelican, White Ibis, Limpkin, Snowy Egret, Gopher Frog, Florida Tree Snail and a fish called the Mangrove Rivulus.

The recommendations follow the adoption of a new system for identifying imperiled wildlife that the FWC adopted in September of 2010. “The old system was definitely broken,” said Dr. Elsa Haubold who manages the FWC’s biological review process.

“It was incredibly controversial and it was difficult to focus any attention on conservation of our listed species because a lot of the attention was what we call the species. We had a multi-category list. So one of the major changes that we made is that we now have a single category list. Either you’re at a high risk of extinction or you’re not.”

Wildlife Commission staff are in the process of creating a detailed management plan for each of the different species evaluated.

Those plans could take up to three years to complete and will include measures to keep the animals from slipping back into peril.