DeSoto County

Watch • 28:02

Human Interest

DeSoto County residents with special needs encouraged to register with shelter ahead of peak hurricane season

Eileen Kelley

The special needs shelter is at the South Florida State College DeSoto Campus in Arcadia.

Government & Politics

DeSoto residents urged to participate in future plan for county's growth

Eileen Kelley

A workshop on growth is Thursday, June 18 at the Turner Agro-Center.

Eugene Turner, a fourth-generation Floridian, vowed not to sell his land to DCIP Group.

Government & Politics

Developers push massive data center complex in DeSoto County amid backlash

Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

In March, DeSoto County voted to rezone 34 acres of land on a decommissioned power plant to allow the company DCIP Group to begin the process of constructing its first data center there, using natural gas supplied from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline. County commissioners have embraced the proposal, which they herald as financial salvation that could fill the county’s coffers and help the rural community weather budget shortfalls.

Weather

Do your part: Regions aquifers and rivers are low; Water restrictions are in place

Eileen Kelley

Fifty percent of household water consumption comes from outdoor use. Households restricted to one-day watering schedule

A drought is a prolonged period with little to no rainfall, leading to water shortages in a region. The air temperature can be hot or cold. A heat wave is usually just a few days of air temperatures far warmer than expected in a region during any given time of year. The air can contain a lot of moisture, and be humid, or just the opposite, described as "dry heat." Whatever the characteristics of the heat wave, it can worsen the impacts of a drought due to increased heat stress and a greater water demand. Despite a shorter-term duration, a heat wave can compound the bad things about a drought and cause more harm to man and the environment.

Weather

Still parched; DeSoto residents encouraged to do their part during extreme drought

Eileen Kelley

Call the DeSoto County Sheriff's office to report burn ban scofflaws.

Human Interest

Bookstore moves to larger digs, hopes to be independent hub for books, albums, culture and art in Arcadia's historic 'Pink Building'

Eileen Kelley

Dragon's Den Books is hosting a grand-reopening event in its new space on Feb. 21.

Education

Higher high-school graduation rates logged across the state and in local counties last year

Dayna Harpster, Eileen Kelley

Higher high-school graduation rates logged across the state and in local counties last academic year, according to a recent report from the state Department of Education.

Transportation

Got road construction questions? Answers may be a meeting away

WGCU Staff

The public is investaed to learn about and participate in a discussion about Kings Highway in DeSoto County.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced funding earmarked for infrastructure repair in 37 Florida communities at a briefing at the Sebring Airport Thursday.

Government & Politics

Communities in Collier, DeSoto, Okeechobee, Peace River Watershed, other sites awarded $311M for infrastructure repair

WGCU Staff

A number of projects across Florida, including several in Southwest and South regions, will share in $311 million disbursed by the state Thursday.Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the funding, earmarked for infrastructure repair in 37 Florida communities at a briefing at the Sebring Airport Thursday.

Few Suncoast state lawmakers answered questions about the “Schools of Hope” legislation they helped pass now that charter operators are starting to file notices of intent to co-locate at public schools.

Government & Politics

Most Suncoast lawmakers quiet as charter school expansion fuels local upheaval

McKenna Oxenden and Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

The same Suncoast lawmakers who voted earlier this year to let charter schools move into underused public campuses have stayed quiet as a Miami-based charter operator’s early push to occupy local schools set off confusion and concern among parents and educators.Mater Academy, one of Florida’s largest charter school networks, filed notices last week to co-locate inside five Sarasota and Manatee county schools — part of a broader wave of early filings across the state that districts say were submitted prematurely. According to officials, charter operators must wait until Nov. 11 to submit a notice.