WGCU News

Florida enacted emergency rules Friday to prevent the New World screwworm from making its way to the Sunshine State. The state created protocols to protect Florida’s cattle herds from the parasitic fly after it was found in Texas earlier this week.

A free, eight-week tai chi program for adults with arthritis will begin July 2.

Actor Anthony Head, known for his roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Ted Lasso," has died at 72. His family announced Friday that he passed away peacefully due to complications from pneumonia, surrounded by loved ones. Head first gained recognition in the 1980s on British TV as part of a romantic couple in Nescafe ads. He later achieved U.S. fame as Rupert Giles in the supernatural series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which aired from 1997 to 2003.

Afternoon showers have been popping up throughout Southwest Florida since the year began, but more so since the summer rainy season started May 15 in places like Collier County where 4.5 inches have fallen in less than three weeks. That’s inspired the watering restrictions and outdoor burn bans to an end in some communities, while others are leaving them in place for now.

WGCU Public Media recently won a regional Edward R. Murrow award for news documentary. The Murrow awards are among the most prestigious broadcast and digital journalism awards in the United States. WGCU received the award for Rising: Surviving the Surge, a documentary about Hurricane Ian, the 2022 storm that forever changed Southwest Florida.

A boil water alert for Corkscrew Road east of I-75 is now lifted for residents and businesses in that area.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the second highest amount of funds in its proposal – a little over $8 million. About $5 million of the money will be used for communication equipment, including radios. Notably, the county is asking for $600,000 for two Skywatch mobile towers to “enhance situation awareness and support immigration enforcement operations.”

No living photographer does a better job of capturing the emotion of the American landscape than Clyde Butcher - that feeling you experience when you turn a corner on a hike and spy a pristine lake or cascading waterfall, or a valley suddenly opens up beneath your feet. So, Marco Island Historical Museum decided to observe the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by exhibiting Clyde Butcher's "America the Beautiful" photo exhibition.

Sophia Haakman is something of a bird whisperer. The 16-year-old Pineview School student doesn’t just notice Sarasota’s birds. She wants to understand how they live, what they need to survive and whether efforts to protect them are actually working.

ACT is organizing a community event to support survivors of domestic violence.