Since 1991 The Immokalee Foundation has been helping children and young adults to change the course of their lives through the support of mentors, donors and volunteers. We learn more about its programs, especially in the time of COVID-19, by talking with Melissa C. Phillips, Vice President of Philanthropy.

Immokalee has historically been undercounted during the decadal U.S. Census counts. In 2010 about 34% of residents participated, and with just weeks left to go that number is currently less than 25%. We learn about efforts to increase those numbers with two members of the League of Women Voters of Collier County's Complete Census Count Committee.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population anywhere in the world. Since 1970 more than 52,400 dolphin group sightings have yielded more than 158,000 identifications of more than 5,600 individually distinctive dolphins in and around Sarasota Bay.

We learn about a new podcast called Grieve Love Heal that’s being made by the people at Valerie’s House. The nonprofit’s sole focus is helping children grieve. The podcast covers topics like Losing a Loved one on Christmas, Back to School with Grief, and Going Through Grief as a Young Adult.

A recent article in The Atlantic titled “The Election That Could Break America” speculates that President Trump could “easily throw the election into chaos and subvert the result.” One subject it covers is how presidential electors are chosen after the votes have been tabulated. To get some clarity on this topic and how things could actually play out here in Florida we talk with Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of political science at University of Central Florida.

The 2020 General Election is just five weeks and one day away, and deadlines to register to vote and request a mail in ballot are approaching. We go over the deadlines, and get the basics on vote by mail, early voting, and voting in person on Election Day.

In order to help keep farmworkers and their families as safe as possible during the ongoing pandemic, the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee is offering free Zoom sessions to inform growers about how to best keep their agricultural workers safer from COVID-19.

West Nile Virus has now been detected in mosquitoes in both Lee & Collier Counties. Mosquitoes become infected with the virus when they feed on birds that have it, and it can be spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Both Lee and Collier Counties have robust mosquito control operations to protect human health, and human standard of living. And they have extensive monitoring operations to try and stay ahead of the flying pests, and track the presence of viruses like West Nile, Dengue, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Chikungunya, and Zika.

According to the most recent update on the university’s COVID-19 reported cases website there have been 55 positive cases among students, faculty and staff so far this semester. While the reported numbers remain relatively low, FGCU President Dr. Mike Martin has recently been issuing stern warnings about repercussions students will face if caught not following guidelines for social distancing and gathering in large groups.

Researchers at University of Florida are hoping to add another tool to the water quality sampling toolbox: a free-floating buoy dubbed ‘GatorByte” that collects data and transmits it in real time using a cellular signal.