Now that summer break is upon us, food insecurity is hitting some Southwest Florida families especially hard. According to a recent United States Department of Agriculture study , 16.5 percent of all U.S. households with children experienced food insecurity in 2016, affecting some 6.5 million children.

Mosaic Fertilizer wants to start mining for phosphate on about 18,000-acres of land in the Peace River Basin in DeSoto County, about three miles from Arcadia. Phosphate mining is big business in Florida, but its potential environmental impacts make it a contentious issue. Mosaic just recently finished plugging a giant sinkhole at one of its phosphate mines near Plant City, but not before millions of gallons of contaminated water poured into the Floridan Aquifer. We’re going to get an update

Florida is home to a wide array of flora and fauna, but not all of it is native, actually quite a lot of what you see in the wild world around you is considered to be invasive. We’re getting a lesson on Florida’s many invasives from Charles Sobczak, the Sanibel-based author will be presenting two lectures on Florida’s invasives later this month, the first one is at the downtown Fort Myers Regional Library on June 18th at 6:30 p.m. and the other is at the Gulf Gate Library in Sarasota that same

The third-annual BabeFest returns to Fort Myers, June 1. The music festival celebrates diversity in the arts with a full line up of women-focused or women-fronted rock bands. The event is organized by the non-profit Love Your Rebellion and is designed to encompass and expand upon organization’s mission to "empower marginalized groups through music, literature, and art.” We’ll learn more about BabeFest and Love Your Rebellion from founder and local musician Angela Page . We’ll also feature music

The Southwest Florida-based band Soulixer joins us for a live in-studio performance. The band performs prolifically at venues throughout the region and delivers a high-energy mix of soul/funk/rock music with influences including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Mos Def, James Brown and Cage The Elephant. We’ll feature music and conversation with band members Cayce Dillard (drums), Thomas O'Brien (guitar & vocals) and Mason Reinek (bass).

As hurricane season approaches, storm weary gulf coasters may remember the aftermath of last year’s hurricane season, when nonprofit organizations helped fill the gaps created by delayed federal response. We sit down with Greg Luberecki, Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation , which activated its Disaster Fund last year in the wake of Hurricane Irma, to discuss the roles nonprofits can play in disaster recovery. And, we get a report from WGCU's

Unless you’re a boater, or love to fish, or maybe just love fresh seafood, you might not give the Gulf of Mexico all that much thought -- we’re going to try to change that today. We’re joined by the author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea , which won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History. Jack E. Davis ’s epic narrative brings readers through the gulf’s history, from its formation in prehistoric times all the way through today -- exploring the countless ways humans have both revered, and

We sit down with Richard Conrath , who recently self-published his first book, Cooper's Moon . It tells the story of a college professor turned homicide detective who finds his way into the world of human trafficking of children. We explore the writing process with him, but also the world of self-publishing, which has changed in recent years. What was once considered an outlier in the publishing world -- think the term ‘vanity press’ -- has evolved to become a way for authors to maintain control

Young actors with the Florida Repertory Theatre ’s Conservatory Program are currently performing “ Heathers: The Musical .” The Off-Broadway rock musical is based on the 1988 cult-classic black comedy film, “Heathers,” featuring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The show delivers a satirical take on issues relatable to young people including the often-malicious social hierarchies that can dominate high school life, bullying, violence and empathy.

According to the statewide organization Florida Realtors , Florida’s housing market reported higher median prices again in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same quarter last year. The median sales price of single family existing homes rose 9.7 percent. The statewide median price for condos and townhomes rose 7.8 percent over last year. While prices of existing homes continues to increase, so does the rate of new home building, especially here in southwest Florida. New communities