Viral hepatitis claims the lives of roughly 15,000 Americans each year, mostly through liver diseases like cancer. As many as 5.3 million Americans live with chronic forms of hepatitis, and many don’t know it, or the specific type of the virus they have. Lifesaving treatment is available only when you know you're infected, and that's spurring a push by the Department of Health in Collier County to offer free testing and treatment this week.

An harmless-looking species of Asian wood-boring beetle, previously unknown in the western hemisphere, could spell disaster for the U.S. forestry industry. Researchers at the University of Florida's IFAS School of Forest Resources say the beetle, nicknamed the sweetgum inscriber for its endless appetite for the American sweetgum tree, is 100 percent lethal when exposed to otherwise healthy trees or forests, could cost the hardwood timber industry millions.

Hospitals around the country are connecting patients with caregivers in a powerful new way, using simple pen and paper to give patients room to share their story. Using the communication tool called “My Story," health care providers like Lee Health now have large sheets of paper hanging in patients' rooms, giving family members a chance to share their loved one's past, hopes, and more.

A man arrested in Miami-Dade county in March was cleared for release but held an extra day at the request of federal immigration officials , an act he alleges in a lawsuit violated his fourth amendment rights. Garland Creedle is now suing the county with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.

With three reported alligator bites in as many days in Southwest Florida, and state wildlife officials reporting a record pace of 16 such bites so far in 2017, we turn to the people who work with them every day for some tips on alligator behavior and how to avoid a bite.

Florida sends more juveniles to adult court than any other state. Teens tried and convicted in Florida courts face longer sentences than adults found guilty of the same crime. At the same time, a juvenile tried as adult in Florida is less likely to face jail time than their peers tried in juvenile court. Those are just some of the findings of a new FSU study looking at how Florida treats juveniles transferred to its adult courts.

On Friday, the man accused of killing his wife and five young children in Collier County in 2009 will be in a court trying to prove he can represent himself at his murder trial. It's what Mesac Damas has been asking for since his arrest shortly after the murders, when police tracked him down in Haiti.

The British newspaper “The Guardian” last month revealed a piece of property in the middle of Florida that happened to be owned by none other the President Donald Trump. He bought it in 2005 for one dollar from a woman who’d bought it a month prior for more than $3,000.

A national survey of more than 4,700 public school educators singled out state-by-state barriers to a good education. Florida teachers say family engagement, home internet access, and reading outside of school are key to learning. But teachers in the Sunshine State were also more likely to spend money out of their own pocket for classroom materials, despite Florida schools getting more discretionary funds from local PTAs and school districts.

A wine list that stands taller than a restaurant menu can be either intimidating or intriguing, depending on your familiarity with the grape. In Southwest Florida, there's no shortage of award-winning wine lists: from Sarasota to Marco Island there are almost 50 which have received recognition from Wine Spectator Magazine . But only a select few receive the magazine’s “Grand Award.” In fact, only two restaurants in the state of Florida achieved that level this year, one of which is in Naples.