The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’ s National Hurricane Center issues its 2017 Hurricane season outlook Thursday . NOAA meteorologist Jamie Rhome explains what’s in store for Southwest Florida in the months ahead.

It’s been six months and a full legislative session since the Florida Kids Count survey ranked the quality of life for children in the state among the lowest in the country. Now that lawmakers have gone home, what's changed?

Just this month Brazil—the country where experts say the Zika virus first arose— ended its nationwide health emergency related to the virus . The World Health Organization took a similar step in November . But as the summer mosquito season in Florida begins, the threat from Zika remains acute for South Florida and other parts of the world where the mosquitoes carrying the virus can be found.

There's a growing need for blood in Southwest Florida during the summer months. A traditionally low point for demand in the area, blood banks say they're seeing the expected drop-off in donations every summer but no slowing of the demand.

Women are frequently encouraged to learn self-defense techniques , evaluate dangerous situations , and to remain alert for potential predators. The emphasis is often on ways potential victims can avoid victimization, but one Southwest Florida forensic consultant argues the conversation should focus instead on predators, and giving the community options in identifying potential offenders.

If you haven’t heard of the stingray shuffle , now may be the time to learn the dance. It’s stingray mating season along Southwest Florida beaches and that means more of the rays are on the move where beachgoers tend to wade.

After nearly a decade at the helm of Florida Gulf Coast University, president Dr. Wilson Bradshaw is stepping down at the end of June.

The power to expand gambling, including slot machines, belongs exclusively to Florida lawmakers, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week , signaling an end to efforts by Lee and other counties to expand gambling and slot machine games through local voter referenda.

On his first day at work at Lee Memorial Hospital, 44 years ago, Jim Nathan wrote that he expected the job to last just a year, long enough to meet a requirement for his masters degree. Now, after more than four decades with Lee Health, including more than 30 years as its president and CEO, 70-year-old Nathan is stepping down from the job June 1.

A brood of salt marsh mosquitoes borne from high tides along Southwest Florida’s coastal mangroves descended on Collier County this week, unleashing a “horrendous” torrent of insects that experts say is the worst they’ve seen in a decade.