Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: Developer Pat Neal got green light from the Venice City Council to build a shopping plaza. But neighbors are pushing back. Ramon Lopez tells us what they are up to. Then: Manatee and Sarasota Democrats joined in a forum to look for paths towards immigration reform; Josh Holton with partner station WMNF was there. Then: Internet access in the countryside can be painfully slow. A state broadband program funded with federal Infrastructure Act dollars is making a difference in rural DeSoto and East Manatee counties; Jim DeLa with the Community News Collaborative reports. Next: A mural was unveiled yesterday, honoring the African American roots of the fast-gentrifying Sarasota neighborhood once known as Overtown. Sophia Brown has more on that.

And: There will be new rules for the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, to protect pelicans and other birds. Chris Young with partner station WMNF tells us why and how. 

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: A developer wants the City of Sarasota to hand over an entire downtown street; Ramon Lopez has that story. Then, Sophia Brown reports on how the New College administration reserves the best student housing for athletes and incoming students. Current students are left with a mold-infested dorm and an off-campus hotel. Next: Dean Gallo was at a book presentation about Rosa Parks. And: Johannes Werner is closely following a lawsuit by rural residents against Sarasota County and suburban sprawl overwhelming their community. 

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: Starbucks baristas across the nation want to join a union. So do a handful workers at a Starbucks store on University Parkway and Honore here in suburban Sarasota. They held a vote this week, and Ramon Lopez tells us all about it. Then: UPS drivers are ready to go on strike next month, and Teamsters held a test picket in Tampa. Josh Holton with partner station WMNF was there. Next: This week, the City of Sarasota planning board recommended approval of a veterans housing project in the heart of Newtown, Sarasota's African American neighborhood. But some neighbors aren't happy about it. Sophia Brown talked to them. Also: The City of Sarasota will be facing a drinking water deficit by the year 2040, if nothing is done. The utilities director proposes recycling. Our news team has the details. Finally: A native snake is threatened by overdevelopment in Southwest Florida. Chris Young of partner station WMNF has that story.

Your grassroots news from Florida: The interim president of New College who is in charge of a conservative makeover wants to beautify the campus for incoming students. One of his first measures was to have student-made mural art painted over. Sophia Brown has the details. Next: Property insurance costs and availability are hitting us in the pocket. Reporter Nef Price talked to local homeowners and realtors to find out how hard. Then: Big developer Pat Neal meets small-town Venice. Guess who gets their way? Ramon Lopez brings us that story. And: Gun violence has claimed the life of a 7-year old in Tampa. The community is responding. Josh Holton with partner station WMNF was there. 

First, this week, The country celebrated the Untied States’ Independence day, Sophia Brown attended a gathering in Gillespie Park on the fourth with Local Hispanic Organizations, city officials, and activists in attendance. The event drew parallels between struggles for independence and highlighted the current hostility that immigrants are facing in in the United States, a country founded by immigrants. 

Then, Ramon Lopez reports on how some Sarasota County Commissioners are looking to follow Manatee County’s lead in allowing government employees to carry handguns on the job after the passage of permit-less carry in the State 

After that, we hit the water and hear from the Community News Collaborative’s Sarah Hicks discussion on the Sarasota Dolphin Research Center and the work done locally to educate and inform the greater community on the challenges bottle nose dolphins face in Sarasota Bay. 

Next, Partner Station WMNF’s Chris Young focuses on another marine mammal and fills us in on the current state of a petition to protect Florida’s endangered, Rice’s whale, along with the mixed reactions of industry leaders.

Then, we will hear from the Community News Collaborative’s Sarah Owens as she speaks with Suncoast Urban ReForester and their microforestry project.

Finally,  Diana Bregman catches up with ways for you to plug in with this week’s activist Calendar

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: The City of Sarasota Planning Board has been in the headlines lately, and not with good news. On Monday, city commissioners will pick two new planning board members, and that has prompted public scrutiny. We'll dive into the details. Next: Florida's anti-immigrant law is becoming effective July 1; many are worried, and we have a report from a "Know Your Rights" class. Then: Permitless carry is upon us. Ramon Lopez interviews cops and gun store owners to figure out what it means to them. And: The governor signed off on a law that will bring us slightly radioactive roads. Sean Kinane with partner station WMNF asked an environmentalist why we should be concerned. Finally, a local art project that sprung up during the Pandemic has more than taken a life of its own. Community News Collaborative Reporter Alejandro Romero has that story.