WSLR News

Sophia Brown reports on the remaining candidates for superintendent of Sarasota County Schools.Then, Ramon Lopez talks with employees of Starbucks shops in Sarasota and Bradenton who are organizing to unionize in the right-to-work state of Florida.Next, Ryan Stanley previews Streets of Paradise’s 8th Annual Stop the Violence Cookout, which takes place this Sunday.Then, we’ll hear an excerpt of an episode of ArtBeat during which host Kathleen Murray talks with one of the artists in an exhibition that serves as an important step toward establishing a relationship between The Ringling and the Native American artist community.Finally, partner station WMNF’s Chris Young reports on a study that shows Florida leading the nation of prisoners with HIV.

The battle for the mascot at New College: Students insist on participating in decision-making, but trustees push it down their throat anyway. Sophia Brown has that story. Then: The search for superintendent in Sarasota schools draws only a small pool of applicants; a critic now wants the board to start over. Next, reporter Nef Price does a bit of digging in Manatee County: She brings us the story how a politically connected developer was able to cross a more than three decades-old line in the sand against development. Finally: Yesterday was "A Day without Immigrants". Partner station WMNF's Josh Holton reports.

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: We will bring to you a St. Petersburg city councilman who pays a lot of attention to tenants and tenant rights. Then, we wade into the controversy surrounding a developer's plan to build the tallest tower yet in Sarasota - on a handkerchief-size lot. Then, Ramon Lopez has a report on how the Manatee County commission socked it to gun control activists - and gun violence victims. Finally, we have a guest editorial, offering a compare-and-contrast of the two graduation ceremonies at New College.

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: New College of Florida is staying in the headlines. We reported about how students, alumni, parents and unions have been resisting the governor's attempts to turn the small university inside out. And now the professors are beginning to act up, too. We have that report for you.  Then, the News Collaborative's Jim DeLa reports about a special Memorial Day celebration in Arcadia that honors soldiers who are not Americans.Next: The number of those of us who work full time but still can't make ends meet is exploding. Johannes Werner was at a United Way Suncoast Community Crisis Forum, curious about what solutions the experts propose.Finally: To folks in North Port, Englewood and Venice it seems like it was yesterday when Hurricane Ian flooded their homes and blew roofs off - but the next storm season is already upon us. Ramon Lopez was at a hurricane prep event, and he lets us know how best to cope with the storms yet to come.

Students and alumni of the small liberal-arts college under political attack raised more than $100,000 to host a commencement ceremony on their own terms. Citizen reporter Julissa Garcia has the story.

United in defense of an alma mater under political siege: X Gonzalez and Derek Black. The full conversation.

Special graduation edition: An hour before the official graduation ceremony on the bayfront campus, two notable New College alumni sat down for a conversation at WSLR. When they landed as freshmen in Sarasota, X Gonzalez and Derek Black were on the opposed ends of the political spectrum. Now, they decided to share a microphone for the first time, to unite in their passionate defense of the liberal college that is under political siege. We are playing an excerpt of their conversation.

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis turned the New College campus into a stage of his yet-to-be-declared presidential run; not everything seemed to go according to plan. Then, Zach Fahringer has an update on one Sarasota County commissioner's crusade to remake a healthcare panel, after it ignored his wife's organization; patients and their families might feel the impact.  Next, the interim president of New College has his first major public appearance. During a Sarasota stop by the governor, Richard Corcoran painted a rosy picture of the small university's future, not all of which seems to be grounded in reality.  Finally, we have reports by partner station WMNF on expanding rail service in the region, and about a Florida budget item that could lead to an end of local fertilizer bans.

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: One of the DeSantis-appointed New College trustees traveled to Tallahassee to speak his religious truths at a Senate confirmation hearing. The Republican Senate did not confirm Eddie Speir, and the governor now has to either reappoint him or find a replacement. Joshua Epstein has a report on intense organizing happening here in Southwest Florida: A strict six-week ban on abortion in Florida is upon us, and activists are now pushing back via a ballot initiative.  Next is our story about how Manatee County is leaving fancy Sarasota County in its dust when it comes to construction of affordable housing. Part of the reason is an organized religious community that is pushing hard. Finally, Ryan Stanley reports on how an upcoming pride fest, in times of rising hostility against LGBTQ activism, is moving indoors. 

Your grassroots news from Southwest Florida: The new regime at New College fires an LGBTQ librarian; WMNF's Ta-Leah Vansistine reports. Citizen reporter Ramon Lopez profiles the federal program that gave City of Sarasota police and the Manatee and Sarasota sheriffs' departments military-grade equipment. As homelessness is exploding, there's increasing consensus among elected officials in Manatee County to move homeless services outside the boundaries of a gentrifying City of Bradenton; Johannes Werner reports. And: Sarasota County commissioners express their love for buses ... no local commuters will use; Josh Epstein has that story.