Emma Rodriguez

Florida Congressional District 18, which consists of Hendry, Glades, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and parts of Polk and Collier counties, has its U.S. House of Representatives seat up for reelection this year.

Florida Power & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative are preparing for widespread outages as Milton comes closer to the west coast.FPL Spokesperson Mike Mazur (Mazer) says that the company is equipped for the large number of outages with a workforce of around 17,000 on standby.

the Law at the Library program, courtesy of Lee County Legal Aid, aims to remove that barrier free of charge. The scope of issues that attorneys in the Lee County Legal Aid's Law at the Library program handle ranges from housing to immigration. Disaster relief and contractor fraud are focused on during the sessions, but attorneys are equipped to help with anything.

With election season kicking into full gear, one website seeks to inform voters in southwest Florida and beyond.Founded in 2006 by the League of Women Voters, VOTE411.org is referred to as a one-stop shop for nonpartisan election information. Citizens who enter their address into the website are directed to a list of local races they are able to vote in and all about the candidates running for the position.

There is nowhere better to show all about one of the area's most popular exotic fruits than at the annual MangoMania event. This year the event held it's 28th annual celebration and, after some years in other Southwest Florida locations, it was set up for the third straight year on Pine Island. The event's festivities focused on education and community with seminars on topics surrounding mangoes throughout the day, including cooking with mango, and the care of the fruit's trees.

To become an Eagle Scout — the highest honor in Boy Scouts — candidates must complete a project that benefits their community.Eagle Scout candidate Scott Kula's project entails building a small library, affectionately named the Little Free Library, on the Southwest Florida Historical Society’s grounds.

The League of Women Voters chapters of Lee County and Sanibel are hosting forums for candidates to share their views on key issues. The forums will host candidates that will be on the ballot for the Aug. 20 primary election. WGCU has compiled the events, and will update the following list as more forums are scheduled.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to commit to a $500,000 dollar loan to support an application for a North Fort Myers affordable housing project Tuesday.Autumn Palm Lee, the company selected by the county for the project, is applying for funding through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. The loan, which is from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, will only be used if this application is accepted.

The night of June 1, Cape Coral native Michael White was brutally assaulted at University Village not far from FGCU in south Lee County. While waiting outside for an Uber, White said that a group of people in a vehicle began shouting homophobic slurs at him. He ignored it, but the driver exited the car, and began the assault. White's injuries were significant — a broken nose, a brain bleed, and multiple facial fractures. The assailant has not yet been identified.

Governor Ron DeSantis visited Southwest Florida Tuesday to share information about hurricane season and to provide funds for future possible disaster relief efforts.