WGCU Staff

Multiple sightings of a bear on the main part of the FGCU campus in recent days has prompted the placement of a trap on campus.The University Police Department urged people stay clear of the trap. UPD asked people not approach the trap, but report — from afar — if anything is seen inside.

More than $38 million was awarded Thursday to 19 small and rural Florida communities through the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. These strategic investments will fund public infrastructure improvements, neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and commercial revitalization projects that strengthen communities across the state.One of the largest awards — $6.4 million— went to the city of Arcadia to upgrade the William Tyson Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The South Florida Water Management District plans to conduct a prescribed burn of up to 800 acres in the Hickory Hammock Wildlife Management Area in Highlands County today, Thursday, August 21.

A Fort Myers woman suffered bites to her arm and leg Sunday after wildlife officials said she had an encounter with an alligator while walking along a submerged area in the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp Trails in Collier County.The gator was later trapped and removed from the area.

The Lee County Library System is hosting a contest from Sept. 1 to Sept. 19 in which library cardholders can win a prize by referring friends to sign up for their own library card. Give friends free access to books, movies, music, language learning programs plus much more and get rewarded for it.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is recommending consumers who purchased certain lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in 13 states, including Florida, not eat or serve the product and instead throw it away. At issue is possible radioactive contamination of the shrimp due to the containers used.The FDA is actively investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods) of Indonesia.

Florida Power & Light Company and 10 key stakeholder groups filed a comprehensive four-year rate settlement agreement with state regulators Wednesday that reduces FPL's original revenue request by approximately 30%.

In July, Republican members of both houses of Congress voted to rescind about $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — along with nearly $8 billion for a variety of foreign aid programs. Stations in Florida also lost state funding when Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed funding for Public Broadcasting in the 2025-2026 budget. To get a sense of how these cuts could impact operations at the station we sit down with WGCU General Mager, Corey Lewis.

A federal lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy groups in July accuses the Trump administration and its immigration enforcement agencies like ICE of engaging in systemic racial profiling during raids and detentions targeting individuals of color, primarily those perceived as immigrants. A U.S. District Judge issued a temporary restraining order, and the order was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 1. The Trump administration has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the restrictions hinder their ability to enforce immigration laws. We get some local context from South Florida immigration attorney, Amanda Velazquez. She represents several clients who have been detained in Key West while going about their daily lives, who had documents that allow them to be in the country while awaiting hearings, despite having no criminal record.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking the public to report sightings of the elusive rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma), a nonvenomous species whose population has declined in recent decades.