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Fifty-Eight manatee deaths have been recorded in Lee County since Jan. 1 this year, the majority of those coming since the period of frigid weather hit Southwest Florida according to the final report regarding the recent mass death of manatees in Lee County and made Wednesday by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission.

Could the Drought Lead to More Wildfires?: A collective of firefighters has made progress on a massive wildfire that scorched tens of thousands of acres of land in Collier County. More than 35,000 acres were charred as of Friday morning. The consistent drought conditions have turned Southwest Florida into a perfect breeding ground for blazes and as WGCU Senior Environmental Reporter Tom Bayles explains, even the smallest spark could trigger a disastrous inferno.Youth Haven Helps to Fight Collier Homelessness: Collier County is the richest county in the entire Sunshine State according to Tax-Watch. However, another troubling statistic plagues the area. Collier is home to more than 1,200 homeless children. WGCU’s Kate Cronin shares how one group is targeting this problem, by providing kids with the tools and shelter to find the right path.Manatees Facing Plethora of Ecological Dangers: Already this year, over 60 manatees have died in Lee County due to cold stress due to unusual frigid temperatures. That includes the deaths of over 30 “seacows” at Manatee Park after a scheduled shutdown at an FPL power plant, left the manatees trapped in freezing water. Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatees, joins us to talk about the recent ecological struggles manatees face and the important role they play in Florida’s waters.Maintaining Sleep Through Daylight Savings: Have you gotten your alarm clocks ready? Daylight Savings begins on March 8th, meaning come Monday, you’re going to lose an hour of sleep. But what impact does a change to a sleep schedule have on the human body? To find out, we talked with Dr. Jose Colon, a Sleep Medicine Specialist with Lee Health to learn how you can ensure a good night’s sleep can lead to a productive life.

Collier County is the richest county in the entire Sunshine State according to Tax-Watch.

Residents of Immokalee now account for about 40% of the total number of COVID-19 cases in Collier County, but they represent less than 10% of the overall population in the county.

Vincent Keeys, president of the Collier County NAACP, details the challenges and determination required to help Naples’ River Park neighborhood rebuild after Hurricane Ian.

Residents of the small farmworker town of Immokalee now account for about 40% of the total number of COVID-19 cases in Collier County, but they represent less than 10% of the overall population in the county.

A collective of firefighters has made progress on a massive wildfire that scorched tens of thousands of acres of land in Collier County.

We listen back to last week’s forum with City of Naples Mayoral candidates ahead of the March 19 election. The forum included all three candidates: incumbent Mayor Teresa Heitmann, current Naples City Councilman Ted Blankenship, and former councilman Gary Price. The forum was moderated by WGCU’s John Davis and Naples Daily News Executive Editor Wendy Fullerton Powell, and organized by the League of Women Voters of Collier County and the Collier Forum Coalition.

Here in Florida, when a youth’s bad behavior brings them into contact with law enforcement there is a chance they will be diverted into a program that will keep them out of the juvenile justice system — providing their offense is a misdemeanor and generally non-serious. The goal is basically to address behavioral needs of youth during their first contact with law enforcement in order to try and keep them out of trouble in the future — and keep them from winding up with a criminal record so early in their lives.

Our primary election coverage continues with a look at the candidates vying to represent Southwest Florida in Tallahassee. We’ll hear an excerpt from the…