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2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports of violence, harassment, and vandalism directed toward Jews — and the 2022 numbers are likely to show the same or even an increase. That’s according to the Anti-Defamation League. Much, if not most, of these incidents begin in the virtual world, where hate speech often flows freely, even on large social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It’s especially prevalent on smaller social media sites which generally provide no moderation or censorship whatsoever. Our guest today has spent much of his academic career focusing on antisemitism — both the why and the how, especially online.

We get a preview of the upcoming 2023 Southwest Florida Climate Summit, which is this Wednesday and Thursday, March 15 and 16, at the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers. It’s hosted and presented by the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) and is open to everyone. WGCU Public Media is sponsoring the summit. The goal is to share knowledge, showcase climate action, engage leadership across sectors, and mobilize collaboration throughout the Central & Southwest Florida region. A variety of experts in different fields who will gather to share dialogue and ideas on how to expand Southwest Florida’s capacity to respond to climate challenges, and to build increased community resiliency.

Earlier this year FGCU named its new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Colin Hargis, to take over the role after the past director, Ken Kavanaugh, stepped down in December, 2023 after serving about 15 years in the role. Hargis comes to FGCU after spending about a decade at North Carolina State University, where he worked his way from associate athletics director for ticket sales and operations to senior associate athletics director for external relations. Hargis takes the helm of a young athletics program with 15 intercollegiate athletics teams and about 300 student athletes. And he brings with him his knowledge of the world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) which he managed at North Carolina State University, and part of what he’ll focus on here at FGCU.

Model UNs are educational simulations — basically role playing — that teach participating students diplomacy, international relations, and how the United Nations works. At Model UN conferences student delegates deeply study a United Nations member country, research topics of global interest, and work to get resolutions passed on that country’s behalf. They happen around the world at the high school and college level, and this week the Southwest Florida Model UN is happening on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University, bringing together high school teams from schools around southwest Florida. It’s sponsored by the Naples Council on World Affairs in partnership with FGCU. Today we talk with its Keynote Speaker.

While it might be easy to say that we should all be more compassionate and kind, and have empathy for everyone around us, it’s usually not something that comes easily or naturally for most of us, and can even be seen as a sign of weakness in our highly competitive culture. As we start another year, we’re having a conversation about the importance of compassion, kindness, and empathy through the lens of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center. It's dedicated to teaching college students about compassion, using insights from psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, and scholars from across disciplines. We're joined by its Director and two of its faculty members.

We get some insight into the world of dementia caregiver support — and we we learn about a relatively rare form of dementia called Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD). It’s a type of dementia that affects the areas that control behavior, personality, language, and decision-making. People with FTD might start acting differently, like becoming rude or impulsive, or they may have trouble speaking and understanding language. It usually appears in people younger than 65, and unlike other forms of dementia, memory problems aren't usually the first sign, but instead changes in behavior or communication skills are more noticeable early on.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed six new trustees at New College of Florida in January and they have already begun radically changing the state’s public honors college. Critics say it all amounts to a conservative overhaul of the small, traditionally progressive college with about 700 students. We talk with a current professor, a current student, and a New College alumnus, to get their reactions to what’s unfolding.

Regular listeners of this show will be familiar with the podcast series, The Last Ride, which we’ve been airing in serial since the first episode released in early April. It uses extensive reporting done over two decades to tell the story of two young men of color who disappeared in Naples — both of whom were last seen with the same Collier County Sheriff’s deputy, Steven Calkins, who is now retired. Deputy Calkins was fired for giving inconsistent statements about the cases, but was never formally accused of any wrongdoing in their disappearances. We sit down with three of the four-member team who reported on this story, and worked together to produce the podcast, to talk about that process and whether The Last Ride has brought forth any new information that might illuminate just what happened to Filipe Santos and Terrance Williams.

There were 64 photos entered in the Youth category — age 17 and younger — by 42 photographers in the 2025 Six Mile Cypress Slough’s photo contest honoring Carolyn Babb. A total of 270 photos were submitted in all categories combined by 113 different people. Twenty-nine photos received honors. The contest is limited to amateur photographers.

Kratom is currently legal in the U.S. but a better scientific understanding is needed about its safety, efficacy, and potential therapeutic applications for opioid use disorder and withdrawal. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $650,000 grant to University of Florida and its Institute of Food & Agricultural Science to study the kratom plant’s genome, gene expression and metabolites to try and get a better handle on how it affects the body, and help researchers begin to understand whether it could someday be used as a more formal way of addressing opioid addiction and withdrawal. We talk with one of the researchers to learn more.