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FILE- Jonathan Pagliarulo, 11, gets tested for COVID-19, after vaccinated family members tested positive for the virus, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in North Miami, Fla. Several Florida pediatric hospitals are reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases as schools reopen and the delta variant surges. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

The Alachua County School District is the first in the nation to receive federal funding from a Biden administration program aimed at supporting school districts facing financial sanctions for imposing student mask mandates.Florida’s supply of federally-purchased monoclonal antibody treatments will be cut by more than half starting next week.The Collier County School District has documented more COVID-19 cases in the first six weeks of this school year than in the entire previous school year.

One of the emergency food supply boxes from the state. The supplies arrived at Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers November 6, 2025

State of Florida emergency food supplies being delivered today by Harry Chapin Food Bank

Almost two thousand emergency meals supplied from the state of Florida are being delivered to Southwest Florida food pantries today. Harry Chapin workers loaded up pallets on trucks to deliver the non-perishables to pantries in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties.

Florida’s Homeless Student Population on the Rise

New data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Homeless Education finds that the number of homeless students in Florida schools has…

Amber Mercado(Left,Center) and Keith Fuller(Right, Center) are counted during the Point In Time count at the Rosa Parks Transportation Center. The are both in shelters now, The Point In Time count happened last week in Lee and Collier Counties. Crews of volunteers walk neighborhoods, wooded areas and parking lots looking to count the unhoused. The PIT count gives a snapshot number of the homeless in our area and in turn federal and state funding is given.

New Florida law criminalizing homelessness could jeopardize federal funding to combat it

Homeless advocates are having a tough time getting the unhoused to participate in the annual homeless count

Current conditions indicate that there will be notable blooming this year of the Southeastern sunflower at the Pepper Ranch in Immokalee. Two photography time periods have been set aside. Reservations can be made beginning September 20.

Pepper Ranch Preserve sunflower weekend viewing dates announced

The Conservation Collier Program announces two special sunflower viewing periods of Southeastern sunflowers (Helianthus agrestis) at the Pepper Ranch Preserve at 6315 Pepper Rd, Immokalee.

WATCH LIVE: Naples mayoral, city council candidate forum

Forum with candidates for Naples mayoral and city council can be watched live on the WGCU Facebook page, or Naples City TV on local cable stations Comcast Cable 98, Century Link 95, and Summit Cable 98. It will be recorded and re-broadcast for WGCU’s Gulf Coast Life sometime before the March 19th election.

Florida Department of Health in Lee County algae alert warning sign. (This was taken during a past bloom, not from the current blooms in Cape Coral.)

New Regional Water Quality Assessment Finds Pollution Trending in the Wrong Direction

A new assessment published by Calusa Waterkeeper found that water quality across southwest Florida continues to decline despite efforts to mitigate pollution stemming from development and agriculture.

All About Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies have been in the news lately since Florida opened more than a dozen state-run centers providing these Covid-19 treatments. These laboratory-made “substitute antibodies” can help the immune system recognize and respond more effectively to COVID-19. We learn how they work, and who are the best candidates for treatment — including whether they’re appropriate for younger patients.

SWFL Seniors Dropped from Federal Food Program due to State Agriculture Cuts

Cuts by the Florida Department of Agriculture will eliminate a supplemental food program used by nearly 2,300 low income seniors in Lee, Collier and…

The Florida Forest Service updates the Keetch-Byram Drought Index daily, which shows Collier and Lee counties in bright red to indicate the lack of moisture in the soil. The dry conditions have caused trees, shrubs, and dead trees felled by Hurricane Ian to become drier, creating tinder-like conditions in Southwest Florida.

Wildfire threat in Southwest Florida gets real as drought conditions persist

The typical spring wildfire season is in full swing on Southwest Florida, already burning down home in the day fu;;s

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