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On June 13, 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Miranda v. Arizona — a decision that fundamentally changed the way police and law enforcement officials interact with suspects who are in custody. We get some insight into how the case wound up at the Supreme Court, and how the judicial process works at our nation’s highest court, with retired attorney Jim Hale who served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren when Miranda was decided.

Spring beach-nesting season is in full swing for the birds of Southwest Florida. It can be a dangerous time for birds and their eggs when they come into contact with human beachgoers, so we discuss what you should be on the lookout for if you spend time at the beach. And we talk about what’s happening with bird migration as we move from spring into summer and the rainy season, as well as the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins on June 1.

The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season is well-underway, with southwest Florida’s recent brush with Tropical Storm Alex, which was the first named storm of the season. Alex caused significant flooding in parts of Florida and killed three people in Cuba. The storm serves as a reminder that even though the peak of hurricane season typically doesn’t arrive until September, severe weather can come at any time throughout the six month hurricane season and that now is the time to prepare. We talk with the director of Lee County Emergency Management's Department of Public Safety to get some tips on what residents should do to be ready.

While the small lakes or ponds found in many communities here in Florida allow more people to live on or near a waterbody, their real purpose is to help manage water flows and help maintain water quality. Many of these small lakes are actually man-made stormwater management ponds. We learn what it takes to ensure stormwater management ponds are well-maintained — and what outreach efforts exist to teach people who live around them best practices for doing just that.

On the morning after Hurricane Ian swept through southwest Florida a team of more than 50 people working for, or with, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers went door-to-door to conduct resident wellness checks and document damage at the more than 1,400 public and subsidized units and 2,400 housing voucher residences it administers. We check in with the Housing Authority's Executive Director, Marcia Davis, to hear about the work they’ve done and what’s left to be done.

During the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was happening at the same time as World War I, Americans were for the most part unified in their willingness to sacrifice for the common good. And this willingness to respond collectively continued during World War II. But, while public health officials have urged Americans to do their part to stem the spread of the coronavirus by doing things like avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks millions of people have refused. We explore what’s changed, and why, with the co-authors of a recent Washington Post op-ed called “Americans used to sacrifice for the public good. What happened?”

Recent incidents of police violence have brought what’s called Qualified Immunity into the public discourse. Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine established by U.S. Supreme Court precedent that grants police officers immunity from civil lawsuits unless the plaintiff shows that the officer violated clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known. We learn more about how qualified immunity plays out in the real world with Dr. David Thomas, Professor of Forensic Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, Senior Research Fellow at the National Police Foundation, and a former law enforcement officer.

For more than 15 years as President and CEO of Living Cities Ben Hecht worked to help leaders use proactive measures to combat growing racial disparity, without relying on slow-moving, entrenched policies or the whims of lawmakers in order to make changes in their own cities. In his 2018 book, “Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All” Hecht detailed what he sees as a blueprint for how communities can revive the promise of the American Dream by improving educational opportunities and civic engagement, and providing what he calls ladders to economic security.

Pollinators are responsible for assisting about 80% of the world's flowering plants to reproduce, and that includes quite a few crops grown for food. So, it’s fair to say that pollinators play a crucial role in not only our ecosystems, but our economies and lives.We learn about the work being done by pollinators all around us, and get some tips on how to attract them to our yard, and how to keep from harming them by misusing pesticides.

A recent article in The Atlantic titled “The Election That Could Break America” speculates that President Trump could “easily throw the election into chaos and subvert the result.” One subject it covers is how presidential electors are chosen after the votes have been tabulated. To get some clarity on this topic and how things could actually play out here in Florida we talk with Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of political science at University of Central Florida.