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Jason Vuic is an author and historian who lives in Fort Worth Texas but grew up in Punta Gorda so many of his books delve into Florida history and culture. His brand new book tells two seemingly unconnected yet strangely overlapping stories that unfolded in the small, rural town of Arcadia in DeSoto County beginning in the 1960s that come together in the 1980s. "A Town Without Pity: Aids, race and resistance in Florida’s Deep South" explores the wrongful conviction and long incarceration of a migrant farmworker named James Richardson, and the town's response to three young boys who were infected with the HIV virus via blood transfusions in the mid 80s.

In the late 1990s an ethnobotanist named Dr. Paul Cox spent time in two villages on the Pacific island of Guam where a huge percentage of residents were dying of a neurodegenerative disorder that’s similar to Alzheimer’s Disease or ALS. He found links between the villagers’ diet, which included large fruit bats called flying foxes, and cyanobacteria toxins that were accumulating in the seeds of cycad trees, which the foxes would eat. This led to villagers having huge amounts of the toxins in their bodies. He joins us to talk about the work he did on Guam, and where the research is at today.

It’s well-known by now that invasive Burmese pythons have become established in the Florida Everglades. And you may have heard of the state’s annual Python Challenge, when hunters compete to remove as many Burmese pythons from the Everglades as possible with prizes going to whoever is most successful. But you may not be aware of the South Florida Water Management District’s Python Elimination Program, which has been around since 2017. Earlier in January, the head of the district’s Python Program kicked off the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife's 2026 speaker series with a talk all about the program and the impact these large snakes have. We get a preview.

Found on the northern end of Marco Island in 1896 during an expedition led by a renowned archeologist named Frank Hamilton Cushing, the Key Marco Cat is considered a true gem — a once in a lifetime, or more, find — discovered during the early days of the science of archeology. Just six inches tall and carved out of some sort of hardwood, the Cat, and the many other objects that were discovered alongside it, represent the most comprehensive and spectacular collection of pre-Columbian Native American material culture ever discovered in Florida.

Patrick Mork has spent more than two decades working in the tech world, building and leading marketing teams at tech startups and helping to launch numerous products and brands across 3 different continents. In 2011, he joined Google and led the team there that created the Google Play brand. But, in 2017, he had a major life crisis that led him to pivot toward coaching and developing leaders in startups across Latin America. He moved to Chile and launched LEAP, it’s a leadership development company. All of that inspired his first book, “Step Back and Leap: 9 Keys to Unlock Your Life and Make Change Happen.” He was on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus last week to give the final talk for the university's Provost's Seminar Series. The title of his talk was “Becoming Unstoppable: 5 Pillars to Build Resilience in the Age of AI.”

The Florida Board of Governors approved an increase in parking fees and fines for FGCU.

There is a new web site for the Collier County Supervisor of Elections office featuring a fresh look and an improved user-friendly experience.The newly launched, mobile-optimized website ensures that voters can easily navigate and interact with content from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.

An attempt to rescue a nine-and-a-half-foot-long stranded pilot whale calf along the beaches of Pelican Bay on Monday was not successful and plans have been made to euthanize the aquatic mammal.

Gov. DeSantis signs order making many hunting and fishing licenses 50 percent off through Jan. 3

3 teachers were suspended without pay or benefits for comments made regarding the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. That is one of the issues facing Southwest Florida public schools.