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Temperatures are dropping this week, and local areas are stepping up with different warming stations for residents.

With near-freezing overnight temperatures forecast for the next several nights across Southwest Florida, cold weather shelters have opened in the region.…

Milton made landfall late Wednesday near Siesta Key. Millions across the state have been left without power.

A lawsuit has been filed against the Florida Department of Health for failing to provide information about county-level COVID-19 deaths.During a stop in Fort Myers, Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis indicated that the state may resume releasing county-level data on COVID-19 deaths.The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide has risen dramatically in recent weeks.Florida plans to begin issuing $5,000 fines to businesses, schools and government agencies that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination beginning Sept. 16.Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has sent a letter to the Sarasota County School board, threatening to withhold funding totaling the amount of school board members' salaries over the district's mandatory mask mandate for students. At least ten other school districts face similar funding threats due to their mask policies.Governor Ron DeSantis did not violate the law by ending federal unemployment benefits early for out of work Floridians, according to a judge's ruling, Monday.COVID-19 patients continue to strain resources at Southwest Florida hospitals. Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Cape Coral Hospital now have refrigerated trailers serving as additional morgue space to store dead bodies.

For the second straight day, over 500 people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19. Health officials are reporting 2,484 people in Florida have...

Southwest Florida’s museums regularly curate traveling art exhibitions as well as artworks from their permanent collections. During the month of February, visitors will find the following shows in museums from Sarasota to Naples.

Mask wearing is not optional for students and staff in the Sarasota County School district. The district’s mask policy calls for mask wearing to become optional once the daily COVID-19 test positivity rate drops to 8% for three consecutive days. Masking could again become mandatory if the positivity rate rises above 10%.The FDA has announced it will grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and older, people at high risk for severe infection, and for people whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to the virus.The rate of healthcare workers leaving their hospital jobs amid the ongoing pandemic has spiked. The average turnover rate during a normal year is about 17.5%, but this year that’s tracking closer to 45%.Some Florida teachers have seen their $1,000 disaster relief bonus checks from the state bounce due to a banking error. The Department of Education says the problem is being addressed and that any fees incurred by those impacted will be refunded.Carnival Cruise line lost $2.8 billion in the third quarter of 2022, but passenger bookings for the second half of 2022 are already tracking to exceed pre-pandemic levels.This week a consortium of performing arts organizations in Sarasota begin imposing a uniform set of COVID safety protocols including proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in order to attend indoor performances.

This week in Southwest Florida, Opera Naples and the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation will produce the 5th Annual Festival Under the Stars in Cambier Park, the Sarasota Opera House will perform three different operas, and Sarasota Ballet will present six performances by the acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group.

When Hurricane Ian severed the only access to Sanibel and Captiva Islands, a joint venture formed within 24 hours.

A group of Sarasota County residents and solar power advocates gathered today at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota to announce another new solar co-op.…