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The height of hurricane season is on its way, and local officials and nonprofits are hoping for trained volunteers when the time comes to provide food, shelter, and caring.

Natural disaster relief agencies want you!

As the Atlantic hurricane season heads toward its peak weeks of activity, disaster-relief agencies are gearing up for the worst and hoping for the best. Should disaster strike, the nonprofits need people to help and are looking for volunteers to train. The volunteers will learn how to help the recovery when the environment whips up rough seas, high waves, storm surge, and screaming winds that can leave a place in shambles after the hurricane and tornadoes embedded within it take everything away. Lee County. American Red Cross. United Way. Florida Gulf Coast University

U.S. District Judge refuses to block dues deduction ban

Dealing a blow to teachers unions, a federal judge has refused to block part of a new Florida law that prevents union dues from being deducted from workers’ paychecks.Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Friday issued a 40-page ruling denying a preliminary injunction sought by the Florida Education Association, the United Faculty of Florida and unions representing employees of the Alachua County, Hernando County and Pinellas County school districts and the University of Florida.

Republicans are trying to lose by less in key blue areas in Wisconsin

A state won by razor thin margins in the last two elections, Republicans are hoping they can "lose by less" in key areas that will help them flip the state back to red.

Poll workers check in a voter at the Barclays Center in New York City on Oct. 24.

Poll Worker Numbers Have Many Election Officials Breathing Sigh Of Relief

In many key counties, volunteers have stepped up to fill poll worker shortages. But elsewhere staffing concerns continue.

With homelessness surging since Hurricane Ian, Continuum of Care grant addresses needs

Lee County commissioners have approved a Continuum of Care grant to fight homelessness.The more than $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be distributed in various ways.

How a measles outbreak overwhelmed a small West Texas town

The kindergarten vaccination rate against the measles in Gaines County is 82%, far below the 95% needed to achieve herd immunity.

Dr. Janina Morrison, right, speaks with patient Jorge Colorado and his daughter Margarita Lopez about Colorado's diabetes at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Community Health Workers Reach Some Patients That Doctors Can't

Los Angeles is finding that community health workers — problem solvers who are untrained in medicine, but fluent in compassion — can be key to helping the county's sickest and neediest get better.

The common area of the nursing home at Westminster Village North in Indianapolis, which has benefited from additional federal Medicaid funding.

Chasing Millions In Medicaid Dollars, Hospitals Buy Up Nursing Homes

Westminster Village North, a nursing home and retirement community in Indianapolis, recently added 25 beds and two kitchens to speed food delivery to...

A fire truck is stalled in the deepest part of Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota. Phillippi Creek runs through this part of town and has flooded a large area. A massive amount of rain fell on the Sarasota area as well as Southwest Florida, Sunday into Monday. Now neighborhoods along the Phillippi Creek area are dealing with power outages and flooding from Hurricane Debby’s impacts leaving streets, cars and even homes underwater. The tropical storm produced more than a foot of rain and eventually turned into a category 1 hurricane once it made land fall.

TD Debby, on its way to hurricane status, leaves Sarasota flooded

According to the National Weather Service more than 12 inches of rain fell from Tropical Depression Debby during it's passage by Sarasota last weekend and most of the day Monday.Here's where you can get a look at the NWS rain data chart.All tropical storm and storm surge warnings for Sarasota County have been cancelled but there are still several other watches, warnings, and advisories in effect for Sarasota County.

As recovery efforts in LA move forward, powerful new winds threaten progress

Damaging winds gusting between 55 and 70 mph are creating "critical" fire risks across LA and Ventura counties through Wednesday, officials say. Evacuation orders are expected to rise again.

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