Song of the Day by Sheldon Zoldan features a 119 year old opera with a timeless story of lost love. The first iteration of "Madame Butterfly" opened in Milan, Itlay

North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted a live-fly air defense exercise over water, north of Key West and west of Everglades National Park Wednesday.

Southwest Florida is a hotspot for new construction. In Fort Myers alone there are more than 89 development projects, according to the City of Fort Myers development report. Before development happens, companies have to remove gopher tortoises to relocation sites to comply with Florida law – and Lee County is running out of room.

A blog had reported that a candidate for the position of Collier County School Board school attorney had prior and potentially unethical email contact with a board member, including sending the board member a proposed employment agreement in November. That information was discounted by board officials, who said nothing below-board had taken place.

The performer belting out some of the most popular songs of the time at the High Hat Club, a venue on what was then Anderson Avenue and now Martin Luther King Boulevard in Dunbar, looked like the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, dressed like Franklin and sounded like Franklin, but she wasn’t Franklin.

An earlier anonymous call to university police said a man with a gun was possibly near the dorm area.

The FWC filed charges against eight individuals Thursday, ranging from second degree misdemeanors to third-degree felonies related to the illegal trafficking of venomous and prohibited snakes. The FWC has been receiving intelligence reports and complaints indicating that a black market exists for the sale and purchase of illegal and highly dangerous venomous reptiles in Florida. In 2020, the FWC initiated a long-term investigation with undercover investigators to determine the extent of this illegal activity and hold violators accountable.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped in Collier County on Tuesday to announce $3.5 billion in future spending on a variety of environmental protections during his second term.

Bird watchers in Southwest Florida are a passionate group and two months after Hurricane Ian, when they don’t see as many of their favorites, birders are worrying that such a huge storm has simply blown birds aside, killing or maiming them on a species-wide scale.The survival capabilities of shorebirds are extraordinary. Whether due to the changes in barometric pressure, storm clouds causing darkness during daylight hours, or other reasons ornithologists don’t understand research shows many birds species jump into literal flight or fight mode when a hurricane is coming.Many birds sense impending doom when a big storm rolls in and they either tuck in somewhere safe, or fly away. Other avian species are strong enough to best even hurricane-force winds, fly right through them, and live to squawk about it.