Back in early June when protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers were rapidly spreading and growing across the country we assembled a panel comprised of members of southwest Florida’s Black community to talk about what was happening. While protests have mostly stopped, efforts continue to try and address systemic racism and police violence. And, with the election just a week away with these issues in many ways central on the ballot, both nationally and locally, we have invited them back to talk about what’s happened since the summer and where things stand today.

The new documentary “Love Wins Over Hate” features a series of honest and thought-provoking interviews with former white supremacists, and others who held extreme views but have since renounced them. It attempts to get to the heart of why people hate, and sometimes take on extremist ideologies like white supremacy. And what it takes to escape that world, and in some cases go on to work to help others escape. We talk with its producer and director, Susan Polis Schutz.

The centennial of women having the right to vote couldn’t have landed in a more pivotal year. The 2020 General Election is one of the most intensely polarized in recent memory, and that has pundits, pollsters, and politicians looking to generalize voting blocks — like female voters — in an attempt to solicit their vote, or to guess which way the group may swing.

Englewood resident Sue Zipay played for the Rockford Peaches in 1953 and ‘54 as part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. That was the team featured in the 1992 film A League of Their Own. Now, she is hoping to help instigate the creation of a girls baseball league here in Southwest Florida. And she dreams of a future that includes professional women’s baseball in the U.S.

To mark the end of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative's 10 year mission the regional Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team, which is part of GoMRI, is hosting a free webinar this Friday, October 16 at 1:00 p.m. to break down the results, and the understanding that has been gained about the Gulf of Mexico thanks to all the research. We get a preview, and a bit of a history lesson about the spill, with Dr. Monica Wilson, Oil Spill Research Extension Specialist with the Florida Sea Grant College Program at UF/IFAS.

Back in 2017 a major rain event was followed just two weeks later by Hurricane Irma, dumping up to 30 inches of rain on some areas of Lee County. The subsequent flooding destroyed homes and put lives at risk, which prompted county commissioners to approve a three phase plan to mitigate flooding in the future.

We learn about the Fort Myers nonprofit My Autism Connection, which as brought adults on the spectrum together since 2012. Its mission is to provide experiential opportunities for adults diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder to help them develop skills towards independence and building healthy relationships.

Since 1991 The Immokalee Foundation has been helping children and young adults to change the course of their lives through the support of mentors, donors and volunteers. We learn more about its programs, especially in the time of COVID-19, by talking with Melissa C. Phillips, Vice President of Philanthropy.

Immokalee has historically been undercounted during the decadal U.S. Census counts. In 2010 about 34% of residents participated, and with just weeks left to go that number is currently less than 25%. We learn about efforts to increase those numbers with two members of the League of Women Voters of Collier County's Complete Census Count Committee.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population anywhere in the world. Since 1970 more than 52,400 dolphin group sightings have yielded more than 158,000 identifications of more than 5,600 individually distinctive dolphins in and around Sarasota Bay.