Gulf Coast Life

The New World Screwworm has been in the news lately because it turned up in southern Texas in early June. These parasites are endemic to central and south America these days, but they were once present in the southern United States but were eradicated in the mid 1960s. The parasite is actually a fly whose larvae burrow into and feed on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals, cattle primarily in the Texas cases but also sheep. Unchecked, screwworm outbreaks can be economically devastating for cattle and other livestock farmers. Because a screwworm outbreak is potentially a big deal for the entire United States, including here in Florida, we talk with an expert from University of Florida.

During the Covid pandemic, retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Michael Troop got into audio production and that led to him pitching an idea to Bryce Alexander from the Naples Players to recreate, from the ground up with professional and amateur actors, and full sound design, old-time narrative radio shows from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s and the Repertoire Radio Theatre podcast was born and is now off and running.

Southwest Florida-based singer/songwriter Melinda “Blou Note” Daniel performs live in the WGCU studio.

Connie Costa, a London teen, adores rock music and feels smothered by her Greek-Cypriot family. Big Nobody is a funny, tender, heartbreaking look at her life.

Most people are by now familiar with the term genome — it's essentially a blueprint each person is born with. The exposome is the dynamic, lifelong ledger of every non-genetic exposure a person encounters. It includes thinks like air pollution and pesticides, dietary choices, lifestyle, and chronic stress. We talk with ethnobotanist, Dr. Paul Cox, from the Brain Chemistry Labs in Jackson, Wyoming to learn more about this emerging notion of ‘the exposome’.

McCollum Hall is a two-story building on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and Cranford Avenue on the eastern side of downtown Fort Myers, just past the railroad tracks on the western edge of the Dunbar Community. The City of Fort Myers designated McCollum Hall as a local historic landmark in 1998 and it was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Over the years there have been a number of stops and starts in efforts and plans to bring it back to life in some form. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency took over the property in 2008 and repaired the roof and shored up the structure. The building’s facade got a facelift in 2016 with the help of a state historic preservation grant. Now, the CRA has approved a new conceptual design proposal from Fort Myers architects Parker Mudgett Smith for the restoration and adaptive reuse which includes a restaurant, performing space, retail space and a business center — and the CRA has purchased the adjoining property so it will have a larger footprint.

Players Circle Theater’s summer performance season continues with a production of the Tony-nominated one-man comedy, “Say Goodnight Gracie,” about the marriage and professional partnership of George Burns and Gracie Allen, whose groundbreaking comedy act evolved across vaudeville, radio, film, and television. We will talk with actor Pasquale LaCorte, who stars in the show, and Players Circle Theater Associate Artistic Director Ted Wioncek III.

Former global advertising executive Tim Love's 2025 book “The Medium is the Mirror: The Reformation of Truth Reshaping Our Relationships, Politics and Sacred Beliefs” explores the way our online world works, and how behavior data being collected on us is being used to shape our behavior. It was recently awarded first prize in the Business Marketing & Advertising category in the 2026 International Book Awards so we’re checking back in with him, and former Missouri Congressman and Democratic House Majority Leader, Dick Gephardt, who wrote the book's introduction.

There is always some level of need for food assistance in Southwest Florida, but during times of economic stress — like many people are facing now because of rising prices and increased fuel costs — the need only grows, so we check in with Midwest Food Bank Florida to see how things are going. Through their volunteer-driven operation, Midwest Food Bank Florida provides tens of thousands of meals every month through their partners, and they make and distribute what are called Hope Packs for kids which provide nutritious weekend meals through local school partnerships to children facing food insecurity when school is not in session.

Southwest Florida-based singer/songwriter Melinda “Blou Note” Daniel performs live in the WGCU studio.