WGCU News

It’s getting harder to financially get by in the State of Florida. Despite the minimum wage rising this past year to $14, that amount is not enough to get by according to the Florida Policy Institute.

A statewide rescue operation has reportedly recovered 122 children and is being touted as "one of the largest child-recovery operations in American history." Specific details were not available "due to the victims being children, many details are withheld for confidentiality reasons," a spokesperson for the Florida Attorney General's office said.

Molt is defined as the routine loss and replacement of feathers. It can occur at any time of year, but in most birds a complete molt occurs in late summer and fall and a partial molt may occur in early spring.The timing of each molt is important. In late summer and fall, there is generally an abundance of insects, seeds, and fruit that provides the energy for molt. This molt provides birds with fresh plumage and often colors and patterns that help conceal it in winter environments.

Middle-class families are struggling to afford insurance in southwest Florida. Realtors say a wave of foreclosures could be coming.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew rescued eight boaters Saturday after their 26-foot vessel became disabled in the Gulf about 35 miles west of Venice.The boaters and vessel were brought back to a Venice Inlet boat ramp with no reported injuries.

An eagle nest in north Lee County that millions have watched over the years is again drawing attention. The breeding pair of American bald eagles in the North Fort Myers nest successfully continued their family this week. One egg was confirmed Wednesday and a second Saturday night at the Bayshore Road nest of F23 and M15.

For father and son, Roger and Scotty McCandless, swamp buggy racing in Naples, Florida, is a family tradition. Local historians say the unique sport is among the oldest traditions in the Gulf coast town of Naples. The first races were held in 1949.

Florida will see a warm, dry pattern through the pre-Thanksgiving week as high pressure keeps the main storm track to the north. Mild mornings and above-average highs are expected.

The Florida SouthWestern State College theater department is performing seven 10-minute plays this weekend and next. The program is headlined by the world premiere of an homage to legendary artist Robert Rauschenberg, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday October 22.

Saying “the First Amendment is not absolute,” a federal judge rejected an initial attempt to require state officials to reinstate a biologist who was fired because of a social media post after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit filed by biologist Brittney Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alleging that her Sept. 15 firing — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights. Brown sought a preliminary injunction to require the commission to reinstate her.