WGCU News

The Florida Department of Transportation has completed most of the construction work on the US 41 Caloosahatchee River Bridge a year ahead of schedule and as of Friday all travel lanes on the bridge are open.FDOT cautioned that the newly 8-foot-wide sidewalk on the span will remain closed until the end of this year or early 2025.Construction crews will continue working on-site to complete the sidewalk and other remaining tasks. This may require occasional lane closures at night through December and possibly beyond.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet could be poised to approve spending more than $318 million to buy conservation land and enter other deals that would shield rural properties from development.State staff members have recommended that DeSantis and the Cabinet approve 20 proposals totaling 86,819 acres in 15 counties, from Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle to Glades and Martin counties along Lake Okeechobee. DeSantis and the Cabinet will meet Tuesday.

“Clown Bar 2” is the most immersive theater experience Southwest Florida audiences will ever experience, bar none, and while it's not a musical, the show's songs really advance the action in the clown noir whodunit.

Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo handed over the reins of the Senate to Wauchula Republican Ben Albritton after the November elections.But Passidomo, who is now chairwoman of the Rules Committee, has some unfinished business to resolve during her two remaining years in the Senate.

A chance cheek swab for Gift of Life, lead a student to donate a stem cells to a cancer patient. Four years later, the donor and the recipient met mid-court at a Florida Gulf Coast University basketball game.

Next year, Florida SouthWestern State College will undertake a $14.5 million renovation of its Humanities Building. For the ensuing 20 months, the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery will operate out of an annex in FSW's Rush Library building.

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) locations are being planned in DeSoto, Lee, and Manatee counties. D-SNAP provides food assistance for Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton who are not receiving food assistance through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Another cold front will push through the state on Thursday, but this one comes with a quick punch, and then temperatures rise again. Rain and storms also come with the front ... for some.

Florida could move toward its first sanctioned bear hunt in nearly a decade.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday directed officials to bring forward proposals for a possible bear hunt. The proposals are expected to be completed by a May commission meeting, giving staff members time to compile data from ongoing studies about bear populations and gather more public input.

Amid a long-running legal battle about the issue, a Republican state senator Tuesday proposed repealing a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who is running in a special election for a congressional seat, filed the proposal (SB 94) for consideration during the 2025 legislative session, which will start March 4. The bill is similar to a measure that passed the House during the 2024 session but failed in the Senate.