WGCU News

The carrier announced Tuesday that it will begin charging certain passengers to check their luggage on flights, a significant shift at the company long prized by consumers for its perks.

This week, four shows open, there’s a preview of another, seven shows close and 10 others continue their runs.

Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars closes on Saturday, March 15, with two performances of Tchaikovsky’s "Sleeping Beauty" performed by Gulfshore Ballet in the Wang Opera Center. Gulfshore Opera offers a “Taste of Opera” on Thursday at the Naples Sailing & Yacht Club. And the Sarasota Opera House will perform five different operas over the course of the week.

A house collapsed, and a trail of damage followed after a tornado traveled over Seminole County in Central Florida on Monday morning.

After 12 years with the Southwest Florida Symphony, current CEO Amy Ginsburg has decided to leave the position effective June 30 to spend more time with her family as well as pursue other opportunities.The symphony, Lee County’s only fully professional orchestra and the fourth oldest in the state, announced the departure Monday.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management will host a series of application assistance sessions for Elevate Florida, a statewide residential mitigation program designed to protect homes and communities from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.Elevate Florida representatives will be available at Tringali Community Center, 3460 N. Access Road in Englewood, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. March 19-21. Residents can learn about the program’s eligibility requirements, types of projects available, and receive assistance with their applications. Elevate Florida educational presentations will take place daily at noon and 5 p.m.

The downpours and storms continue to impact the Panhandle after 24 hours. The storm is finally on the move, and the front will push through the state.

In the mid-1800s there was a massive emigration of humans from the Old World to the New World – brought on by tough economic times. It was the unemployed, the farmers, and others seeking a new life in the “promised land” of the United States. They knew little about that land except that they could start a new life. They brought with them what they could – including birds that they relied on for pest control – English Sparrows – now known as House Sparrows. Wagon trains headed west and ships doing trade around the world took cages of these sparrows.