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Delia Rose Sauer/Fresh Take Florida
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Paws Fest celebrates pets Saturday in Naples
Artworks in Naples Invitational express National Arts & Culture Month theme, 'Stories Unite Us'
In 1968, Rauschenberg participated in clandestine operation to land art on moon
Estero wants resident input on flood vulnerabilities
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Government & Politics 
Shore and beachline projects, vegetation removal and public safety drones top Lee Commissioner action
Culture and Connections
Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency encourages conversation on McCollum Hall’s destiny
Arts & Culture
Tariffs causing trouble for Florida artists
Arts & Culture
Southwest Florida Historical Society speaker to unearth history of area's alleged paranormal activity
WGCU Local Productions 
Environment
Florida State Parks/Deb Skinner/WGCU
Environment
Florida State Parks wants you to help judge photo contest
Tom Bayles
Hundreds of amateur and professional photographers enter the popular photo contest every year. All the shots must be taken within one of Florida's 175 state parks, trails, or historic sites.
Florida Wildlife Federation
Environment
Bringing the wild into focus: Florida Wildlife Federation announces 2025 photo contest winners
WGCU Staff
Cheri Hollis/SCCF/WGCU
Environment
Green sea turtle nest hatches on Sanibel Island; 49 tiny turtles crawl to Gulf and swim away
Tom Bayles
Environment
The battle over the returning mosquito
WGCU News
USAF/Jen Guyton/WGCU
Environment
Wildland firefighters prepared to light large prescribed fire in Big Cypress National Preserve
Tom Bayles
Latest Podcast and Shows 
'The 'memeification' of mainstream culture & politics
Supporting free speech requires protecting opinions you strongly disagree with
Arts & Culture
GCL Book Club: Artis Henderson, No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth"
"What's Health Got to Do With It?" joins the WGCU lineup
PBS TV Shows 
Hamas and Israel begin indirect talks to end war in Gaza
Hamas and Israel begin indirect talks to end devastating war in Gaza
Oregon governor calls Trump's actions 'threat to democracy'
Oregon governor calls Trump's actions 'an abuse of power and threat to our democracy'
News Wrap: Congress appears no closer to ending shutdown
News Wrap: Congress appears no closer to ending government shutdown
More Israeli reservists refuse military deployment to Gaza
More Israeli reservists are refusing military deployment to Gaza
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on shutdown's political impact
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the political impact of the government shutdown
Colorado conversion therapy ban heads to Supreme Court
A look at Colorado’s conversion therapy ban as it faces a Supreme Court challenge
What the CBS News shake-up means for the media landscape
What Paramount's shake-up of CBS News leadership means for the media landscape
October 6, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
October 6, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
Bad Bunny makes history while celebrating Puerto Rican pride
How Bad Bunny is making history while celebrating Puerto Rican culture on the world stage
Public school librarians fight book bans in new documentary
The fight against books bans by public school librarians shown in new documentary
Politics
Understanding the rise in political violence
DeSantis signs budget that includes more than $1.16 billion for health care initiatives
DeSantis picks state Sen. Jay Collins to be Florida's lieutenant governor
After assassinations, lawmaker addresses could be shielded
Oral arguments June 4 in Florida bar suit against ex-local attorney; First Amendment issue claimed
Health
Simple lifestyle changes can help ward off dementia, new research shows
Hillshire recalls 58 million pounds of products due to extraneous contamination; some were sold to schools
Fallout from Florida’s vaccine mandate removal
Alert issued for ready-to-eat meals with pasta that may be contaminated with listeria
Cape Coral Hospital to begin OB/GYN residency
Business/Economy
Minimum wage getting a bump in pay
Got job skills? Millions pumped into state workforce programs
The continuing struggles of Florida’s citrus
Starbucks to close hundreds of stores, lay off 900 workers as part of turnaround plan
Collier County commits $5 million to boost tourism
Latest from NPR 
Democrats take legal aim at "the Radical Left" language during shutdown
Kirk Siegler
Democrats and a federal union argue the Trump administration's language posted on federal agency websites and in some emails blaming the 'Radical Left Democrat' for the government shutdown is in violation of a 1939 federal law.
These numbers show how 2 years of war have devastated Palestinian lives in Gaza
The Associated Press
It's been two years since Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israeli leaders promised a punishing offensive. Here are some numbers showing the war's toll.
White House floats no back pay for some furloughed federal workers despite 2019 law
Stephen Fowler
A new draft White House memo suggests a 2019 law signed by President Trump that guarantees federal employees get paid after a shutdown ends would not apply to furloughed workers.
The government shutdown is snarling air travel. Officials say it could get worse
Rachel Treisman
A dozen facilities saw air traffic control shortages on Monday, delaying flights at several airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed "a slight tick-up in sick calls" due to the shutdown.
How one young man in Gaza is coping, two years after the war began
Hafsa Quraishi
Tuesday marks two years since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. In response, Israeli forces launched a war in Gaza and have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
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