Michael Braun/WGCU Public Media

09/30/2024

VOTE FOR TANK!!! https://www.herodogawards.org/dog/2024/emerging-hero-shelter/tank-6
Tank, North Collier Fire Department's mascot pooch, made a visit to the WGCU studios today as paert of a promotion to vote him as the 2024 Hero Dog Awards/Emerging Hero and Shelter Dog.

A BIT OF TANK HISTORY: North Collier Fire Department needed a new way to reach children during the Covid pandemic when school visits were off-limits. Thus, the animated series “Frank & Tank” was born, featuring Firefighter Frank and his K9 sidekick, Tank.

The series covers various fire safety topics and virtual tours of fire stations and as it gained popularity, the team dreamt of finding a real-life Tank who resembled their animated character. One day, an officer found a photo of a 4-week-old puppy at a shelter and knew instantly he was the one.

Once adopted, Tank began his duties at North Collier Fire just a day after his arrival, on 9/11/21. His gentle demeanor and playful spirit quickly made him a beloved fixture in the community, from greeting first responders during Hurricane Ian to bringing joy and calm to firefighters. Tank has since visited over 1,000 children, participated in more than 50 events, and earned several certifications. His impact on the community has been profound, making him a true hero in every sense.

09/27/2024

Prepare for a wild ride: Saildrone in the eyewall

While most people are running from the dangers created by the massive Hurricane Helene, there are those who steer themselves into harm's way.While they aren't actually putting human lives in danger, the folks at Saildrone are putting their assets on the line by sailing equipment into the teeth of ra...

09/27/2024

FGCU Alert: FGCU is cancelling all classes and business operations today, Friday, September 27. Visit fgcu.edu for details.

FGCU is a public, 4-year university in Fort Myers, Florida, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. We are an NCAA Division I school.

09/26/2024

Watches and warnings in effect right now in Florida include:
Hurricane Warning: Western Alachua, coastal Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, coastal Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, western Marion, coastal Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties
Hurricane Watch: Inland Citrus, inland Hernando, coastal Hillsborough, coastal Manatee, inland Pasco, Pinellas, coastal Sarasota
Tropical Storm Warning: Central and eastern Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, inland Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, inland Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe (including Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas), Manatee, central and eastern Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, inland Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Union, Volusia, Walton, Washington
Storm Surge Warning: Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties

09/26/2024

Shortly after midnight the U.S. Postal Service Florida 2 District announced it was suspending mail across a wide swath of Southwest Florida until further notice due to the approach of Hurricane Helene.

All retail and delivery operations for facilities in the 335, 336, 337, 339, 341, 342 and 346 3-Digit ZIP Code Areas are temporarily suspended until further notice.

Those suspended areas include most communities, homes and business and other mail delivery sites from the area around St. Petersburg down the coast to Marco Island and inland to Ochopee including Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Arcadia, Port Charlotte, Venice, North Port, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Naples, Immokalee and all points in between.

No alternate sites are available at this time.

The Postal Service cited the safety and well-being of customers and employees for the suspension and said updates will be provided as soon as additional information becomes available.

09/16/2024

End of an era for Old Florida

The odd, unusual and usual Florida kitsch and sights was a given for those visiting the Shell Factory over the past nearly 90 years. That all ends in two weeks.On Monday the Shell Factory announced on its page that it would be permanently closing.

03/11/2024

Don't Say Gay gets a rollback

More than a dozen parents, teachers, and students along with Equality Florida have reached a settlement with the Florida Department of Education and school districts.The settlement will allow K-12 students to speak and write freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in class participation....

03/01/2024

Another Naples resident, this time a woman, has been arrested on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

A Naples woman has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to her conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Her actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 202...