Michael Braun

The Big Backpack Event began with the idea that not all Southwest Florida children had the supplies they needed to get a good education.Twenty-five years later, that's still the idea.That need could be seen Sunday in Fort Myers. Again, as has been the case at every Big Backpack Event, a line of those needing school supplies snaked around the distribution area.

Information on candidates vying for Florida senate and house seats and those seeking your vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate for the 2024 primary and general elections is available via a Public Media Voter’s Guide on WGCU.org starting Thursday, Aug. 1.

“Catastrophic rain” is what Florida officials said Sunday they expect when Tropical Storm Debby comes ashore Monday, likely as a hurricane.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials held a media briefing Sunday morning as Debby started to move over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters.Florida Department of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie says the situation coming from Debby will change Monday.

According to the National Weather Service more than 12 inches of rain fell from Tropical Depression Debby during it's passage by Sarasota last weekend and most of the day Monday.Here's where you can get a look at the NWS rain data chart.All tropical storm and storm surge warnings for Sarasota County have been cancelled but there are still several other watches, warnings, and advisories in effect for Sarasota County.

Some 24,000 TRIM notices for the wrong year were mailed Friday to Lee County homeowners, by mistake.Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell says the error was made when a batch of the notices did not get overwritten with the current year's data.

Submarines are not known to ply the shallow waters of the Caloosahatchee, preferring to run silent at greater depths. But former crewmen of one such vessel recently found the riverside haunt of the man their sub was named for was a perfect place to drop anchor — sans the boomer though.Those former crewmen of the USS Thomas A. Edison — named for Thomas A. Edison naturally —recently got a glimpse at the inventor's life in Fort Myers when they attended a reunion at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

The formation of a possible — read that as "likely" — storm system is being forecast by the early tomiddle part of next week over the northwestern Caribbean and the adjacent portions of Central America. That's the forecast as given Saturday morning by the National Weather Service.

The formation of a possible — read that as "likely" — storm system is being forecast by the early to middle part of next week over the northwestern Caribbean and the adjacent portions of Central America.

In a lot of places, when adversity hits, they slap a label ending with the descriptive “Strong" on the response. For Pine Island residents, that response means more than just a label, it's a motivation for neighbors lending a hand to neighbors.One organization that takes that spirit to heart — the Greater Pine Island Alliance — has been in full help mode for over a week with volunteers assisting residents picking up the pieces after Hurricane Helene blew past Southwest Florida.

Madelaine Petsch and Camila Mendes attend Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun’s Halloween Party in West Hollywood, California