GOP campaigns against the IRS, vowing to slash its funding

IRS pleas for more funding from Congress — made over the years by one leader after another — finally paid off this summer when Democrats tucked an $80 billion boost for the agency into their flagship climate and health care law. Fortified with a new funding stream, the IRS is making plans to clear a […]

Hurricane Ian wipes out nest of famed bald eagles, birds rebuilding

The most devastating storm in Fort Myers history wiped out the main nesting location for Harriet and M15, the famous North Fort Myers eagle couple whose lives are streamed across the globe during nesting season. “Their nest was completely demolished during Ian – not a stick left and many of their foundational branches broke off,” […]

Republican committee sues Google over email spam filters

The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google, alleging the company has been suppressing its email solicitations ahead of November’s midterm elections — an allegation Google denies. The lawsuit, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California Friday evening, accuses Gmail of “discriminating” against the RNC by unfairly […]

GOP voters told to hold onto mail ballots until Election Day

Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot — hold onto it and hand it in […]

U.S. home prices could fall as much as 20% next year

Home prices have plunged during the second half of 2022 with demand for residential real estate cooling off in a number of states and cities across the U.S. And prices could continue to fall by as much as 20% next year as mortgage rates climb and the housing market normalizes in wake of the pandemic, […]

Court temporarily blocks Biden’s student loan forgiveness

A federal appeals court late Friday issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans, throwing the program into limbo just days after people began applying for loan forgiveness. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay while it considers a motion from six […]

Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump, demanding historic testimony

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol formally issued an extraordinary subpoena to Donald Trump on Friday, demanding testimony from the former president who lawmakers say “personally orchestrated” a multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The nine-member panel issued a letter to Trump’s lawyers saying he […]

The results of this 2022’s Florida Python Challenge are in

The results of the 2022 Florida Python Challenge are in. Participants removed 231 Burmese pythons during the 10-day competition. The challenge was created to increase awareness about the invasive species and its threat to Florida’s ecology. The person who removed the most pythons, 28, won $10,000. Someone else walked away with $1,500 for removing the […]

Environmental nonprofit tries to restore Florida’s declining oyster habitats

Florida’s Gulf Coast has been in rough shape for oysters. Decades of decline in oyster reefs — 85% globally, over the last two centuries — coupled with the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico left the once-rich oyster beds sparse. “We didn’t see the materials in the bay system that oysters needed to […]

Florida Board of Education OKs strict bathroom, locker room policy

County school boards and charter schools will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms, under a rule unanimously approved on Wednesday by the Florida Board of Education. During a heated meeting, the state board signed off on a separate rule that could lead to teachers […]