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October 8, 2021

A devastating announcement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has sent naturalists, conservationists and bird lovers reeling-- The United States’ largest woodpecker may soon be declared extinct. The bird lived in Cuba and the southeastern United States including Florida. Now, the nation’s fish and wildlife service is proposing to remove the bird from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. Robbie Gaffney reports.

This summer, a social media account gave millions a look into pregnancy, healthcare, and first amendment rights inside Florida's only prison for pregnant women. Report for America Corps Member Katie Hyson tells the story of the woman behind the account, and efforts to change the system.

The federal government recently announced it would investigate threats against local school board members. The announcement comes amid growing acrimony between parental groups and public school leaders over issues like face masks and critical race theory. It’s part of the broader social issues—the coronavirus pandemic and social justice efforts. But as Lynn Hatter reports, where some see a threat—others see an exercise of free speech.

The impacts of racism can be deadly—especially in the field of healthcare where disparities highlight health inequities between white and minority communities. A group of Florida State University Researchers has received a 3-million dollar grant through the National Institute of Health to help change that. Regan McCarthy spoke with principal investigator Sylvie Naar (rhymes with bar) about what makes her team’s research unique.

Florida A&M University in Tallahassee celebrated its 134th birthday this week. The university - known as FAMU - is ranked among the top 10 Historically Black College and Universities. It's had a couple of record years of research funding, including its biggest award yet, as Gina Jordan reports.

The federal government’s latest jobs report shows hiring did NOT meet expectations. The US added less than 200-thousand jobs in September. It had expected around 500-thousand. Even worse—the labor force participation rate fell – despite what supporters of ended federal unemployment benefits were expecting. The disparities between open positions, and people willing to fill them is especially obvious in college towns where businesses rely on student labor. Business owners and local politicians expected a meaningful boost to the economy after students returned to campus this fall. But as Chelsea Long found, some industries that were popular with students before the pandemic, have fallen out of favor.