This week on Speaking Of… longleaf pines thrive with regular fire, and humans attempt to aid that with prescribed burns. But fire predates our use of it, leaving humans to try to mimic how fires once burned naturally. Rob Diaz de Villegas talks with Dr. Jean Huffman, a dendrochronologist who is using tree stumps to extract some surprising information from the tree-ring record about fires. Also, Rachel Elspeth Gross joins host Josh Johnson for a wide-ranging conversation on her inspirations, thoughts on art, and future goals. And… we explore the intersection between fast fashion, trade, and tariffs.

On tonight's program: Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing back on a move by the Florida House to re-open the process of interviewing and choosing state university and college presidents; State parks would have more protection from development under a bill approved in the full Florida House Wednesday; Cell phones and other wireless devices would be banned throughout the school day under a bill that has passed the Florida House without opposition; And time is running out for bills addressing child protection, autism and child care in the Florida Legislature.

On tonight’s program: The president of a foundation tied to Hope Florida — First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program — said today that “mistakes were made” with the nonprofit’s failure to file required tax documents and other records; Florida lawmakers are considering a measure that would require hospitals to test for fentanyl when a person comes in with a suspected drug overdose; And frustrated by often destructive and unruly young people, some Florida beach towns say they’re ready to get out of the spring break business.

On tonight’s program: During this “Children’s Week” at the Florida Capitol, lawmakers are looking at ways to make childcare less costly and more available for more parents; A complex web of financial transactions involving an organization run by First Lady Casey DeSantis and political action committees is prompting sharp questions in Tallahassee; Federal funding cuts are hitting the Florida Humanities Council and its beneficiary art programs, museums and libraries hard; And Florida gasoline prices tumbled in the past week.

Cultural Notes for the week of April 14th.

Politics Rapp, a regular feature of 411 TEEN, explores local, state andnational political happenings with a team of dedicated students fromRickards High School's International Baccalaureate program, sharingtheir perspectives and discussing the significance and impact of currentpolitics.

On tonight's program: A proposal in the legislature would change how complaints can be made about law enforcement officers, but some police are opposed to the move; Traditional public schools worry as more kids use Florida’s school choice program to attend private schools, their bottom lines could be in trouble; There’s a lot of talk lately about tariffs, but what does it all mean for Floridians and their pocketbooks? We’ll hear about a plan to protect state parks from development like golf courses and pickleball courts; It’s alligator nesting season. The animals don’t typically attack, but they can become more aggressive this time of year. Experts say the solution is simple—avoid them; And there’s a new registration system aimed at getting more Floridians to become organ donors.

On tonight’s program: President Trump changed the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” The Florida Legislature has now passed a bill to make the change mandatory in all government and school references to that body of water; Governor DeSantis and the Florida House have been at odds over what form tax cuts should take and the Senate leadership is now offering a compromise solution; The Florida Senate has approved a Black History Museum in St. Johns County although the House has yet to move on the proposal; And the Senate version of the new state budget includes $50 million to funnel more produce from the state’s farmers to the food insecure.

This week on Speaking Of… The Eastern Indigo is the longest native snake in the United States, but since the late 1970’s the serpent has been federally designated as threatened. New efforts are underway to return the Eastern Indigo to Florida. Gina Jordan sits down with WFSU Ecology Reporter Rob Diaz de Villegas and Catherine Ricketts with The Nature Conservancy, to discuss the return of the Eastern Indigo. Also, the art of printmaking goes back hundreds of years, and many different cultures have their own version or take. Sangha Press is a Tallahassee workshop that is home to printmaker Mika Fowler, an artist working with wooden type and a vintage press to create one of a kind works of art. Fowler joins host Josh Johnson to discuss printmaking, collaboration, and more. And… we’re going for a spin and discussing the essentials of vinyl records. Jason Acuna sits down with Matt Sampson of Real Cool Time Records to talk about how to care for, clean, and shop for your vinyl.

On tonight’s program: New reporting show Governor Ron DeSantis is behind proposals advancing in the Florida legislature this session that would reduce child labor protections in the state; A bill that would allow a public school to be more readily converted into a charter school is heading for the House floor; Negotiations will soon begin as the Florida House and Senate work to close a $4.4 billion gap in their respective versions of a new state budget; And we take in “FAMU Day” at the Florida Capitol.