The weekly Community Coronavirus News segment is part of the Critical Times Radio Show, which airs live on WSLR on Fridays at 6 p.m. and Mondays at 9:30 a.m. This news segment goes beyond reporting on the physical health outcomes related to COVID-19, focusing on coverage of social, emotional, economic and equity issues in Florida's Suncoast. Narratives around the pandemic necessarily include facts and numbers, but ultimately, go deeper—telling the stories of inequities that COVID-19 has brought to light.

The Bradenton Beach mayoral election is off and running. Incumbent Mayor John Chappie is looking forward to winning another term — his third consecutive — but he faces a challenger Nov. 2, political newcomer David Galuszka. “The top priority is to serve o

Islander Reporter It’s official. When the qualifying period for Bradenton Beach’s 2021 election ended Aug. 27, the mayoral race began. Incumbent John Chappie will face challenger David Galuszka in the Nov. 2 citywide election. Meanwhile, two incumbent com

Historically, the idea that identity takes root in one’s natural landscape can be seen in native peoples and indigenous populations from around the globe, from Florida’s forgotten Calusa Natives to the Māori of New Zealand and the Australian Aboriginals. The language and traditions of indigenous people are central to the identity of the region as well as the individual.

In the recent documentary Tapestries of Hope, filmmaker Michealene Cristini Risley says she was reluctant to put herself onscreen. "I did not want to be one of those filmmakers that inserts myself in my own movie," she says. But the director's personal experience on-location in Zimbabwe was so extreme, and her cause so worthwhile, that it became necessary to include her story.

Houston may finally be celebrating the perfect gay marriage. Next month, DiverseWorks Art Space will be presenting Come As You Are: HOUSTON! - a showcase of original work that couples local performance art with explorations of queer sex. DiverseWorks performing arts curator Sixto Wagan knew that he wanted to spotlight a multi-gendered and multi-generational group of artists with performances representative of the diverse queer community in Houston.

It may be obvious when you think about it, but did you know that the word “astronaut” literally means “star sailor”? By connecting the sea and sky in one word, (ástron meaning “star,” and nautes meaning “sailor”), our cultural language acknowledges the sacred character of both the oceans and skies.

Michael Franti, one of the most positive and conscientious artists in music today, implores us to "Shine On" in his song "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy" from the album Everyone Deserves Music. It's an album of compelling verses floating out on the currents of international radio stations - reminding those who seek higher forms of action that there are many ways to change the world for the better.

Larry Hayes drove from New Orleans to Atlanta three days before Katrina hit to stay with relatives, learning later that his Gentilly neighborhood home — situated between the London Avenue Canal and Lake Pontchartrain — was destroyed. "I'm going to stay in Atlanta," he says. "I would have had to start from scratch in New Orleans, so I can start from scratch here."

Bamana masks and headdresses, Lega ivories and Dogon sculpture, terra-cotta figures from Mali, Benin bronzes: the Menil Foundation has recently published a major scholarly catalogue, African Art from the Menil Collection, featuring 115 of the museum's finest pieces from across the continent.

Kevin Bailey followed a chance invitation to a luncheon to land his new career. A double major in Economics and Political Science, Kevin now works for BP North America Gas and Power in their skills-developing Challenge Program.

Maya Angelou has been recognized as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, and has been honored nationally by two presidents. She was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and by President Jimmy Carter to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year.

USF criminology professor Kathleen Heide says she worried about her expertise being sensationalized, but the chance to get her message out to a wide audience outweighed the risk.

Waldo Esparza lost his left leg below the knee in a motorcycle accident when he was 15. Be he says being handicapped is a state of mind, not body.

As anyone who has actually seen a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral can attest, it remains an awe-inspiring sight. But the Challenger disaster aside, most Americans view shuttle missions as nearly routine events. According to some scientists, they may have a subtler, more insidious and far more devastating impact on our planet than any we can see: Shuttle launches may rapidly be destroying the ozone layer.