Epstein Documents, SWFL Road Construction, and New Menopause Treatment Guidelines

This is southwest Florida in focus. Coming up, a traveling art exhibit about the Epstein files comes to South Florida. I still haven't gotten over what's happened to me, because I truly believe the body keeps the score. I don't think I'll ever get over that. What happened to me? We hear from one of the survivors of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking ring, who wants all of the files to be released without redactions. For the first time in a dozen years, new guidelines aimed to help women dealing with the symptoms of menopause. How these changes can help any woman looking for treatment options and keeping a centuries old tradition alive. We learn more about the day of the dead and how the holiday honors and remembers friends and family that have passed. Hello, I'm Jennifer Crawford. Thank you for joining us. A traveling exhibit carrying more than 3 million pages of the Jeffrey Epstein Files is on display in South Florida. Organizers and some Epstein survivors say the exhibit draws attention to their calls for full transparency, accountability and release of all of the Epstein files. The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Bookmobile and Reading Room is organized by the Institute for Primary Facts and defiance.org. One of Epstein's victims, Charlene Rochard, spoke to WGCU reporter Eileen Kelly at exhibit in Fort Lauderdale. Well, this shouldn't be political, right? This is not Democratic or Republican and child's abused. I'm not going to say, oh, were they red or blue? I'm going to ask who was it? And I think that's the problem is that there's basic humanity is lost. And when Trump called us a Democratic hoax, I think that brought the politics to this human issue. It's incomprehensible to think that when somebody abuses a child, essentially, especially sex literally abuses a child, that it's not taken seriously. A visual timeline at the start of the Reading Rooms installation amplifies Charlene Richards claim. In 1996, Maria Farmer provided the first criminal complaint to the FBI about the conduct of the financier and sex offender. She was 26. Farmer did not go public until 2019, telling the press she went to authorities in New York to report her alleged abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. Richard believes that had farmers claims been believed, she may not have been a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking ring. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that Richard is one of 12 to 1400 victims. So we've gone 30 years with no justice. Well, Shahed was 16 when she left Ontario, Canada, for a modeling career in the United States. It wouldn't be long before she became part of Epstein's orbit. He promised jobs. But I also needed a working visa to be able to work in America. I need a place to live. And I needed money to live. I needed food to survive. Just just basic human things. And so I was under this control of somebody being able to provide things that I wasn't able to provide for myself. Rashad says she carries the shame of her early life deep within. Honestly, I still haven't gotten over what's happened to me because I truly believe the body keeps a score. I don't think I'll ever get over that. What happened to me? It it was so awful. In 2016, Rashad returned to Canada to put her past behind her. It was short lived. Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. And suddenly, images of Jeffrey Epstein were everywhere. The stories took hold globally over the next several years and were starred. Said she could no longer bury her past. And it took me a long time to come to. Be able to speak about what happened. She testified before Congress, standing with other victims demanding the release of the Epstein files, demanding long overdue justice. The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room was born from the 3.5 million pages of files that have been released. The files are bound into books. Many pages are redacted. What's under all this? And why is it so black? Can somebody tell me either. I would really like to know. Because nobody's name is this long. It's just black, black, black, black black black black. It's it's it's actually crazy that when other 3 million or so pages have not been released, or Shahed is finding strength from the reading room exhibit. She's been traveling with it since September, when it left New York, making half a dozen stops. The final and intentional stop, at least for now, is in South Florida. Included among the volumes of released pages and a survivor's artwork are 1400 candles, one for each victim. So it's just lie after lie after lie. Somebody's got to step up and just tell the truth. And it shouldn't be on the onus of the survivors to step up. It really needs to be put on the perpetrators. That's the problem. That's why this is such an atrocity. Because we were children. So asking a child to come forward with all of this information without asking the adults who were there. Doesn't make does that? Doesn't even make any sense. This year is the, a tribute to the survivors. So there's 1400 candles. The exhibit is on display in Fort Lauderdale through November 4th. Joining us now is reporter Eileen Kelly. And Eileen, when you first arrived on site for this story, what was the atmosphere like? It was incredibly sobering. And sad actually. The sheer amount of balloons of paperwork is, is quite alarming and startling. And then when you watch women go through the exhibit, you can just see the pain. If the pain is, it's hard to hide. And I think that it can be very triggering for women that have been assaulted in this country or in some form, or just the fact that there are women. And knowing that women weren't these, you know, young girls were not believed. And that women in general are questioned when they do report sexual violence. It was it was hard. Definitely very difficult to walk through. And Eileen, there was also a wall you had mentioned where people have posted notes and personal stories. How powerful is this? So they left little note cards, little flashcards and with with markers and so forth. And to date there are over 10,000 notes to the survivors. And for everyone to see, you know, things that say hashtag protect us, justice for survivors. I recall seeing one that said I'm not a proud American or we are better than this. And you know, the victim that I spent time with told me that seeing these has really helped her healing, because she does feel heard and she knows that that this is helping her. It's helping other women come to terms with, you know, their own violence. And yeah, it's incredibly powerful. Eileen Kelly, thank you so much for this report. You're welcome. Take care. For more information on the Traveling Reading Room and Art exhibit, you can visit the website Trump Epstein Reading room.com. Coming up, whether it's by plane or car. Tis the season for seeing an influx of more people visiting or returning to Southwest Florida, and some new construction hopes to alleviate the congestion that comes along with a surge of people. It is that time of year when seasonal residents begin to flock to southwest Florida. According to Travel and Leisure, Florida welcomes nearly 1 million snowbirds between November and April. Several construction projects in southwest Florida hope to ease some of the increased congestion on the roads and in the air. WGCU Managing editor Mike Braun joins us now with updates on several projects that have literally been years in the making. Absolutely. There are two grand projects and one project affecting air travel that will have the most impact here. First off, today a new north south ground route opened that provide a third direct vehicle path between Lee and Collier County. The Three Oaks Parkway, Imperial Parkway, and Livingston Road corridor. And how is this going to impact Southwest Floridians? Given that oftentimes there are backups along I-75 and especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The new route provides somewhat of a relief valve. And granted, there are still choke points, traffic lights, intersections, and the like. But it does offer an alternative route. And you talked about two road projects. Absolutely. The second one, that project involves I-75 from Golden Gate Parkway to illegal road within Collier and Lee counties. And it's a bit more long range. It will add express lanes and new auxiliary lanes, a congestion relief lane, and a diverging diamond interchange in a road. There's been hearings, but no defined date for the project to begin. And Mike, how does air transportation figure into all of this? Well, for the past two years, South Florida International has been undergoing and upgrade, with 14 more gates being added. And it makes sense with more and more people coming through, such as in March this past year, which saw a record 1.5 million passengers. The project has been a little more than a year to go. And the county port authority recently provided a look at the project. Executive Director Steve Hennigan explained one aspect. So the way we're doing our our concessions will be a little bit different. They're not going to be walled in. So if you know where you would have the back of the concession, a restaurant, you'll be able to look out. If you're buying something you know, from a grab and go a bottle, water or magazine, you'll be able to see out. So we don't want to restrict our facility. We want to make it as as airy and bright as possible. So as you can see, there are transportation projects of several kinds ongoing, with one being finished today. That will impact all residents of Southwest Florida. All right. Thank you so much for the latest. Mike Braun thank you Jennifer. from updates to transportation to the business stories that matter to you, please stay up with all of the local happenings by visiting our website. Doctors say new guidelines to treat symptoms of menopause could help provide relief for many women dealing with hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms. The changes also stress the importance of hormone replacement therapies after the removal of broad federal safety warnings last year. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recently published new guidelines for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Doctor Andrea Frail, a board certified ob gyn provider, joins us now from Tallahassee. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me today. First, explain what menopause is and its prevalence. Sure. Menopause is that crucial time in our lives where we go through the change of, well, people call it the change in lives. So pause is a medical medical transition that women. It's not something just to endure their multiple symptoms that are related to it. And its definition is the cessation or the stopping of your minstrel cycle. But it also reflects that, you know, women have had, surgery and had their ovaries removed. So you can have surgical menopause. You can also have had procedures down where your you perhaps may not menstruate any longer, but you will still go through menopause. So a better, broader, definition may be to include all of those aspects of menopause and the change of the change of life and the transition we go through when we, have hormonal shifts before, as we age. Help us understand what these new recommendations are for treatment options. Sure. What's changing in the guidelines? So two changes in essentially the last 12 months reset the conversation about menopause in general. There is the FDA label update. And then Acog published its first full menopause guideline since 2014. The American College of Clinical Practice guideline, number 13. And then we republished number. This was republished October 15th of this year just a few weeks ago. And the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It gives us strong recommendations regarding hormone therapy for hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disruption that is caused with patients that are going through menopause. And for those patients without any contraindications, the recommendation is estrogen plus progesterone. Or you can have estrogen plus another medication that's an alternate to progestin, both giving relief to those symptoms. Timing is important starting before age 60 or within ten years of natural menopause. Inside that window, it's the best time to get the maximum benefit for aging bone. In cardiovascular health for patients in menopause. So, doctor, could these new guidelines make it easier for patients to get insurance coverage for treatment options for menopause? I think it should. Absolutely. We have evidence based research in the FDA. Labeling change has certainly been a promising, impact on being able to have this coverage. I think, hopefully we are actually working with the legislature to get more coverage and reduce the burden of authorizations. So some of the labeling changes, like in November 10th of 2025, the FDA announced it would remove most of the box label warnings on estrogen containing menopause products. So insurance companies should have caught up with that. February 12th of this year, first six revised labels were approved dropping box warning language on the cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia. So it applies to systemic and vaginal products, which is a big win for our breast cancer patients. And then the endometrial cancer warning for estrogen alone therapy and women with the uterus. That actually still stays. And it's still very important. And I could get, on an aside with that, because when you do have, professionals that are prescribing that aren't aware of these warnings, we can get into some trouble. So please make sure that you're seeing a board certified ob gyn or someone that is certified professionally and managing hormone therapy. And then, just. Yeah, the original warning was dated back in 2003. So that is a long time ago. So, we were so excited that we were able to bring this to the future with Acog and that, you know, after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative results were published, that's when that warning went out. I'm old. I trained in 2001. Well, 97 to 2001. And so we were very much in the mix of, the results and what was happening at the time. And we were still struggling. You know, most participants in that study were six years or older. It didn't. On the younger population of women, which is what we're saying, you know, making sure that you are catching those women in their 40s, preparing them for those changes in life, for menopause, and then individualizing what care is most appropriate for them so they can go through this transition and most appropriately so hopefully, yes, this impact for insurance companies is going to be that they should listen to the FDA labeling changes and our evidence based, research to show that this is beneficial for women. Thank you so much for your expertise and taking time to speak with us today. You're very welcome. Thank you for having me. From updated guidelines to medical breakthroughs, you can find more health related stories by visiting our website, npr.org. Coming up after the break. Sugar skulls and marigolds take center stage as locals gather to keep an ancient holiday going with a bright and colorful celebration. Every year, November kicks off with a celebration dating back hundreds of years. The day of the dead blends multiple cultures to remember deceased family and friends. WGCu Culture and Connections reporter Elizabeth Andarge stopped by the Naples Botanical Garden to learn how they keep the holiday legacy For the botanical gardens. We can't bring real food, but I displayed the things that my dad liked the most. And so he was a fanatic for pork tamales. So I created some artificial tamales to represent his favorites. And then I also added in there the where there's caramel, candies. Alma Trevino was one of several people who came to the Naples Botanical Gardens over the weekend. If you're thinking Halloween, think again. Nobody was trying to scare anyone. This is a Mexican holiday called Dia de Los Muertos, or Dave the Dead. And these altars, called ofrenda, are how families welcome their loved ones home, if only for a day. The holiday dates back centuries to the Aztecs and later mixed with the Catholic feasts of All Saints in All Souls. But why food? Once in the year, when the veil is thin enough to allow those spirits to come and visit us, we welcome them in. And you usually put in the traditional flowers, which kind of like guide them on their way, you know, from wherever they may be. Wherever your belief system is and they come and they visit and they follow the sense, and they follow the food, and they come and they spend the day with you. A few tables away. Maria La Tisha murillo flood is building her altar for the fourth year. She points out that the bedazzled skulls started as a joke. They powdered themselves to be a little bit lighter. So it was a satire. Initially in the early 1900s. A Mexican printmaker, Jose Guadalupe Posada, drew a skeleton in a fancy hat to mock Mexicans who wanted to look like Spaniards. Muralist Diego Rivera later painted her in a full dress, and she became La Katrina. Today, one of the most recognized symbols of the holiday, flood says that's only one part of the tradition. Your death is not definite for you. You have the opportunity to come back and be with your loved ones. And, And that's what the the other Los Muertos is. It's a hard thought to hold on to when the loss is recent. Trevino nephew died from a heart attack earlier this year. He was in his early 20s. You know, when we lose our loved ones, all we ever want is to see them again. All we ever want is to be with them again. And so doing something to welcome them back and to embrace them one, one more time is what comes to my mind. And so, as I put the things that my dad loved the most, I think that it's like feeling him with me in that moment at a time. And I, you know, I think a lot of people just want that one more, one more moment, one more embrace, one more, special something to just feel them again. And so as you put these offerings, it truly is a connection on a spiritual level. And just wanting to remember them, let them know I still love you. I still think about you. You're not forgotten. And so it can be very emotional. Flood says honoring the deceased. Is the other part of the holiday. The person is not there, but what you leave, it's energy. It's still around you. It's just a moment for you to close your eyes and choose a happy moment that you were just with that loved one, just by yourself, and make that memory yours forever, and go and visit there whenever you miss that person. While onlookers walk past the display of altars and might only see photographs and flowers, they mean something else for the families. I think between, you know, me and and my brothers and my mom, it feels like family. It feels like unity. It feels like we're not alone. It's okay to feel what we're feeling. It's okay to miss them, and it's okay to still hold space for them in our current life, even if they're not physically here. Blood agrees to me. As for many of the people that you see tonight is a part of belonging, I think culture makes you feel like you belong. You're being seen and and you're honoring your loved ones. for WGCu news. I'm Elizabeth And with videographer Amanda Whitmore. Coming up on our next program, it's an interactive learning experience to inspire the next generation of trade workers. We head to the event that highlights the skills needed to pave the way for a successful career path. Thank you for joining us. Make sure you head to WGCU.org where you will find all of our stories, and we look forward to seeing you again right here for Southwest Florida in Focus.