UF sugar babies get tuition paid – UF ranked No. 41 for new sign-ups for a sugar daddy dating website in 2012. SeekingArrangement.com connects wealthy men to college students seeking someone to pay for their tuition. The site’s public relations manager, Jennifer Gwynn, said UF has a total of 186 students participating, with 64 registered in 2012. The Independent Florida Alligator
Six Months After Carnage, a Theater Reopens – On Jan. 17, the newly remodeled and renamed Century Aurora cinema opened for the first time since the shooting six months ago in Aurora, Colo. Hundreds came to the opening for a memorial service honoring the victims of the shooting during “The Dark Knight Rises” premiere. The New York Times
Trayvon Martin’s Mother Asks State Lawmakers to Repeal ‘Stand Your Ground’ – The mother of Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton, held a press conference in Tallahassee on Jan. 16 to ask lawmakers to repeal the “Stand Your Ground” law, which she believes protected the man who killed her son. “Stand Your Ground” laws allow the use lethal force for defense in public. Fulton’s conference was on the same day as President Barack Obama’s, which announced executive orders that would strengthen background checks before gun sales and give mental health workers the power to report patients who are public threats. Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
After outcry over election travails, Gov. Scott urges early voting days be extended – Gov. Rick Scott said on Jan. 17 that county supervisors of elections should determine how many early voting days are needed in their locales. Up to 14 early voting days can be allowed. An investigation by Secretary of State Ken Detzner and his state Division of Elections revealed the reduction of early voting days last year, along with the length of the ballot, caused long lines during early voting and on Election Day. Some voters waited more than seven hours. The Palm Beach Post
Jury takes less than an hour to convict Martin of murder – Maranda Martin, accused of the first-degree murder of a 78-year-old disabled veteran, was found guilty on all charges. The victim, Paul Quandt, fought in the Korean War and died after he was beaten during a home invasion robbery. He died Jan. 18, 2012. The Gainesville Sun
