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The top stories near you
• Rapper 21 Savage may or may not be performing at the University of Florida at month's end following his arrest this weekend by immigration authorities in Atlanta. (The Alligator)
• “We’ve never had this happen to us before.” The Alachua County Democratic Party apparently made history, and not in a good way. It's facing a fine of $16,500 for a tardy campaign finance report. Former State Senate candidate Charles Goston faces a much smaller fine. All say they plan to appeal. (Gainesville Sun)
• The Ocala Star-Banner this weekend noted Marion County's unfortunately high ranking among Florida counties in the number of drug-involved vehicle deaths. "It’s a big problem and it’s not going away," a AAA spokesman says.
• Robert Mounts jumped into the Gainesville City Commission race against incumbent Adrian Hayes-Santos at the last minute on Friday. We spoke with Mounts in late 2017 when he was peeved about partying and unrelated occupants in his neighborhood violating city ordinances.
• Ocala-area state Sen. Dennis Baxley is among those legislators hoping to see the question of school board member term limits actually make it in front of voters. It was part of an amendment blocked from last year's ballot. (News Service of Florida)
• The Florida Phoenix noticed the recent inmate labor decisions by local governments here and put them into statewide context.
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Around the state today
• A reporter from our Fresh Take Florida team was in Tallahassee on Friday as Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his state budget. These are the details and reactions you should know. (WUFT News)
• A TSA officer jumped from a balcony and died Saturday morning inside the Orlando International Airport. (WMFE)
• Those photos of would-be Secretary of State Mike Ertel in blackface "presented someone from my past with an opportunity for revenge," he says. Still, he says he has been "rightfully apologizing." (Tallahasee Democrat)
• The Broward County School Board and schools superintendent are keeping the public out of meetings with Parkland parents, and the Sun Sentinelfiled suit to open them up. Some Parkland parents also believe the publication should win a Pulitzer Prize for its ongoing coverage of last year's shooting. (Sun Sentinel, Florida Politics)
• Fish Island, which we wrote about at the end of the year in "Peak Florida," won't be developed into housing after all. (WUFT News)
• Eliminating Common Core education standards in Florida may be easier said than done. (WLRN)
• People in Bay County are starting to feel as though they're being left behind by national news outlets that just came for the storm in October and left shortly afterward. (Panama City News Herald)
• Miami International Airport is joining other airports across the county in using facial recognition technology for people boarding international flights. (Miami Herald)
• There was quite a golfing trio over the weekend in Palm Beach County, as President Donald Trump teed up with two of the game's greatest all-time players. (Palm Beach Post)
News from NPR
• Race: More Democrats Press Va. Gov. Ralph Northam To Resign
• Politics: In Super Bowl Interview, Trump Goes On Offense
• Science: The Role Climate Change Plays In Weather Extremes
• Science: For Migratory Birds, Lebanon Is A 'Black Hole' Where They Are Hunted, Trapped, Killed
• Health: If You're Often Angry Or Irritable, You May Be Depressed
• Business: Super Bowl Ads 2019: Stunts, Self-Deprecation And Celebrity Sightings
• Business: Laundromats Fold In Learning Spaces For Busy Families
• Business: Heavy Student Loan Debt Forces Many Millennials To Delay Buying Homes
About today's curator
I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.