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The top stories near you
• The Alachua County Commission yesterday voted to develop an ordinance that wouldimpose a $125 fine on those practicing conversion therapy. The practice is already banned within Gainesville city limits. (WUFT News)
• Due to a high volume of passengers, the Gainesville Regional Airport will expand services with Dallas and open the airport to 90 cities. (WUFT News)
• The associate dean for education at the University of Florida College of Dentistry announced she will retire after nearly four decades at the institution. ( The Alligator)
• The Alachua County Library District will be closed to patrons Feb. 18 for a day of staff training and will reopen shortly afterward. (Gainesville Sun)
• A UF chemistry teacher is able to return from Mexico after getting his visa approved following the federal government's reopening. (The Alligator)
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Around the state today
• The Florida Senate is working to enforce a vaping ban proposal that restricts the use of vapes at indoor workplaces and people under 18 from smoking tobacco within 1,000 feet of schools. (Florida Politics)
• A state appeals court ruled in favor of alandowner receiving a permit to drill an exploratory well in the Everglades, reversing a previous decision by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. (Orlando Weekly)
• St. Petersburg's historic State Theater has booked a concert in June after months of renovations. (Tampa Bay Times)
• Democrats scrutinizedGov. Ron DeSantis' proposed budget and are largely pleased with what they see. (News Service of Florida)
• Following last year's red tide outbreak,16,000 fish were released into the Gulf to help refill the coastal waterways that were affected. (Fort Myers News-Press)
• A rare endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the coast near Daytona Beach Shores. Researchers continue to investigate the sighting in hopes of the whale's return. (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
News from NPR
• National:Fact Check: Trump's State Of The Union Address
• Politics: Here's How Trump Tried To Win Women Over In His State of Union Address
• National: Matthew Charles Becomes One of The First Inmates to Benefit From First Step Act
• World: Pope Francis Acknowledges, For First Time, Sexual Abuse of Nuns by Priests
• World: Gene-Editing Scientist's Actions Are A Product of Modern China
• Politics: Government Watchdog: Trump's Trip To Florida Costing Taxpayers Millions
• Health: Collapse Of Health System Sends Venezuelans Fleeing To Brazil For Basic Meds
• Science: The North Magnetic Pole Is Shifting East, Fast