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The top stories near you
• Alachua County's government has no clear solution for this particular flooding problem at Kanapaha Prairie, though the floodwaters are slowly approaching homes in the area. (WUFT News)
• Gainesville's airport is selling an 8-acre lot to an undisclosed buyer for nearly $300,000. The airport's governing board approved the sale last week. The lot will require remediation for groundwater contamination. In other airport news, American Airlines is now flying nonstop from Gainesville to Dallas. (WUFT News, Gainesville Sun)
• The non-profit Alachua Conservation Trust now controls Rock Bluff Spring in Gilchrist County. Its initial plans for the favored cave diving spot didn't go over well with some people. (WUFT News)
• The Hartman House in Gainesville's Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park dates to 1889, but it now requires a costly renovation. There's a workshop next month in which Gainesville city commissioners will decide if $400,000 is too steep a price. (WUFT News)
• Ace, a Gainesville police K-9, recently rode to Tallahassee in support of new legislation that would increase the penalties against those who injure or kill such animals. (WUFT News)
• Someone risked exposure to nasty chemicals and also a likely trespassing charge to bring r/GNV these photos of the abandoned battery manufacturing facility south of Alachua.
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Around the state today
• Check out this photo from one of our reporters who was near Cape Canaveral for Saturday's launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. It's now attached to the International Space Station. (WUFT News, NPR News)
• Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva apologized for using the term "host body" (five times) to describe a pregnant woman. (Florida Politics)
• The 2019 legislative session begins tomorrow, and lawmakers have filed more than 3,000 bills. On the budget front, State Sen. Rob Bradley says Florida's two recent major hurricanes "created a major cash flow issue for our state." (Tallahassee Democrat, Florida Politics)
• A University of Miami professor says nutrient overload is to blame for both the red and blue-green algal blooms the state has seen the past few years. (Bradenton Herald)
• Hurricane Michael's leftover tree debris is more likely destined for prescribed burns than the timber industry. (WFSU)
• Orange County Sheriff John Mina admitted a meeting between law enforcement and the public concerned about the transgender community in Orlando should have happened "a long time ago." It's part of an effort to help police better understand and identify transgender victims of crimes. (Orlando Sentinel)
• Gross but impressive: Some guy is trying to eat the 43 different stacks of bun and meat that are part of Orlando Burger Week. (Orlando Weekly)
News from NPR
• National: More Than 20 Killed After A Series Of Deadly Tornadoes Hits Alabama
• Politics: Sign Falsely Linking Muslim Congresswoman To Sept. 11 Sparks Outrage In West Virginia
• Politics: Trump Responds To Investigations He's Facing In 2-Hour CPAC Speech
• Politics: Rand Paul Says He'll Vote Against Trump's Border Emergency, Likely Forcing A Veto
• Race: In New Orleans, The Fight Over Blackface Renews Scrutiny Of A Mardi Gras Tradition
• Science: Social Media May Sway Kids To Eat More Cookies — And More Calories
• Health: Could Your Mindset Affect How Well A Treatment Works?
• Business: Walmart Chief Responds To Furor Over Treatment Of Greeters With Disabilities
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.