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The top stories near you
• Gainesville is far from the only local community where dog attacks have become a serious problem. In the Melrose and Keystone Heights areas, one woman says she was chased into a lake by a pair of dogs. A veterinarian in Alachua County has been watching local government's response and doesn't think passage this month of an irresponsible pet owner ordinance is going to "address all of the issues." (WUFT News)
• State Rep. Anthony Sabatini's push to make The Swamp Restaurant a Florida Heritage Landmark has failed. (WCJB)
• University of Florida President Kent Fuchs was not present yesterday at a town hall about racial inequity in Alachua County, and several leaders and residents said his absence was conspicuous. (Gainesville Sun)
• Marion County is going to have more attention on bicycle and pedestrian safety with the sheriff's office now able to better patrol areas with a large number of incidents. (WUFT News)
• Waldo was once a preeminent American speed trap. Now, one of our reporters finds speeding is a "rampant unchecked" problem there. (WUFT News)
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Around the state today
• Andrew Gillum agreed to pay a $5,000 fine in a state ethics case settlement for allegedly accepting gifts while mayor of Tallahassee. (News Service of Florida)
• WMFE notes Gov. Ron DeSantis' willingness to use two words his predecessor had reportedly banned: climate change.
• Women incarcerated at Florida prisons are closer to the state guaranteeing them feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes and toilet paper. (Florida Politics)
• Legislators are apparently prepared to zero out funding this year for a Pulse nightclub shooting memorial. (Orlando Weekly)
• Amazon is building a distribution center in Daytona Beach. (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
• Tampa's new mayor is catching national attention. Jane Castor was elected this week and is the city's first openly gay mayor. (Tampa Bay Times)
• The confessed Parkland shooter will likely no longer have a public defender after inheriting hundreds of thousands of dollars of a life insurance policy. (Sun Sentinel)
• If you're a longtime Florida theme park enthusiast, you might remember some of those on this list that have since been lost to history. (Miami Herald)
• The Lakeland Ledger profiles a farming couple who have become known as WWOOFers, or members of Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms.
• "There's so much beauty out there, in the dirtiest places that people do not expect." It's a great perspective to maintain in this state, particularly if one is driving a bus around Broward County. (WLRN)
News from NPR
• National: Flint, 5 Years Later
• Politics: Joe Biden Officially Joins Crowded 2020 Democratic Presidential Race
• Politics: Rep. Ilhan Omar Talks About Her Life And Embattled First Months In Congress
• Business: Facebook Could Face Up To $5 Billion Fine For Privacy Violations
• Health: Majority Of Americans Say Drug Companies Should Be Held Responsible For Opioid Crisis
• Health: CDC Reports Largest U.S. Measles Outbreak Since Year 2000
• World: Philippines' Duterte Talks Trash (Literally) To Canada, Threatening War Over Garbage
• Business: Kohl's Will Now Accept Amazon Returns At All Its Stores
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.