WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
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Today’s top stories
• Of all the spots for a sinkhole to open in Alachua County, the edge of an Interstate 75 emergency lane might be one of the less ideal. That’s what happened Friday afternoon, and a lane was closed last night through 5 a.m. today for additional assessment. (Gainesville Sun)
• More public safety measures to prevent gun crimes is the topic of a meeting tonight at the Alachua County Library District’s Headquarters branch on East University Avenue in Gainesville. The local chapter of the nationwide organization Moms Demand Action is hosting. (WUFT News)
• The City of Newberry updated some parts of how its city government operates with its initial completion of a charter review. Gainesville just began a similar process. (WUFT News)
• The University of Florida is adding license plate readers and more surveillance cameras as part of a $30 million campus safety push. (The Alligator)
• Grist this past week published one of the more extensive looks at Florida’s algae problem, with much context and background (“Florida wasn’t always such an environmental garbage fire,” reads one line) to help you understand the current situation.
• Alachua County’s schools aren’t the only ones in widespread disrepair, though the district appears to be ahead of Duval in getting voters’ approval for a half-cent sales tax to help improve them. (Florida Times-Union)
• The Miami Herald summarizes the conversation around climate change and the Democratic primary debates, which are set to begin this week in South Florida.
• There’s a bizarre and sad story in Tampa, where buried bodies in a forgotten African-American cemetery may very well be underneath warehouses today. (Tampa Bay Times)
• SpaceX is planning to launch a rocket very late tonight from the Kennedy Space Center. (WMFE)
• Many seniors in the state struggle to get access to medical marijuana treatment. It’s because so many Florida nursing homes and assisted-living facilities rely on Medicare and other federal funding, and it’s still illegal under federal law. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
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From NPR News
• Business: Criticism Surrounds Facebook’s Proposed Jump Into Cryptocurrency
• Business: 1st-Time Homebuyers Are Getting Squeezed Out By Investors
• Science: Abandoning A Floodzone
• Race: How White Politicians Can Talk About Race
• Health: Breaking The Booze Habit, Even Briefly, Has Its Benefits
• Health: Doctors Learn The Nuts And Bolts Of Robotic Surgery
• World: Cuban Baseball Players Deal With Dashed Hopes
• Politics: Oregon GOP State Senators Go Into Hiding To Avoid A Climate Vote
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.