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The top stories near you
• Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle weren't shouted down as completely as Richard Spencer was during his infamous 2017 visit to the University of Florida, but dissenters last night didn't make it easy for the pair's visit to campus, either. The pair did have plenty of support, too, inside and outside the University Auditorium. (WUFT News)
• These are exciting times for Santa Fe College, which recently announced its new president and on Wednesday broke ground on a $36.5 million building near Downtown Gainesville. (The Alligator)
• State Sen. Rob Bradley is term-limited in District 5, which covers much of our area, though his wife wants to retain the seat for the Republican Party. A Democratic challenger, Melina Rayna Svanhild Farley-Barratt of Trenton, filed this week. (Florida Politics)
• Don't count out Palatka and Putnam County just yet, new data show. The Florida Times-Union visited the city along the St. Johns River to see what new economic resurgence is taking place in a place once thought to be dying.
• University of Florida researchers won about $11 million more in National Institutes of Health funding this past fiscal year, for a total of $189 millioin. (Palm Beach Post)
• How does one Micanopy farm measure the surprise success of its push toward agritourism? “The second weekend we were open, we had like 1,500 people in a day,” Coon Hollo's Amy Perryman said. “With three porta-potties, and you can imagine the reviews we got.” (WUFT News)
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Around the state today
• It's been one year since Hurricane Michael wrecked many Panhandle communities, so a team of our reporters visited to explore cities and towns along Florida’s Forgotten Coast. In a half-hour special called "After The Eye," they document the struggles and recovery efforts — how the hurricane impacted the regional economy, education system and way of life. (WUFT News)
• A Clearwater man will spend 20 years in prison for killing another over a parking spot. (WUSF)
• Two men indicted yesterday (full story on that below from NPR News) donated money through a shell corporation to Florida politicians. Two of them — Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Stuart — are now returning those donations. (Politico, Florida Politics)
• The state's Republican Party is targeting Congressional Democrats in tough districts who have so far supported the impeachment efforts. (Florida Phoenix)
• Red tide appears to be returning along certain areas of Southwest Florida's coast such as Marco Island. (Marco Eagle)
• How many Florida state prison inmates suffer overdoses? No one really knows. (News Service of Florida)
• NiemanLab noted this week that as the merger of two of America's largest newspaper chains becomes complete later this year, a single company will "own dailies in Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Naples, Brevard County, Fort Myers, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, Ocala, Winter Haven, Panama City, the Treasure Coast, the Space Coast, and more."
From NPR News
• National: Recovery Is Slow In The Florida Panhandle A Year After Hurricane Michael
• National: Alaska Woman Finds SD Memory Card With Graphic Images That May Have Solved A Murder
• Politics: 2 Giuliani Associates Arrested On Campaign Finance Violations
• Politics: Sen. Mitt Romney Continues To Be A Vocal Critic Of President Trump
• Politics: What Role Are Inspectors General Supposed To Play In America's Democracy?
• Business: The Great Legacy Of The Great Recession
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.