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The top stories near you
• Gainesville city government's budget faces a serious threat from a new bill in the Florida House that would redirect tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue from its utility. (WUFT News)
• The next step in Ocala's strange special election story will come Friday morning in a special meeting about when the city could legally decide to hold it. In other city news, the new city council next year will need to hire a city manager. (Ocala Star-Banner)
• Gainesville city commissioners are close to hiring a new city auditor. (WCJB)
• The decision over where to place Howard Bishop Middle School students while their school is under construction isn't getting any easier for Alachua County school officials. (Gainesville Sun)
• Marion County's only charter high school closed in the middle of the school year. (WMFE)
• Cliff Stearns, the politician who represented this area in the U.S. House before Ted Yoho, has endorsed Judson Sapp to be Yoho's successor. (Florida Politics)
• The state's tentative new toll road routes could be unveiled next month. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• Two University of Florida professors are among the hundreds who signed a letter asking the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump. (Palm Beach Post)
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Around the state today
• By the end of this week, there should be a clearer picture of when the confessed Parkland shooter's trial will take place. (WLRN)
• Military members aren't permitted to carry weapons on U.S. bases, and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott wants that to change after the shooting in Pensacola. (Florida Politics)
• The state's two top legislative leaders are in disagreement over whether Florida should spend taxpayer dollars to market its benefits. (News Service of Florida)
• In another more local tourism controversy, Orange County commissioners approved spending $125 million to help Universal Orlando build a road for its new theme park. (Orlando Sentinel)
From NPR News
• Race: New Research Identifies Possible Mass Graves From 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
• National: The 20 Top Stories On NPR In 2019
• World: 7 Days That Shook 7 Decades Of World Trade
• World: Pope Francis Ends 'Top Secret' Status For Sex Abuse Cases, Promising Transparency
• Health: Sacklers Withdrew Nearly $11 Billion From Purdue As Opioid Crisis Mounted
• Business: From ‘Place Your Order’ To Your Doorstep: Inside Amazon’s Delivery Process
• Business: Judge Approves PG&E $24.5 Billion Plan For Wildfire Victims And Insurance Companies
• Politics: In A Scathing Letter, Trump Blasts Pelosi And Impeachment Proceedings
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.