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• WUFT News: Homes On Wheels Exposition Showcases Lifestyle Of Tiny Living In Vehicles. "The Hamons family's bus was among 46 vehicle-based homes showcased to the public at the Know H.O.W. Expo this weekend outside The Oaks Mall in Gainesville."
• WUFT News: Vietnam Veterans Ride To Honor One Another At Second Annual Event. "About 80 people – including veterans, members of motorcycle clubs, hospital staff and other supporters – gathered at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville on Saturday to participate in a tribute ride."
• Florida Storms: Multi-Day Severe Weather Event Possible Midweek. "Wind damage and tornadoes will be the primary hazards, although heavy rainfall and flash flooding will also be possible from a strong cold front that will move across the Southeast Wednesday and Thursday."
• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Longtime Ocala councilwoman Rich honored at event. "(Mary Sue) Rich was first elected to the city council in 1995, representing District 2, which covers much of Northwest Ocala. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the council."
• Gainesville Sun ($): State report critical of jobs agency. "The errors are mostly connected to CareerSource’s relationship with its outside company, called an administrative entity. CareerSource helps provide job opportunities to Alachua and Bradford County residents, through programs such as training and job fairs."
• Citrus County Chronicle: Citrus County Sheriff's Office makes biggest drug bust in county history. "A routine Thursday afternoon traffic stop by a Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputy led to the biggest seizure of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the agency’s history."
• First Coast News: They're here! Invasive, herpes-carrying monkeys reach the First Coast. "As the population has grown, it has continued to expand. The Silver River intersects with the Ocklawaha River, which in turn connects to the St. Johns River Basin. FWC says that is the likeliest route taken by the Northeast Florida monkeys."
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Around the state today
• Fresh Take Florida: Florida On Path To Require Anyone Under 18 To Obtain Parent’s Permission For Abortions. "Florida’s Legislature is close to approving a bill requiring girls under 18 to obtain permission for an abortion from a parent. Passage would be a political win for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had pushed for the measure, during an election year when Republicans hope to deliver the state to President Donald Trump."
• Fresh Take Florida: Florida Wrestles With Prison Conditions, Including Emotional Trauma On Guards. "A year ago, Florida had more than 2,000 vacancies for prison guards and a turnover rate of nearly 30 percent. The hiring situation was so bad that Florida lowered the minimum age of new guards to 18, and the Corrections Department has been offering hiring bonuses of $1,000 statewide."
• Fresh Take Florida: Proposed Bill Scratches At Key Cat Issue, Would Ban Declawing. "After an early stumble, Florida lawmakers are moving ahead with a proposal to ban the practice of declawing cats. The bill would impose hefty fines on anyone who removes a cat’s claws to protect furniture or drapes."
• GateHouse ($): After shunning Medicaid expansion, Florida Republicans see the political power of tackling health care. "Regulatory overhauls sought by (Florida House Speaker Jose) Oliva include expanding the so-called scope-of-practice to allow advance practice registered nurses to work independently from doctors. He also wants to eliminate the state’s ban on specialty hospitals, allowing new facilities to exclusively treat patients for heart, orthopedic problems, cancer and other ailments."
• WMFE: Bill in Florida House Committee Could Make it Harder for Transgender Children to Get Care. "Republican state senator Dennis Baxley, who introduced the companion bill in the Senate says people might later regret making these decisions-or having them made for them by their parents."
• Florida Keys News ($): Forget hurricanes and sea rise. This bill could lead to a building boom in the Keys. "An amendment slipped into a house bill this week seeks to extend the hurricane evacuation time on the archipelago from 24 hours to 30 hours — a move that would effectively bump up the amount of development allowed in the Keys."
• Fort Myers News-Press ($): Current Florida panther road kill pace would double state record. "Florida panthers are the official state animal and are protected by state and federal endangered and threatened species regulations. Biologists say they number between 120 and 230, the vast majority of which lives south of Lake Okeechobee."
• NPR News: Shots Fired After SUV Storms Past Mar-A-Lago Checkpoints; 2 People In Custody. "The FBI is investigating the incident with the Secret Service and Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. George Piro, the special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, said authorities could potentially file federal charges over the potential assault of federal officers during this incident."
• New York Times ($): Al Qaeda Claims It Directed Florida Naval Base Shooting. "In an audio recording released on Sunday, the leader of the Yemen-based group, Qassim al-Rimi, claimed responsibility for the Dec. 6 attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, according to SITE, an organization that tracks jihadist media."
• Miami Herald ($): How much to take an Uber after Super Bowl to Miami Beach? Price maxed out at $335. "The rideshare musical chairs that took place after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in an epic game received such negative reviews that Uber released a statement slamming Hard Rock Stadium for dismissing concerns the company shared about driver access."
• St. Augustine Record: St. Augustine Beach family fights for son’s emotional support chickens. "'I would not be sitting here, as a mom, fighting over a chicken if it wasn’t going to help my son. I’m his biggest advocate and supporter and I’ve gone through a whole lot.'"
From NPR News
• Politics: After Months Of Campaigning And Debating, Iowa Caucuses Are Here
• Politics: 2020 Primary Season Gets Underway With Iowa's Democratic Caucuses
• Politics: Senate Impeachment Trial Status: Closing Arguments Up Next
• Health: U.S. Hospitals Unprepared For A Quickly Spreading Coronavirus
• Health: U.S. Imposes Restrictions As Nation's Coronavirus Cases Rise To 11
• World: No, You Won't Catch The New Coronavirus Via Packages Or Mail From China
• National: Lakers' Emotional Return To Staples Center After Kobe Bryant's Death
• Education: Education Dept. Unveils Fix For Student Loan Program's 'Bureaucratic Nightmare'
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.