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The top stories near you
• WUFT News: From The Front Lines Podcast. "Dr. Samsun Lampotang is a professor of anesthesiology at the University of Florida and the director of the Center for Safety, Simulation, and Advanced Learning Technology. He along with his colleagues has developed an open-source design for a ventilator built using common hardware store parts."
• Ocala Star-Banner: Third COVID-19 related death reported in Marion County. "The Florida Department of Health in Marion County announced the county’s third COVID-19 related death Sunday evening."
• WCJB: North Florida Regional Medical Center's first COVID-19 patient makes recovery. "Henry James has been in the ICU unit since March 20. With the medical staff's help, James has made an incredible recovery."
• Tampa Bay Times: Victims in Spring Hill murder-suicide were students at J.D. Floyd and Powell. "At a news conference Friday, Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis said the incident had 'some domestic violence-type overtones.' Police were called to the home March 22 regarding a verbal disturbance but the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide any other details about the active investigation."
• WUFT News: Spaying Of Strays And Low-Income Owners’ Pets Is Put On Hold Because Of Pandemic. "Because of the coronavirus pandemic, St. Francis Pet Care Clinic has closed but plans to reopen on May 5. Before closing, St. Francis President Dale Kaplan-Stein said he made sure all clients in good standing received heartworm prevention medicine to last them until the end of May."
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Around the state today
• Florida Politics: Florida COVID-19 caseload moves toward 20,000. "The virus now has killed 461 people in Florida. The state’s number of COVID-19 cases requiring hospital admissions increased to 2,672 on Sunday evening, up 39 from the morning report, and up 65 since Saturday evening."
• News Service of Florida: Broward Lawmaker Kristin Jacobs Dies After Cancer Battle. "Jacobs, 60, died peacefully Saturday morning in Tallahassee, surrounded by her children and her partner, Steve Vancore. Jacobs, who was elected to the House in 2014 after serving 16 years on the Broward County Commission, carved a niche as a leader on climate change, earning appointments by President Barack Obama to several commissions."
• Naples Daily News: Florida's safer-at-home order does not prevent snowbirds from leaving, but can they get home? "While the governor's order does not prevent them from leaving, health officials are still advising Americans to avoid all nonessential travel. Translation: Don't do it."
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Elected officials flooded with calls from struggling constituents. "The typical partisan political battles that have shaped the national debate in recent years and consumed lawmakers have receded somewhat during the coronavirus crisis. Instead, elected officials at all levels are engrossed in an aspect of their jobs that rarely gets noticed until times of crisis — individual one-on-one assistance for struggling constituents."
• News Service of Florida: Nursing homes seek shelter from lawsuits. "Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew told nursing homes Thursday that the request is under consideration."
• Florida Phoenix: There’s no approved cure for COVID-19, but charlatans are trying to take advantage of folks who are desperate. "Forget about special toothpaste or essential oils. Don’t fall for an online coronavirus test – there is no such thing that works. There is no vaccine either."
• Miami Herald: Is your Florida ZIP Code a COVID-19 hot spot? Why it’s hard to know for sure. "That data is 'provisional,' a (health) department spokesperson said Sunday, and is used 'until confirmed residency information becomes available.' But nothing on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard indicates how many cases in a given ZIP Code are attributed to something other than one’s home address."
From NPR News
• World: Boris Johnson Released From London Hospital
• World: As Demand For Oil Dries Up, OPEC And Allies Agree To Historic Cuts In Output
• National: New York Coronavirus Deaths Pass 9,000
• Health: What An ER Nurse Learned From Ebola Outbreak And Now COVID-19
• Business: Colleges Worry If Sporting Event Shutdowns Will Affect The Big Moneymaker: Football
• Education: Additional Work Falls On Parents As More People Stay Home
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.