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The chaos at the U.S. Capitol

• NPR News: Congress Certifies Biden Victory; Trump Pledges ‘Orderly Transition’ On Jan. 20. "Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ victory early on Thursday, the end of a long day and night marked by chaos and violence in Washington, in which extremists emboldened by President Trump sought to thwart the peaceful transfer of power that has been a hallmark of modern American history by staging a violent insurrection inside the U.S. Capitol."

• Associated Press: Trump Supporters Storm US Capitol, Lawmakers Evacuated. "U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Gainesville, posted updates on social media Wednesday afternoon, first describing her plans to object to the results of the November election, and then asking for peace."

• Palm Beach Post ($): As Trump rioters breached Capitol, Florida lawmakers tweeted scenes of mayhem. "Longboat Key Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan called Wednesday 'a dark day in the history of our nation.'"

• Florida Politics: House members call for President Donald Trump’s removal from office as rioting continues in D.C. "U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist was the first to call for the use of the 25th amendment to remove Trump as the sitting president Wednesday afternoon. U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings and Val Demings followed, citing the 25th Amendment Wednesday night."

• News4Jax: Marco Rubio, Rick Scott vote against challenge to Biden’s Arizona win. "Among those voting against the challenge were Republican Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott."

• NPR News: Storming The Capitol Didn't Change The Election, Some Trump Backers Realize. "The mob succeeded in forcing Congress to halt the certification of the Electoral College votes, but only temporarily. Senators and representatives returned to work after the building was clear and vowed to work through the night. The stated goal of the mass gathering — a reversal of the legitimate election results — remained out of reach."

• NPR News: Twitter Locks Trump's Account, Warns Of 'Permanent Suspension' If Violations Continue. "Once Trump's time-out expires on Twitter, the company said it may boot the president off the platform for good if his sharing of election-relation disinformation and glorifications of violence continue."

• NPR News: Former Presidents Bush And Clinton Blame 'Poison Politics' For 'Sickening' Violence. "Bush, the only living former Republican president, said he was 'appalled' by the actions of some political leaders since the election and called the 'mayhem' at the U.S. Capitol 'a sickening and heartbreaking sight.'"

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The pandemic

• WPLG: Florida reports 17,783 new coronavirus cases, breaking another record. "Florida health officials reported 17,783 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, surpassing the state’s one-day record increase of 17,192 from Dec. 31. The state also reported 129 additional resident deaths as a result of COVID-19."

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Coronavirus vaccine information in Marion County: What you need to know. "When will Marion County get more vaccines? Marion received 3,000 Moderna doses last week and expects to receive 10,000 Pfizer doses this week. Who can get vaccinated? Health care workers, first responders, long-term care facility workers and residents and people ages 65 and older are the top priority."

• Pensacola News Journal ($): DeSantis: COVID-19 vaccines will be prioritized to communities that can quickly vaccinate. "The governor has faced criticism for the roll-out of Florida's vaccine program, as the state has left it up to individual health care providers for distributing the vaccine."

• WTSP: Congressman Gus Bilirakis tests positive for coronavirus. "The Palm Harbor Republican, who has been working toward coronavirus relief efforts in the state, now finds himself in quarantine instead of on the House floor."

• News Service of Florida: Florida Gov. DeSantis says he will not allow local governments to enforce lockdowns. "Gov. Ron DeSantis strongly reaffirmed his opposition to local government officials’ attempts to impose their own rules to curb the spread of COVID-19, saying Wednesday that such measures 'are not effective.'"

In other news

• WUFT News: Florida Providers See Increased Demand For Telehealth Visits. "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, telehealth visits increased by 50% in January to March compared to the same period in 2019. Most of those appointments were not related to COVID-19, but by the end of March pandemic-related visits had increased 154%."

• WUFT News: New Ocala Wetland Recharge Park Offering Visitors ‘A Peaceful Feeling.’ "After more than two years of challenging development, the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park has drawn in about 200 visitors a day since opening in September. The serene bodies of water they see upon entering the 60-acre park are actually treated wastewater flowing from facilities in Ocala. Three million gallons of such wastewater are sent to the park each day, with plants and microorganisms helping to “recharge” it all back into the Upper Floridian Aquifer – the primary supply of drinking water for most of north central Florida."

• Gainesville Sun ($): UFPA part-time workers left stressed by second COVID-19 furlough. "The OPS employees received an email Dec. 22, three days before Christmas, from Brian Jose, director of the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. It said no work shifts would be available to them with UFPA from Jan. 4 to Feb. 22 at the earliest."

• WUFT News: Meet Thomas Olmsted, Gainesville’s Godfather of Collecting. "Olmsted has over 100 collections in his possession, has been growing his beard out for 51 years and once spent over two years driving around the country in a pickup truck. He looks like a man you’d almost expect to have done these things."

• Spectrum News: USF Will Keep College of Education, Offer Undergraduate Degrees. "After pleas from local school districts, the University of South Florida has announced it will keep its College of Education and continue offering undergraduate degrees for teachers."

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.