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The Point, March 30, 2021: Coronavirus Case Numbers Move Back Up In Florida

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The top stories near you

• News Service of Florida: Spending Plans Point To ‘Lean Year’ In Florida Higher Education. "The Senate last week released a nearly $95 billion overall budget proposal for the upcoming year, while the House released an almost $97.1 billion spending plan. The proposals, however, are expected to change substantially in the coming weeks, in part because economists on April 6 are slated to revise estimates of state general revenue."

• WUFT News: Gainesville Community Marches Against Racism, Mourns Loss Of Atlanta Shooting Victims. "Asian American communities across the nation have since honored the lives of Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Xiaojie Tan, Delaina Ashley Yaun and Yong Ae Yue. 'Racism is a virus,' chanted the crowd of people as they made their way through downtown."

• WUFT News: ‘What They Would Have Been’: Asian Students React To Anti-Asian Racism. "The shooting, in which six women in Atlanta's Asian community were murdered, has led many people to wonder about the safety of Asian Americans."

• NPR News: 'The Backbone Of The College': How Housekeeping Staff Make In-Person College Possible. "One of the biggest challenges for colleges during the pandemic has been keeping the campus clean and safe. Take the University of Florida, for example, with its 35,000 undergrads. This year the university has opted to be in person. To make that possible, the campus has relied on a team of essential and often vulnerable workers - the cleaning staff."

• WUFT News: ‘I Never Felt I Was Sorry I Was a Girl’: Rosalie Miller and Kathleen Culver In The Fight For Women’s Rights. To celebrate Women's History Month in March, one of our reporters profiled two women who have been significant in the fight for equality in Gainesville — Kathleen “Corky” Culver, 81, and Rosalie Miller, 76.


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Around the state today

• USA Today Network: After marked decrease, COVID-19 cases surge 13% in Florida. "Amid the rollout of the vaccine, cases have plummeted in recent wakes around the nation and in Florida. But the latest report shows a resurgence."

• News4Jax: Federally supported vaccine sites to remain open until late May. "Federally supported vaccination sites throughout Florida, including a Jacksonville site, will stick around a month longer than originally planned..."

• Associated Press: Florida governor to forbid ‘vaccine passports.’ "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he would issue an executive order forbidding local governments and businesses from requiring so-called 'vaccine passports' to show proof that customers have been inoculated against the coronavirus."

• WFSU: DeSantis Signs FL COVID-19 Liability Protections Into Law. "The legislation makes it harder for people to sue grocery stores, churches, schools, hospitals and nursing homes for failing to follow health and safety guidelines."

• News Service of Florida: Florida Senate looks to shield colleges from COVID-19 lawsuits. "Such lawsuits have sought tuition reimbursements because students were forced to take online classes when campuses closed last year to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

• WFSU: Bill To Allow Guns In Churches That Share Spaces With Schools Clears Florida House. "A measure that would allow people to carry in guns in churches and other religious institutions, even when they’re attached to schools, has passed in the Florida House. Supporters say it’s a property rights issue. But many Democrats are raising concerns about what the measure could mean for guns in classrooms."

• NBC News: Florida Republicans considering new election bill that would effectively ban giving voters water. "Similar to a provision in Georgia's new election law, it's one of a number of proposals moving through the state's GOP-controlled Legislature."

• WLRN: The High Cost Of Sunshine: Public Records In Florida Can Cost More Than A Year's Salary. "Florida is one of just 19 states that don’t waive fees for public interest groups. Fee waivers are also provided by the federal government."

• WUWF: Mayor Robinson Won't Seek Reelection: Too Much Divisiveness. "At his weekly news conference Monday, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson revealed plans to step away from politics after his four-year term is over."


From NPR News

• Health: CDC Director Fears 'Impending Doom' If U.S. Opens Too Quickly

• National: 'Derek Chauvin Betrayed This Badge,' Prosecutor Says In Opening Argument

• National: The CDC Will Extend Ban On Evictions Until June 30

• World: WHO Report: Wildlife Farms, Not Market, Likely Source Of Coronavirus Pandemic

• World: The Suez Canal Was Blocked For Under A Week — Here's How That Will Affect The World

• National: Prosecutors Add Sex Trafficking Charges Against Ghislaine Maxwell

• Science: Scientists Get Closer To Redefining The Length Of A Second

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.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org