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The Point, Nov. 24, 2021: The nation's No. 1 lightweight youth female boxer lives in Ocala

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Ocala’s Faith ‘Golden Girl’ Mendez competes in Junior Pan American Games. "Now 18, she’s the nation’s No. 1 lightweight youth female boxer – and from Thanksgiving Day through Dec. 5 she plans to compete in the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Columbia. If she wins her weight class, her father said, she will automatically qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Winning a gold medal there is her ultimate boxing aspiration."

• Fresh Take Florida: The ‘devil in him’: Confessions of a Gainesville killer expose complexities of insanity defense. "Paul Graves Williams, 64, faces two capital charges for the November 2018 murders of Lisa Williams, 57, and Paige Williams, 15. A criminal trial cannot proceed until Williams is deemed mentally competent. A state judge in Alachua County will reconsider the matter again Dec. 16."

• The Alligator: UF’s conflict of interest task force passes final report one week early. "The task force planned to have seven meetings between Nov. 12 and Nov. 29 to address issues with UF’s written policies on disclosure of outside activities and conflict of interest. The university had faced backlash for limiting eight professors from testifying in lawsuits against the state."

• WUFT News: UF student Aimee Clesi was named a Rhodes Scholar. "The Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford began in 1902 and is the oldest standing international scholarship program in the world. The acceptance rate is 0.7%. In the history of the University of Florida, Clesi is the first woman and the 13th student to become a Rhodes Scholar-Elect."

• WUFT News: Gainesville business owners feeling confident about holiday shopping season. "...local Gainesville businesses have confidence in shoppers this holiday season, as last year’s limitations from the pandemic are already proving residents' appreciation for shopping locally."

• Programming note: The Point will be on hiatus for the remainder of this week and will return to your inbox on Monday. We hope you have a wonderful holiday.


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Around the state

• Politico: DeSantis may need Biden to rescue $2.5B gambling deal. "The fate of the deal could depend on whether the U.S. Department of Interior, which was responsible for approving the compact, decides to appeal the decision by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, an appointee of former President Donald Trump. The tribe tried to intervene in the ongoing legal challenge but the judge turned down their request, although lawyers for the tribe on Tuesday evening appealed that decision as well as the entire ruling."

• WTSP-Tampa: Brian Laundrie's cause of death determined as self-inflicted gunshot. "The update Tuesday comes more than a month since Laundrie's skeletal remains were found on Oct. 20 at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County and later identified through a comparison of dental records. Laundrie was the only person of interest in the homicide case of his fiancée, Gabby Petito."

• FLKeysNews ($): Major phase of Florida Keys GMO mosquito release complete, company says. "A British biotechnology company and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District on Tuesday announced they have 'successfully concluded' a major phase in a controversial trial project aimed at wiping out an invasive species of mosquito known to spread dangerous diseases like dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya."

• Florida Politics: Jared Moskowitz, former ‘master of disaster,’ appointed to Broward Co. Commission. "Jared Moskowitz, a former Democratic Representative from Parkland and the state’s former director of the Division of Emergency Management, will replace Barbara Sharief, representing District 8 on the Broward County Commission, DeSantis announced Tuesday."

• News Service of Florida: Florida dodges a bullet with hurricane season almost over. "...with days to go before the Nov. 30 end of the season, Florida has had brushes with only three named systems --- Elsa, Fred and Mindy --- that were mostly rainmakers with tropical-storm force winds."

• Associated Press: Florida's hurricane hunter team getting new aircraft. "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's team is expecting a Gulfstream 550 to add to the three other aircraft at its home base at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in central Florida."


From NPR News

• National: Jury finds rally organizers liable for the violence that broke out in Charlottesville

• National: Jurors in the trial over Ahmaud Arbery's killing end first day of deliberations

• National: The Waukesha death toll rises to 6, and the suspect faces homicide charges

• Business: 2 little-known automotive startups are leading the race to become the next Tesla

• Politics: The White House is tapping oil reserves to try to bring down high gas prices

• Health: Voice-only telehealth may go away with pandemic rules expiring

• Health: 3 of America's biggest pharmacy chains have been found liable for the opioid crisis

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