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The Point, Oct. 20, 2022: Florida State Board of Education adopts new rules

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Chuck Clemons and Brandon Peters battle for House District 22 Seat "The Florida House of Representatives recently redistricted, which means the new representative will represent Levy, Gilchrist and the western portion of Alachua County."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Ward, Bielarski defend past GRU actions at debate "Candidates Ed Bielarski and Harvey Ward sparred in a Wednesday debate in the leadup to the Nov. 8 elections, hitting topics like Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), development and UF."

• WUFT News: Elected official accused by police of carving gay slur in SUV; he denies it "Daniel “Danny” Taylor Gordon, 41, of Gainesville is formally accused in Alachua County Circuit Court of misdemeanor property damage and criminal mischief, according to court records filed Tuesday. Police said Gordon was caught on video by a nearby surveillance camera, which he then stole. He denies it."

• WUFT News: Micanopy fails to provide county plan for historic site "In a joint meeting Tuesday between the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and the Town of Micanopy, the BoCC postponed talks of a timeline for the town’s purchase of the soon-to-be-annexed Tuscawilla Property until after the workshop."

• Ocala Gazette: City annexes 30 acres from the county "In a unanimous decision, the council agreed to annex two adjacent parcels: a 6.15-acre portion and a 24.86-acre segment off Southeast 31st Street and Southeast 36th Street."

• Gainesville Sun: Tiny homes or recreational vehicles? City of Alachua business shut down over violations "Govinda Carol and Krsna Balynas, owners of Simplify Further, said they were given a notice of building code violations on Oct. 12 by Tim Hunt, a building official with the city of Alachua, who also was accompanied by a police officer and a representative from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation."

• Gainesville Sun: Preserving significant Black landmarks and places is an act of social justice "The preservation of Black historical landmarks is the mission of a national fund and a heritage trail project that has existed in Gainesville for more than a dozen years."

• The Alligator: UF unveils newest University Avenue traffic safety measure — Newell Gateway "Using five pairs of large golden scissors, members of the UF and Gainesville community cut the red ribbon stretching across the newly constructed Newell Gateway Wednesday morning."

• Mainstreet Daily News: 7 events to enjoy during Gators’ weekend off "The Gators have a bye week on Oct. 22, and organizations have packed the calendar to keep locals busy, from concerts to books to bats."

• WUFT News: An African gray parrot changes lives at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo "The 23-year-old African gray parrot’s beady yellow eyes, curved beak, red tail and huge wingspan terrified Amanda Wright. Until he changed her life."

• WUFT News: Keeping the tradition of quilting alive through charity and community service "Over 450 quilts will be organized for donations to senior citizens, parents, children and infants."


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Around the state

• WTSP - Tampa: Florida education board approves rule changes for 'parental rights' amid LGBTQ criticism "The Florida State Board of Education adopted about a dozen new rules on Wednesday under the state's "Parental Rights in Education" law and others, including some changes that advocates assert are anti-LGBTQ."

• WUSF-Tampa: A Florida climate scientist says hurricanes are intensifying and becoming more frequent "WUSF's Jessica Meszaros spoke with Daniel Gilford, a climate scientist with the nonprofit Climate Central, about global warming's effect on Ian and what it could mean for future storms."

• POLITICO: DeSantis administration agrees to release Martha's Vineyard records by December "Lawyers for the Republican governor filed a nine-page response late Tuesday to a demand from the open government group Florida Center for Government Accountability for records, including phone and text logs from DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, as well as any communication between Florida and Texas officials."

• Associated Press: Sanibel Island causeway washed out by Ian reopens early "The 3-mile (4.8-kilometer) causeway was badly damaged by the Category 4 hurricane, with initial predictions that repairs could take months. Instead, the span reopened just three weeks after the storm blew ashore Sept. 28."

• FOX 35 Orlando: 'Just doesn’t make sense': Mixed reaction on medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida Circle K gas stations "Ten different Circle K convenience stores will be leasing out space to dispensaries owned by a company called Green Thumb starting next year. The new dispensaries are called Rise Express."

• Tampa Bay Times: Hurricane Ian drained the waters of Tampa Bay. Did that affect the environment? "Did Ian’s reverse storm surge, which lowered water levels by more than 7 feet in some areas, change the amount of nutrient pollution in Tampa Bay? And, if so, what does that mean for the bay’s health?"

• NPR News: A rare but dangerous flesh-eating bacteria is infecting Florida residents "According to the Florida Department of Health, the state has seen 65 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections and 11 deaths from the bacterium in 2022. Lee County, where Ian made landfall on Sept 28 as a category 4 storm, accounts for 45% of the cases."

• WUSF-Tampa: A vaccine trial against pneumonia seeks volunteers in Tampa "A new vaccine to protect against pneumonia and meningitis is being tested in people over 50. The Phase 3 trial of the experimental vaccine, made by the pharmaceutical giant Merck, is taking place internationally, with several sites in Florida."

• WFSU State: Florida's agriculture industry could take a $1.56 billion hit after Hurricane Ian "Agriculture losses in Florida from Hurricane Ian's high winds and drenching rains could reach $1.56 billion, with citrus, cattle, vegetable and melon operations among the hardest hit, the University of Florida reported Tuesday in a preliminary estimate."

• Spectrum News: Disney sets return date for Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios "The nighttime spectacular, which debuted at the park since 1998, was paused in early 2020 when Disney World closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."

• WUFT News: SeaWorld announces Spring 2023 attraction ‘Pipeline’ "The ride is designed to replicate the surfing experience. Not only do riders stand on the vehicle, but the ‘seats’ bob up and down like a buoy. This is the first rollercoaster to use that technology, which is patented by the ride’s manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard."


From NPR News

• National: Pro-Trump Republicans in Georgia are circulating a voting machine conspiracy theory

• World: The U.K.'s Liz Truss hangs on by a thread as she loses another Cabinet minister

• World: What Xi Jinping's decade in power means for people in China — in their own words

• World: What are the suicide drones bombarding Ukraine, and where did Russia get them?

• Race: Who counts as Black in voting maps? Some GOP state officials want that narrowed

• Politics: Getting an abortion as a trans person is hard — with or without state restrictions

• Race: Online platforms radicalized the Buffalo mass shooting suspect, a new report says

• Books: Does Marjorie Taylor Greene represent the future of the Republican Party?

• World: The BBC is celebrating its 100th birthday

• National: The college enrollment drop is finally letting up. That's the good news
Jacob Sedesse curated today's edition of The Point.

Jacob is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing jacobsedesse@ufl.edu. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @JACOBSEDESSE.