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The stories near you

• News Service of Florida: UF professors say high-profile lawsuit now ‘moot.' "University of Florida professors are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that challenged a controversial conflict-of-interest policy that gave school administrators discretion over allowing faculty members to serve as expert witnesses in litigation."

• Mainstreet Daily News: 21-vehicle I-75 accident kills 3. "According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, the multi-vehicle collision occurred around 12:40 a.m. at the northbound Lake City/High Springs 414 exit ramp."

• Ocala Gazette: Community mourns following tragic shooting. "A prayer vigil was held on Jan. 2 in the neighborhood where the deadly shooting happened during a New Year’s Day block party."

• WUFT News: Gainesville immigrants lean on community in the face of challenges. "Paula doesn’t have much furniture in her living room. She has a TV on a stand and a dinner table with a few chairs, all collected through donations."

• WUFT News: Audio documentary: Surviving Ian. "Surviving Ian is a thirty-minute documentary exploring how southwest Florida residents are slowly putting their lives back together after the disastrous storm and highlights some of the few positives emerging from all the destruction."

• WUFT News: Photo story: Meet UF’s Carillonneur. "Dr. Laura Ellis, a professor and Associate Director in the School of Music at the University of Florida, has been on the faculty since 2003."

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Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: DeSantis' second inaugural address will likely draw more national attention. "Four years ago, he was a relatively unknown politician who won his gubernatorial bid by fewer than 33,000 votes. This time, he cruised to reelection with a nearly 20-point lead over his Democratic challenger and is a Republican presidential contender."

• News Service of Florida: Here are 10 big legal battles to watch across Florida in 2023. "From abortion to Big Tech to guns, Florida heads into 2023 with courts weighing high-profile legal fights."

• WFTS-Tampa Bay: Review of Florida's public list of sex buyers finds effectiveness is limited to reduce demand for prostitution. "A year after the ABC Action News I-Team revealed a state database meant to publicly shame and deter sex buyers listed just one person despite hundreds of arrests, a formal review of Florida's 'Johns' list was recently sent to the Governor and lawmakers."

• News Service of Florida: Court backs school district in transgender bathroom fight. "After a five-year legal battle, a sharply divided federal appeals court Friday upheld a St. Johns County School Board policy that prevented a transgender male student from using boys’ bathrooms at a high school."

• Associated Press: 3rd case brought by DeSantis’ election police dismissed. "Terry Hubbard, 63, was among 20 people arrested last August on criminal charges of illegal voting in 2020 in what was the first major action taken by the the Republican’s controversial new Office of Election Crimes and Security."

• Florida Politics: Florida toll rebate program kicks off 2023. "Under the program, drivers who hit 35 tolls in a month will get a 50% rebate the following month."

• New York Times: Lula Becomes Brazil’s President, With Bolsonaro in Florida. "Brazil inaugurates its new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Sunday. Facing investigations, former President Jair Bolsonaro has taken refuge in Orlando."

From NPR News

• Sports: Condolences pour from across the sports world for Damar Hamlin

• National: A bill to fight expensive prison phone call costs heads to Biden's desk

• National: She was a popular yoga guru. Then she embraced QAnon conspiracy theories

• National: 13 bison were killed in a road accident near Yellowstone National Park

• History: Here's what 2023 has in store, as predicted by experts in 1923

• Religion: Tens of thousands visit the Vatican to pay respects to former Pope Benedict XVI

• Science: Why scientists dug up the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, and analyzed his DNA
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.