The Point

The Point, Jan. 23, 2023: Two more pedestrians killed in Alachua County

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published January 23, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Two more deadly pedestrian accidents occur in Alachua County. "A woman walking her dog Thursday night and a child crossing to a playground Friday morning were victims in two deadly pedestrian accidents in Alachua County."

• Fresh Take Florida: Stop the scroll: Pressure builds to ban TikTok on Florida campuses. "This week, Florida’s flagship public university went a step further, saying it will also ban all future academic research that uses TikTok, an occasional cultural touchstone that boasts more than 1 billion monthly active users in 150 countries."

• The Alligator: Gainesville City Commission grants interim charter officers permanent roles, fails to repeal commissioner salary increases. "They were hired in 2021 after a series of resignations from several city employees following allegations of gender discrimination against the past city manager Lee Feldman."

• WUFT News: Farm Share and Project Youthbuild join together to give free food to families in need. "As food prices soar, a Florida non-profit organization Farm Share continues to work with students in Project Youthbuild to alleviate those stresses for families."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Florida Springs Institute opens after relocation. "On Saturday, the institute held an open house for their new space, filled with educational exhibits, a store, offices and a research lab."

• The Alligator: Santa Fe College’s charter school recruits prospective county parents. "SFC’s Academy of Science and Technology, a new charter school initiative that will be run inside of the college’s northwest campus at 3000 NW 83 St, will offer students starting in ninth grade an associate’s of science degree in addition to a high school diploma."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Newberry man with criminal record wants to be sheriff. Is it legal? "Tyrone Randy Johnson Jr., of Newberry, filed his campaign paperwork last week to unseat Sheriff Clovis Watson, according to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office website."

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Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: VP Harris calls for liberty, freedom at Tallahassee abortion rights rally. "Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in Tallahassee, where hundreds of people packed a local nightlife venue to rally for abortion rights."

• WUSF-Tampa: Judge rules he can't reinstate Warren despite DeSantis violating the First Amendment. "Judge Robert Hinkle's 59-page ruling, which was issued Friday morning, said that DeSantis was wrong when he claimed that Warren had blanket policies not to prosecute certain cases when he suspended him in August."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida's path toward universal school choice is 25 years in the making. "(Florida House Speaker Paul) Renner’s announcement on a bill to dramatically expand school choice, surprised very few people who’ve been watching the evolution of choice in the state for decades."

• Florida Politics: NAACP, ACLU condemn Florida ban of AP African American history course. "In separate statements, Florida’s branches of the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union are condemning the ban as yet another in a series of plays to Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ political base, one made at the expense of not just Black Floridians but all children counting on a comprehensive education."

• Palm Beach Post ($): Sales tax-free diapers, debt collector relief: Consumer bills proposed for 2023. "More bills could be filed leading up to and during the session, which starts March 7, and those bills could be tweaked before facing defeat, approval or a gubernatorial veto."

• NPR: A woman was arrested for killing her terminally ill husband at a Florida hospital. "Police said they arrested an elderly woman after she killed her terminally ill husband at a Daytona Beach, Fla., hospital Saturday, as part of a pact the pair made weeks beforehand."

• WUFT News: Manatees eat more than 66,000 pounds of food in first month of supplemental feeding program. "Now in its second year, the goal is to help feed undernourished manatee who cannot find enough seagrass in the (Indian River Lagoon)."

• WUSF-Tampa: Through freezes and diseases, citrus grower’s identity springs from the soil. "Fourth-generation Central Florida citrus grower Eddie White has seen urbanization and citrus disease threaten the industry and his way of life, but he honors his heritage by running his family’s grove in new ways."