The Point

The Point, Feb. 22, 2023: Archeologists want community involvement in historic cemeteries

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published February 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Archeologists encourage community involvement in cemeteries. "While people looked to the living for comfort during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigel Rudolph turned to stories of the dead as a way to ride out the worst of spring 2020."

• Florida Times-Union ($): UF requests $50 million from Legislature for graduate campus in Jacksonville. "The University of Florida is seeking $50 million from the state Legislature to help create a graduate-level education center in Jacksonville that would specialize in teaching about high-skilled technology in the fields of health care and financial services."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Newberry selects firm for wastewater engineering. "A Newberry wastewater plant expansion took its next steps this week as the City Commission agreed to award a $2.5-3M engineering contract to a local firm."

• WUFT News: GPD K-9 unit resumes regular duty following hiatus. "Community organizer Danielle Chanzes, 30, has led protests about the K-9 unit and Bradley’s attack since the incident last year. She said she now calls for City Manager Cynthia Curry and the city commission to do what they can to establish a moratorium on hiring for the unit."

• WUFT News: Marion County Commissioners unanimously approve construction of Buc-ee’s in Ocala. "County commissioners approved a plan to build an 80,000-square-foot store with three fuel centers, 120 fuel stations, and a 125-foot sign."

• WUFT News: Retirement for one couple means running The Blackberry Pig Farm in Hawthorne. "The Claytons, owners of The Blackberry Pig Farm in Hawthorne, have created a special bond with their pigs and take pride in practicing humane raising."

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: The U.S. Supreme Court is asked to halt a Tallahassee killer's execution. "With Florida poised to carry out its first execution since 2019, attorneys for convicted murderer Donald David Dillbeck went to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to try to prevent Dillbeck from being put to death."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: A panel of Florida lawmakers only heard arguments against gender affirming care. "Florida lawmakers heard from a one-sided panel of medical professionals and advocates Tuesday as they argued against gender affirming care for kids."

• WUSF-Tampa: Out-of-state patients fuel an increase in abortions in Florida. "More people got abortions in Florida last year despite the state's decision to ban the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with people traveling from out of state largely fueling the increase."

• News Service of Florida: A proposal would permit Floridians to grow their own medical marijuana. "A political committee has started moving forward with a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow medical marijuana patients and patients’ caregivers to grow cannabis at home."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Florida voting rights group nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. "The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which pushed for the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, has been nominated this year for a Nobel Peace Prize. Amendment 4, which passed in 2018, restores the voting rights of people with felony convictions after they complete the terms of their sentence."

• News4Jax: Substitute teacher fired over video of empty bookshelf, DCPS says video doesn’t show the full story. "A Jacksonville substitute teacher was fired after a Jan. 27 video he posted on social media showing rows of empty bookshelves in Mandarin Middle School’s library, an action the Duval County Public School later deemed a violation of the ESS social media and cell phone policy."

• WLRN-Miami: 'They couldn't break our souls,' says released Nicaraguan political prisoner who's back in Miami. "This month, under U.S. and international pressure, Nicaragua’s authoritarian regime released 222 political prisoners."