The Point

The Point, April 13, 2023: Florida executes Louis Gaskin amid anti-death penalty protests

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published April 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Louis Gaskin executed for 1989 killings as anti-death penalty protestors gather. "Gaskin, who was nicknamed the 'ninja killer,' shot and killed Robert and Georgette Sturmfels on Dec. 20, 1989. This is Florida’s 101st execution since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976."

• WUFT News: The Replica Dilemma: The ethics of fake designer products. "Also known as fakes or knockoffs, replicas are close copies of original items created without the consent of the original manufacturer. The illegal trade centers around the consumers who purchase replica apparel."

• WUFT News: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says cold case solved after 7 years. "On Monday, a grand jury indicted Lorenzo Hudson on first-degree murder charges for the death of a pregnant woman, Shaquierra Pickney, the Putnam County sheriff said during a press conference on Tuesday."

• Mainstreet Daily News: GNV concept plan aims to reduce $315M of debt. "Gainesville staff will present a plan at Thursday’s General Policy Committee to reduce debt at Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) by $315 million over the next 10 years."

• WUFT News: Alachua County School Board addresses magnet schools and overcrowding. "Each zone is determined with the population of each school in mind. However, magnet schools, which allow hundreds of students who come from a different zone to attend, have skewed the numbers."

• WUFT News: Battle over Dollar General coming to a close: Alachua County places conservation easement on land. "Since December 2020, there has been a quiet controversy stirring in Micanopy, a controversy that is finally nearing its end."
Correction appended : The previous headline and preview text for the story on Louis Gaskin's execution stated he was the 100th execution since Florida reinstated the death penalty in 1976. It was actually the 101st. We regret the error.

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: The Florida Senate passes a bill aimed at blocking children from attending drag shows. "Critics say the bill, if passed, could effectively shut down local pride parades."

• NPR: Fort Lauderdale airport and schools closed due to 20 inches of rain in some areas. "A sudden flash flooding event in southern Florida brought up to 20 inches of rainfall and closed down the Fort Lauderdale airport and Broward County Public Schools Wednesday."

• News Service of Florida:DeSantis signs wildlife corridor expansion; $200M provided. "A priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, the bill (SB 106) will expand Florida's Greenways and Trails System and the SUN Trail Network with the wildlife corridor."

• Florida Politics: Flurry of ‘amicus’ briefs; outside parties intervene in Florida Supreme Court pivotal abortion case. "The Florida Supreme Court fight over the state’s 15-week abortion ban has attracted a dizzying number of interventions from outside parties who want a say in a case whose outcome will reverberate throughout the country."

• NPR: Ed. Dept. says college chain took advantage of students, cuts off student loan access. "A private, for-profit college chain with a dozen campuses across Florida and Texas will lose access to federal student aid. The move comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) found the chain, Florida Career College, violated federal rules and failed to meet basic standards required to access federal loans and grants."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: A recently concluded clean-up of an FSU radioactive waste site has a history. "A waste-dumping permit granted to Florida State University scientists in the 1950s led to the discovery and recent clean up of radioactive contaminants in the groundwater of the Apalachicola National six decades later."

• Florida Politics: Equality Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition warn against travel to Sunshine State. "That’s the message from Equality Florida, which is issuing an 'advisory warning for travel' which is 'warning of the risks posed to the health, safety and freedom of those considering short- or long-term travel, or relocation to the state.'"

• News4Jax: International travel bookings up 200% from last year, according to AAA data. "The spike in demand for these international trips is driving up airfares. Ticket prices for international trips are up more than 30%."