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The Point, May 24, 2023: New Twitter account tracks DeSantis' air travel

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Marion County Sheriff arrests 20 in undercover online predator investigation. "An undercover investigation in Marion County last week resulted in the arrest of 20 online sexual predators trying to meet underage children for sex or sending explicit photos or messages."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Newberry to cut electric bills. "The average Newberry electric customer will see a $20 drop in their bills starting in June as the city lowers its power cost adjustment (PCA) charge."

• Ocala Gazette: Marion County Commissioner, Jeff Gold resigns. "Marion County Commissioner Jeff Gold tendered his resignation to the board chair on Tuesday, effective after the last board meeting in July."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Semi trailer catches fire at I-75 Alachua exit. "A tractor-trailer caught fire and emergency crews shut down the northbound 399 Interstate 75 exit ramp Tuesday."

• WCJB: UF ranks in the top 25 for producing volunteers for the Peace Corps in the last 20 years. "Since the Peace Corps founding in 1961, nearly 1,500 volunteers are UF alumni."


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Around the state

• WUSF-Tampa: State agrees to protect nearly 40,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands. "Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday voted to spend nearly $100 million to help protect nearly 40,000 acres within the Florida Wildlife Corridor."

• NPR: DeSantis is expected to announce a presidential run on Twitter with Elon Musk. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to announce his run for president on Wednesday during a Twitter Spaces event alongside Twitter's Executive Chairman Elon Musk."

• WMFE-Orlando: Thousands of Floridians kicked off Medicaid, experts say most of them were still eligible. "State data show that 10% of those who lost coverage were terminated because they were ineligible or hadn’t used Medicaid over the past 12 months. However, 82% of people lost coverage for procedural reasons, also known as 'red tape' reasons, such as not having responded to mail, having outdated contact info, or computer glitches."

• CNN: Florida school system has closed investigation into teacher who showed Disney movie with gay character. "The Hernando County School Board has closed its investigation into a Florida teacher who showed the Disney film 'Strange World' to her fifth-grade class, according to a copy of the district’s final report provided to CNN by Jenna Barbee, the educator."

• NPR: The new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel. "Jack Sweeney, the 20-year-old who created the popular Twitter page tracking billionaire Elon Musk's private jet, recently debuted the new account following the Florida governor."

• Florida Politics: Hurting a police dog in Florida will soon be punishable by up to 5 in years prison. "This week, DeSantis signed HB 1047, which makes 'maliciously touching, striking or causing bodily harm' to a police or fire rescue dog a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Mysterious disease leaving some Florida panthers disoriented, wobbly, confused; others dead. "Researchers say the disease is for life, but the disabilities make it harder for panthers to hunt and easier for them to be hit and killed by a vehicle, so the question remains how much shorter is that life, and at what quality?"

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Red tide? Seaweed blob? Nope, scientists are watching a different algae off Tampa Bay. "Scientists are monitoring a patchy cloud of 'sea sawdust' that has ebbed and flowed in the Gulf of Mexico for nearly a week, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The blue-green algae species, known as Trichodesmium, is often found in tropical waters and blooms off Southwest Florida."


From NPR News

• Politics: In Iowa, voters are already sizing up the 2024 GOP presidential field

• National: A year after Uvalde, lawsuits will test firearms industry's immunity protections

• Education: A Georgia school district's book bans may have caused a hostile environment, feds say

• Economy: So would a U.S. default really be that bad? Yes – And here's why

• National: A suspect is charged after crashing a truck into barriers near the White House

• Health: People with disabilities aren't often seen in stock photos. The CPSC is changing that

• Business: Ford reverses course and decides to keep AM radio on its vehicles

• Business: Netflix has officially begun its plan to make users pay extra for password sharing
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org
Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org