The Priest Theatre was slated to be demolished in 2022. But the treasured building still stands today. The family who owns it would like to sell it and hopes it can remain a theater or other entertainment venue.
Read More »The Point, March 15, 2023: Record-breaking blob of seaweed threatens Florida beaches
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. Today’s Florida stories • WCJB: ‘These dogs do essential stuff’: Dozens of residents and GPD officers discuss K-9 unit in heated meeting. “Since last Thursday, Alachua County Sheriff’s officials have been lending their K-9 unit to Gainesville …
Read More »The Point, March 14, 2023: 6-week abortion ban’s sexual assault exemptions require proof
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. Today’s Florida stories • WUSF-Tampa: Exemptions for sexual assault survivors in Florida’s proposed 6-week abortion ban require proof. “Many assault survivors feel like they can’t report the abuse due to safety concerns or other reasons, abortion rights …
Read More »North Marion boys basketball team fights through heartbreak
In mid-January, Timothy Yarn was watching the North Marion High School girls basketball team play against Hawthorne High School. Yarn, the head coach of the North Marion boys varsity basketball team, cheered on the Broncos and prepped his team for a matchup with the Hornets. In the stands, Shirley Ann …
Read More »Year starts with high numbers of manatee deaths across Florida
TAMPA, Fla. – Lluvia and her calf Morado glide to the bottom of their habitat to munch on romaine lettuce; this is hour one of the eight they spend eating daily. They are the lucky ones, survivors from what wildlife experts are worried could be another year full of unusually …
Read More »The Point, Oct. 10, 2022: Hurricane Ian death toll makes it deadliest storm in Florida in nearly 90 years
Not since the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane have this many Floridians perished in a storm.
Read More »Early reports emerge of stunning damage on Florida’s iconic Sanibel Island, still severed from mainland by bridge collapse
FORT MYERS, Fla. – A cement-like mixture of sand, muck and oil cloaks everything on Sanibel Island, one of two barrier islands renowned for their sandy beaches and seashells where Hurricane Ian particularly focused its fury. The mixture smeared across Carolyn Bradbury Schwartz’s face and filled her boots as she …
Read More »The Point, Oct. 3, 2022: Scenes from Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian
Storm survivors, some of who lost all, wonder what comes next?
Read More »Lifelines after landfall: Southwest Florida grapples with Hurricane Ian’s impact
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Gulf of Mexico swallowed driftwood, stray shoes, split skim boards and the last vestige of Crystal Edge’s mother’s memory in the days following Hurricane Ian’s devastation. The 28-year-old sailboat – a family heirloom – remained trapped below piled debris at a marina under the Fort …
Read More »Preparing livestock amid Hurricane Ian
Livestock owners preparing for Hurricane Ian have three major concerns: identification, sheltering and power. Livestock can be identified by using ear tags or by spraying numbers onto the cattle using a can of nontoxic spray. Because most barns are not built to withstand hurricane winds, many area farms will leave their cows to weather the storm in open fields. Another concern is keeping power on so well water can be pumped for the livestock to drink.
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