WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: 2021 Swamp Car Wash murder case defendant changes plea again. “Under the former plea deal, Patrick was facing up to 15 years in prison. Now, if he is found guilty …
Read More »Monorail becomes the latest target in the Disney feud
TALLAHASSEE — Disney’s iconic monorail system would face periodic state inspections, as Republican lawmakers continue to back Gov. Ron DeSantis in his clash with the entertainment giant. Voting along party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday amended a transportation bill (SB 1250) to apply Department of Transportation …
Read More »Some DeSantis allies feel growing urgency for him to launch 2024 bid
Inside the Florida statehouse, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Republican allies say they’re working “at warp speed” to finish their legislative business. In South Carolina and Nevada, early voting states that are critical in a presidential primary, his operatives are moving quickly to build out a political team that is essentially a campaign in waiting. …
Read More »The Point, April 24, 2023: 100-year-old house moved across Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Photos: 100-year-old house moved across Gainesville. “The project was organized by Tyler Smith and Roberta Lopez to move the more than 100-year-old home two miles to a plot of land …
Read More »Florida Senate moves toward ending higher ed ‘DEI’ spending
TALLAHASSEE — A measure that seeks to prevent colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is ready to go before the full Senate amid strong objections from Democrats, with one Black senator calling the proposal “racist at its core.” The bill (SB 266) also has …
Read More »The Point, April 20, 2023: House committee approves GRU control bill
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: GRU control bill gets House committee approval. “The House State Affairs Committee approved Representative Chuck Clemons’ bill giving the state of Florida control of Gainesville Regional Utilities on Wednesday.” • …
Read More »Judge rejects lawsuit against ‘intellectual freedom’ surveys on college campuses
TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge has tossed out a challenge to a controversial 2021 Florida law that includes requiring surveys about “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” on state college and university campuses. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a 22-page decision Monday that said plaintiffs, including the United Faculty …
Read More »The Point, April 18, 2023: Activists decry Florida plan to use mining waste in roads
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Two people hospitalized following collision on West University Avenue. “Two people were taken to the hospital around 6 p.m. Monday after the driver of a red Ford F-150 truck lost …
Read More »‘Radioactive roads’? Environmentalists want brakes on Florida plan to reuse toxic mining waste
MULBERRY, Fla. – With much less notice than the Florida abortion, guns and education culture wars, a battle between environmentalists and a Fortune 500 mining giant is playing out in Tallahassee that critics fear could have devastating long-term health consequences. On one side is Mosaic Inc., a Tampa-based mining and …
Read More »The future of abortion rights in Florida hinges on a state Supreme Court decision
TALLAHASSEE — A seismic shift in abortion rights could be coming in Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis late Thursday signed a measure to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. But whether the six-week limit goes forward will hinge on a case before the state Supreme Court. The Republican-dominated House …
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