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The stories near you
• Fresh Take Florida: Sentencing in fatal hit-and-run of UF student delayed over driver’s mysterious hospitalization. "An obviously frustrated state judge delayed the sentencing Wednesday of a driver in the hit-and-run of a young University of Florida student who died in December 2020 after the man’s lawyer said he has been hospitalized since Sunday. Alachua County Circuit Judge Phillip Pena was confused about the development and scheduled a new hearing Friday to learn specific details about the hospitalization of Joshua Alexander Figueroa, 32, of Gainesville. He said he did not want to draw out the criminal case any longer for either party."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County hopes to triple road budget. "Despite a road network value of $1.53 billion, Alachua County’s road system is worth $900 million to $1.1 billion right now as decades of deferred maintenance drags down the overall value. The county currently has a backlog of $408 million. (Public Works Director Ramon) Gavarrete said Alachua County did little to no road maintenance from the early 2000s through 2016 when he joined county staff."
• Fresh Take Florida: Gators quarterback Richardson to write essay on 105 mph speeding ticket, pay $349 fine. "The judge appeared dissatisfied with (Anthony) Richardson’s explanation about why he was driving so fast, that he wasn’t paying attention when a sheriff’s deputy stopped him at 4:11 a.m. on April 4. 'I just remember driving home that night,' Richardson said during his court hearing. 'I was putting in my maps, and I didn’t realize I was going that fast because I looked up and seen blue lights, and that’s pretty much all I remember.'"
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Around the state
• TCPalm ($): DeSantis vetoes Lake O water supply bill after environmentalist outcry. 'We are watching.' "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he vetoed an environment bill that critics claimed would have prioritized Big Sugar getting the irrigation water it wants to siphon off Lake Okeechobee over the Everglades ecosystems' health. The bill would have stalled Everglades restoration, DeSantis said in a letter announcing the veto."
• Miami Herald ($): Is it COVID or a cold? Can pills help? Time for a test? What to know about Florida surge. "If you start to get a cough or other COVID-like symptoms, such as fever, your best bet is to get tested. If you’re curious about the similarities and differences between COVID and the flu, common cold and allergies, the Mayo Clinic has a useful chart online."
• WLRN-Miami: Fort Lauderdale Commissioners give $375,000 to Elon Musk's Boring Company for tunnel plans. "The city says the tunnel will alleviate traffic in the Las Olas area. Critics say it is a waste of money. All of the public comments about the tunnel were negative, with one man remarking that the city has 'tunnel vision.'"
• WGCU-Fort Myers: Hurricanes mean more rain, which means more mosquitos. Here are recommended measures to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses. "The Florida Department of Health in Collier County emphasizes that mosquito-borne illnesses can be prevented by draining standing water and covering up. ... This includes draining anything that can collect water outdoors like garbage cans, buckets, pool covers, plastic swimming pools, toys, and even plants."
• Politico: DeSantis claims in-person learning saved Florida students. It’s not that simple. "...even as new nationwide research backs up Florida’s decision to steer students back to in-person schooling, the earliest test results from 2021-22 show a much more nuanced situation in the state’s public schools. Despite the widespread return to face-to-face classes in Florida, one out of every four third graders scored the lowest mark possible on their state language arts assessments this year — marking the highest percentage since the test was introduced in 2015."
• Tampa Bay Times ($): DeSantis defends Christina Pushaw after report of her registering as foreign agent. "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended his press secretary, Christina Pushaw, after The Washington Post reported that Pushaw this week registered as a foreign agent because of previous work for the former president of the country of Georgia. The Post report said Pushaw 'belatedly' registered as a foreign agent of Mikheil Saakashvili after working for Saakashvili from 2018 to 2020."
• NPR News: A Florida man is accused of $2.5 million COVID-19 relief fraud. "Vinicius Santana, 34, a former Massachusetts resident, submitted four Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for the paint company he owned through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020, according to the U.S. Justice Department."
From NPR News
• Health: Moderna says its new vaccine booster shows 'superior' response to omicron
• National: Justice Department launches review of law enforcement's response in Uvalde
• National: Police arrest an armed man outside Justice Kavanaugh's house
• Politics: After the leak, the Supreme Court seethes with resentment and fear behind the scenes
• Politics: Key questions the Jan. 6 committee will tackle in its hearings
• Environment: Hudson Canyon, a giant underwater chasm, could be the newest national marine sanctuary
• National: Understanding the complaints from Simone Biles and others seeking $1B from the FBI
• National: NPR names Juana Summers co-host of 'All Things Considered'
About today's curator
I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.