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The stories near you
• WUFT News: Gainesville homeless campers fear arrest, lack legal alternative. "On Thursday, the deadline, Willie Littles was helping to move the last two tents to the camp’s new location – about 200 feet to the south. Their tents were now behind a fence and a trespassing sign: 'Deadly force is authorized.'"
• WUFT News: The future of the Thelma A. Boltin Center: a taxpayer’s burden or historic preservation? "The historic Thelma A. Boltin Center, a once bustling entertainment space for Gainesville residents, now lies silent as the building slowly succumbs to the trials of time."
• WUFT News: Gainesville commissioners vote to allow sex offenders to live closer to schools, day cares and parks. "With these changes, the ordinance now matches the Florida statute."
• The Alligator: Battle looms for faculty tenure review across Florida. "In January, the Florida Board of Governors will decide whether to adopt a regulation that would institute a tenure review every five years for faculty at Florida public universities."
• WUFT News: Gainesville bars receive unexpected boost from World Cup watchers. "The Swamp Restaurant owner Ryan Prodesky estimates as many as 1,000 walked through the doors on Tuesday during the US vs. Iran game."
• WUFT News: After a low turnout last year, Special Olympics Florida had over 400 athletes participate in the Race for Inclusion. "After crossing the finish line with aching muscles and a rapid-beating heart, Chris Nikic knew he had proven himself yet again. The 23-year-old athlete with Down syndrome was the first Special Olympics Florida athlete to complete the second annual Race for Inclusion at Flavet Field Saturday."
• WUFT News: A new Newberry Christmas tradition transforms its downtown into a gingerbread village. "With the streets lined with Christmas lights, event goers enjoyed a vintage Christmas market, the Firehouse art gallery in downtown Newberry and free hot cocoa."
• WUFT News: This RTS driver tries to spread holiday joy — every day — via his bus header. "January through December, Steven Sowders displays 'happy holidays' on his bus header to celebrate a national holiday, big or small, every day."
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: 10-year low for kindergarten students as school immunizations slide in Florida. "Last school year marked a more than 10-year low for Florida’s kindergarten and seventh-grade students completing all doses of required immunizations, according to a recent report from the state Department of Health."
• Tallahassee Democrat ($): EPA: Florida must change water quality standards to protect citizens' health. "The United States Environmental Protection Agency has determined that Florida’s antiquated water quality standards do not go far enough in protecting its citizens — particularly those who consume fish — from pollutants and adverse health effects."
• WUFT News: Legal question: Are police officers victims when they shoot someone in line of duty? "The Florida Supreme Court will consider arguments Wednesday in Tallahassee in a case that considers whether the identities of police officers who kill civilians in violent encounters can be withheld from the public."
• PolitiFact: Florida leaders misrepresented research before ban on gender-affirming care. "Behind Florida's decision to block clinical services for transgender adolescents is a talking point — repeated by the state's governor and top medical authorities — that most cases of gender incongruence fade over time."
• Florida Politics: Acceleration of digitization brings new challenges & opportunities for CISOs, CIOs. "Over the past three years, the acceleration of digitization and the increasing sophistication of technology have multiplied the cyber risks faced by state and local governments."
• Florida Politics: Terry Rhodes out as FLHSMV Executive Director. "Terry Rhodes is stepping down as Executive Director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ second term."
From NPR News
• Law:Supreme Court hears clash between LGBTQ and business owners' rights
• Elections: Georgia's U.S. Senate race pits the Black church against white Christian nationalism
• National: Racial bias affects media coverage of missing people. A new tool illustrates how
• National: REAL ID enforcement is delayed again to 2025
• National: A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud
• Art: How one artist took on the Sacklers and shook their reputation in the art world
• World: The long-lost remains of the last known Tasmanian tiger have been found in a cupboard
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.