The Point

The Point, Nov. 20, 2023: Rep. Hinson proposes body cams for Lowell prison

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published November 20, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Young man who died alone in plane crash near Gainesville dreamed of becoming commercial pilot. "The pilot was the plane’s new owner, Adrien James Valentine, 21, of Melrose, according to his obituary published late Thursday. His family wrote that he died 'doing what he loved to do, flying a plane,' and that his ambition was to become a commercial pilot."

• WCJB: Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson speaks on proposal for body cams at Lowell CI. "Florida House Representative Yvonne Hayes Hinson has proposed a bill that would create a pilot program at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala. The program would require guards at the all-female prison to wear body cams at all times."

• Mainstreet Daily News: North Florida springs restorations projects receive more than $13M. "Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that seven springs restoration projects in North Florida will receive nearly $13.5 million to aid in the protection and recovery of Florida’s springs."

• WUFT News: Youth soccer referee arrested on child pornography charges, fired from UF. "A youth soccer referee was in jail Thursday, fired from his day job at the University of Florida after police accused him of transmitting child pornography online – including over UF’s computer network."

• The Alligator: UF pro-Palestinian organization likely to win lawsuit against shutdown order, legal experts say. "A UF pro-Palestinian student group could see a future victory in a courtroom against top Florida education officials after it cited First Amendment rights against a statewide order calling for the deactivation of its group."

• WUFT News: Tiny house festival showcases unique living spaces. "Dozens of tiny house enthusiasts gathered at the Gainesville Raceway to celebrate their big switch to living small at the 8th Annual Florida Tiny House festival Saturday."

• WUFT News: Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner Speaks with WUFT’s Glenn Richards. "WUFT Morning Edition host, Glenn Richards, recently spoke with Dave Pirner, the front man and creative force behind the multi-platinum selling Minneapolis alternative rock band, Soul Asylum."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving. "Planning not to cook a Thanksgiving meal this year? The Alachua County restaurants listed below will be open on Thursday as an alternative to spending all day in the kitchen."

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Around the state

• WUSF-Tampa: How Florida law fails to protect mobile home owners facing eviction. "When tenants face eviction from a mobile home park, they are often at risk of losing their own property, too. One Dade City woman shares her story."

• Politico: Washington Post lawsuit challenges Florida law shielding DeSantis travel records. "The Post’s lawsuit marks the first effort to challenge the law, which the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed just weeks before DeSantis officially announced a run for president."

• WUSF-Tampa: The Seminole Tribe continues to face a legal battle over sports betting. "The Seminole Tribe of Florida has relaunched its sports betting app to a limited group of people, nearly two years since it was shut down. The tribe plans to offer in-person sports betting at its casinos in early December."

• WLRN-Miami: Miami-Dade teachers' union faces potential decertification. "The largest teacher’s union in Florida is facing the prospect of being decertified by the state, union officials announced on Thursday night. As of last week, only 58.4% of United Teachers of Dade members were paying dues to the union, short of the 60% required by most public sector unions under a new state law."

• Associated Press: DeSantis won't condemn Musk for endorsing an antisemitic post. "Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is refusing to condemn Elon Musk 's post endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, maintaining Sunday that he wasn't familiar with the post despite it prompting major companies to pull advertising from the billionaire's X social media platform."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Senate committee passes bill that allows veterans and their spouses to live in nursing homes. "The proposal would allow spouses of veterans both living and deceased, to qualify to live in state operated nursing homes. The bill also grants the parents of a child who died while serving in the military the same opportunity."

• News Service of Florida: Republicans expand their registration edge in Florida to more than 680,000. "Democrats historically held a registration edge in the state, but Republicans overtook them in 2021 and have steadily expanded the lead."

• News4Jax: ‘It destroyed my life’: Couple who had $60K stolen from vehicle among dozens of reported big cash thefts in Jacksonville. "Jesus Montoya and Carrillo own several businesses including a food truck. Back in June, they took out $60,000 in cash from the Wells Fargo on Beach Boulevard with the intention of buying another food truck from Miami. They drove across the street from the bank to get a coffee from Starbucks when their worst nightmare happened."