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The stories near you
• Florida Storms: Dangerous thunderstorms to impact the state Monday night and Tuesday. "Strong straight-line winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes, some of which could be strong, are all possible as next storm system impacts Florida Monday night and throughout the day Tuesday."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County Public Schools close for storm. "Alachua County Public Schools has announced a district-wide closure on Tuesday, Jan. 9 because of the National Weather Service (NWS) wind advisory and bus safety concerns."
• WUFT News: Alachua County third grade teacher arrested on charges of DUI, drug possession, resisting arrest. "An Alachua County elementary school teacher was arrested early Sunday morning on charges of driving under the influence, possession of bath salts and resisting arrest without violence. According to police, his blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit."
• The Alligator: UF faculty banned from recruiting Chinese, Iranian students under new Florida law. "The Florida law bans 'partnerships,' including recruitment programs, between state universities and any non-U.S. citizen living in a foreign country of concern — including China, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Cuba, Syria and North Korea."
• WUFT News: Ocala Paddock Mall shooting suspect arrested. "Law enforcement surrounded the house and negotiated with Shell for two hours before he surrendered without incident."
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Around the state
• WUSF-Tampa: COVID-19 variant JN.1 leads a new surge of cases in Florida. "Health officials predict that the variant may be more transmissible or is better at evading our immune systems. However, there's no sign so far that JN.1 causes more severe illness than other variants."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: Tallahassee's Evan Power is the new Florida GOP chairman after Ziegler's ouster. "The Republican Party of Florida officially ousted its former chair Christian Ziegler in a closed-door meeting Monday. The party also announced they have elected Leon County Republican Party chair Evan Power as his replacement."
• WUSF-Tampa: Florida opts out of around $250 million in food aid. "The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT) is a new form of federal food assistance that will offer pre-loaded cards to help low-income parents afford groceries during June, July and August."
• WMFE-Orlando: The first lunar lander mission in decades is experiencing an anomaly. "The lander was expected to touch down on the lunar surface on Friday, February 23. However, after separating from Vulcan, the lander a fuel leak was detected."
• PolitiFact: TikTok video falsely links removal of Florida voters and abortion amendment. "Abortion rights supporters in Florida are hopeful that a question will land on the November ballot that will let voters ensure abortion rights. But if you believe a TikTok video, election officials have conspired to prevent passage by kicking Democrats off voter rolls."
• WLRN-Miami: 'More than alarming': New report spurs worries over public safety, the environment in the Keys. "The Florida Department of Commerce's latest report modeling hurricane evacuation times for the Florida Keys — the first analysis released in over a decade — poses serious implications for the future of development in the Keys."
• News Service of Florida: A Florida bill seeks to prevent minors under 16 from having social media accounts. "The bills would require social-media platforms to bar minors under 16 from creating social-media accounts and use “reasonable age verification” methods to check the ages of people when accounts are created."
• Miami Herald: The best upgrade to reduce a home’s hurricane damage? A newer roof, FEMA study finds. "Newer homes almost always survive powerful hurricanes better than older ones, thanks to Florida building codes that have been beefed up over the last few decades of hurricane strikes."
From NPR News
• Education: The FAFSA rollout has been rough on students. The biggest problem is yet to come
• Law: Trump faces a make-or-break moment in the election interference case
• Elections: Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza interrupted Biden's campaign speech
• National: 2 major airlines find loose bolts, other problems on grounded Boeing jets
• Sports: The 2024 NCAA football championship, brought to you by ... California?
• Business: Overnight lines and mayhem in stores. It's not a new iPhone — it's a Stanley tumbler
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.