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The stories near you
• Fresh Take Florida: North Florida Regional hospital abruptly suspends surgeries amid concerns over sterile equipment. "North Florida Regional Medical Center, one of the state’s largest hospitals, is abruptly suspending surgeries for at least four days to deal with significant concerns about its processes to sterilize surgical instruments."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Library governing board schedules new meeting. "Notice for the previously unannounced meeting went out Thursday morning, which complies with the state law requiring at least a seven-day notice for any public meeting."
• WUFT News: GRU Authority delays decision on how much to cut its funding of city services. "The Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board postponed a decision Wednesday on whether its government services contribution fund would be cut in half or eliminated altogether."
• Ocala Gazette: Family of Marion jail inmate who died in custody files wrongful death suit against sheriff. "After the incident in the jail that resulted in Whitley’s death, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted an investigation. The findings were forwarded to State Attorney Bill Gladson, whose office stated that none of the corrections officers involved were at fault for any criminal wrongdoing, and no charges were filed."
• WCJB: ‘It’s serious’: Mass shooting social media threat concerns parents in Marion County. "Kevin Christian, Public Relations Director for Marion County Public Schools, confirms 10 schools were targeted in a threat on Snapchat. None of the schools went on lockdown, however Christian says there were extra law enforcement officers on many of the campuses."
• WUFT News: Alachua County Animal Services helps pets in extreme cold. "Alachua County Animal Services said it is seeing an increase in animals with the cold weather. However, this is when help is the most necessary at Alachua County Animal Services."
• WUFT News: Alachua County eliminates courtesy school bus routes. "Alachua County public schools are eliminating courtesy bus routes amid a shortage of drivers and change in demand. WUFT reporter Jessica Nitti has the details."
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: Florida Board of Education takes aim at 'DEI' and a sociology course. "Carrying out parts of a controversial 2023 law, the State Board of Education on Wednesday approved rules that will prevent colleges from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and remove a sociology class from a list of “core” courses."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: The White House chastises Florida for refusing funding for summer meals. "President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to add pressure to the Republican-led states that have refused funding for a summer meal program for kids. Among those states, is Florida."
• WMFE-Orlando: More Florida kids are losing health insurance. "CMS data shows that 56% of Floridians were terminated from Medicaid due to procedural reasons, meaning they were unable to complete the redetermination process. Reasons for this vary and include DCF being unable to reach a family due to an address change, dropped phone calls, or computer glitches."
• News Service of Florida: Florida House panel backs lawsuits over 'unborn child' deaths. "Less than a year after passing a measure that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Republican lawmakers are pursuing an effort to allow parents to file civil lawsuits seeking damages for the wrongful death of an 'unborn child.'"
• WUSF-Tampa: In 'Take Care of Maya' case, judgment is lowered but motion for retrial is dismissed. "A judge ruled this week that Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital will not get a retrial in a case that accused the health care provider of holding a young girl against her will."
• The Conversation: From shipwrecks to voting machines — not all underwater reefs are made of coral. "For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more."
• Associated Press: The ACC accuses Florida State of breach of contract and disclosing trade secrets. "The Atlantic Coast Conference accused Florida State of breach of contract Wednesday, saying the Seminoles broke promises when they legally challenged an agreement that binds the school to the league for the next dozen years."
From NPR News
• Law: Justice Department report finds 'cascading failures' in response to Uvalde attack
• Politics: Congress passes stopgap spending measure to dodge Friday shutdown threat
• Health: Kids of color get worse health care across the board in the U.S., research finds
• Technology: Apple Watch users are losing a popular health app after court's ruling in patent case
• Space: A transforming robot is about to land on the moon, where it will die
• National: Driven to distraction: New rules limit those humorous state highway signs
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.