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The stories near you

• WUFT News: GPD's K9 unit is reinstated after 10 months. "This reinstatement comes after an incident where one of the unit's dogs mauled out a man's eye."

• WUFT News: Suspect arrested after second day of threatening social media posts against Marion County Schools. "The arrest came after a second consecutive day of threats created on Facebook. The threat caused fear and confusion throughout the community, officials said."

• WUFT News: Alachua County hazardous waste center celebrates 25 years, plans for expansion. "The facility opened at 5125 NE 63rd Ave. in 1999, collecting materials containing common toxins from residential and commercial buildings in Alachua County and neighboring areas such as the Gilchrist, Putnam, Dixie and Lafayette counties."

• WUFT News: Alachua County celebrates Florida Arbor Day. "The main agenda for the celebration included a tree planting demonstration, an opportunity for volunteers to help plant trees, a tree tour led by arborists and an option for attendees to take home a fruit tree."

• WUFT News: Project YouthBuild and Farm Share give to Gainesville's food insecurity."Florida-based nonprofit and food bank Farm Share distributed free food in collaboration with volunteering students of Gainesville’s nonprofit leadership program Project YouthBuild on Friday for food insecure families in Gainesville."

• WCJB: Gainesville city officials ask community to redesign street. "They will be hosting a public workshop on Tuesday for Northeast 9th Street. City leaders want to repair the pavement along the mile-and-a-half strip from East University Avenue to Northeast 23rd Avenue."

• Associated Press: UF is under NCAA investigation a year after a failed NIL deal with QB signee Jaden Rashada. "Florida is under NCAA investigation a year after a failed name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million with former signee Jaden Rashada."

• The Gainesville Sun ($): Gainesville: Want to avoid airport security lines? Register for TSA PreCheck popup event."TSA enrollment service IDEMIA will be holding a popup at Gainesville Regional Airport from Tuesday, Feb. 20 to Friday, March 1, where attendees can get set up with TSA PreCheck and expedite their security screening process the next time they board a flight, according to a press release."

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis drops presidential bid. "DeSantis, who announced the decision on social media, endorsed Trump over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the GOP primary. He made the announcement six days after finishing a distant second place behind Trump in the Iowa caucuses and two days before the New Hampshire primary."

• The St. Augustine Record ($): Unemployment claims in Florida increased last week. "New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 6,781 in the week ending January 13, up from 6,078 the week before, the Labor Department said."

• Politico: Florida abortion rights supporters fear new proposal would target doctors. "The legislation, HB651, would change the state’s civil liability law to add the parents of an unborn child to the list of potential survivors associated with a wrongful death lawsuit. It’s brought by state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Republican from Fort Myers who previously sponsored Florida’s 15-week and six-week bans on abortion."

• WUSF-Tampa: Releasing balloons could become illegal under new Florida bill. Here's why. "Chex is one of many wild Florida animals harmed by the estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic, including balloons, entering Earth’s oceans each year. What goes up must come down, and when a balloon is released, it can travel hundreds of miles before finally falling back to earth."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Expect ACLU lawsuits against Florida after the 2024 legislative session. "During a press conference Friday, leaders of the organization said they believe legislators and Governor Ron DeSantis are continuing a coordinated attack against civil rights in the Sunshine State."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Where have all the teachers gone? Florida needs more than 4,000. "The Florida Education Association says the shortage that comes halfway through the school year is critically impacting English language learners and special education students."

From NPR News

• Politics: GOP narrows ahead of New Hampshire primary.

• Business: 2023 was the worst year to buy a house since the 1990s. But there's hope for 2024.

• Science: Billions of cicadas will buzz this spring as two broods emerge at the same time.

• Business: Public sentiment about the economy is looking up, polls show.

• Health: Charcuterie sold at Costco and Sam's Club is being linked to a salmonella outbreak.

• National: Tara VanDerveer is now the winningest coach in college basketball history.

• Science: NASA finds Ingenuity after losing contact with the Mars helicopter.

• Books: In the picture book 'I Want To Be Spaghetti', a packet of ramen learns to love itself.

Jimena Romero curated today's edition of The Point.