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The stories near you

• WUFT News: ACPS employees to get pay boost. "Teachers and all other ACPS employees will receive a 3.5% increase in salary."

• WUFT News: ‘Art and activism:’ Exhibit at Gainesville Fine Arts Association aims to discuss Black struggle. "Funded by the UF Bob Graham Center for Public Service, ‘Veiled, Hooded and Hidden was showcased Wednesday through Saturday, at the arts organization."

• WUFT News: Ocala launches inaugural Brick City Bluegrass music festival."The venue, located at Ocala Citizens’ Circle in the historic downtown area of Marion County, was transformed into a haven for bluegrass aficionados."

• The Independent Florida Alligator: In single-gender dorms, UF transgender students often feel out-of-place."With a prominent LGBTQ+ community at UF, including the UF Pride Student Union and the UF LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, gendered housing can be a difficult experience for many students on campus."

• WCJB: Alachua County and Gainesville commissioners take step towards developing plan to stop gun violence. "Some were hesitant to create an actual plan, blaming budget uncertainties and a lack of information."

• Main Street Daily News: City of Alachua offers community help to schools."At the request of the Alachua City Commission, the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) provided suggestions for how the town can help support students and schools at a joint meeting on Monday."

• Ocala Gazette: Right horse, right time."It was the unfortunate situation of the COVID pandemic that presented Castleberry with a unique horse opportunity."

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Around the state

• PolitiFact FL: DeSantis ended his campaign quoting Churchill on something he did not say. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential primary race Jan. 21 in a video posted to X. The post included a quote that DeSantis attributed to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill."

• WLRN-Miami: Record backlogs in Miami's immigration courts illustrate a crisis in the asylum system."U.S. immigration courts are dealing with a record backlog of asylum cases and the worst is in Miami, where almost a tenth of the nation’s 3 million cases are currently being heard."

• WFLA-Tampa: What’s next for Gov. Ron DeSantis after suspending presidential campaign?"DeSantis’ focus will shift to the legislative session that began earlier this month in Tallahassee. He has three years left in his term."

• News Service of Florida: Florida House bill could make raising local taxes harder."City and county boards would face a higher threshold for approving property-tax hikes, under a proposal that started moving forward Monday in the Legislature."

• Associated Press: Floridians wait to see which version of Ron DeSantis returns from the presidential campaign trail."When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis first took office in 2019, he surprised many with actions indicating he'd be a much more moderate leader than anticipated."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida teens could soon face stricter penalties for possessing illegal firearms."Supporters say early intervention is necessary, but critics worry the proposal isn't fair to kids."

From NPR News

• Obituaries: Dexter Scott King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died of cancer at 62

• Politics: 'You gotta be tough': White evangelicals remain enthusiastic about Donald Trump

• Politics: Why Vice President Harris went to Wisconsin today to talk about abortion

• Business: TikTok cuts jobs as tech layoffs continue to mount

• Race: Following in her mom's footsteps, a doctor fights to make medicine more inclusive

• Science: New kelp fossils may help explain the Pacific Ocean's underwater jungles

• National: Woman arrested after allegedly stealing $2,500 worth of Stanley cups

Sophia Bailly curated today's edition of The Point.