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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Efforts to preserve dozens of African American cemeteries continue in Alachua County. "The Florida Public Archaeology Network hosted a two-day Cemetery Resource Protection Training conference. WUFT’s Noelimary Suarez reports a number of groups attended the event including local descendants, caretakers and historians."

• WUFT News: Silver Springs pollution reaching unsafe levels, according to expected survey results "Chemical compounds in an area spring are more than three times a safe level, according to an upcoming report by the Florida Springs Institute."

• WUFT News: Music in middle school math: Educators cautious of proposed state bill to incorporate mixed disciplines. "A new Florida Senate Bill proposes a trial program to adopt music-based supplements to support math classes in middle schools."

• WUFT News: Empowering tomorrow's innovators: Florida Museum of Natural History holds "Girls Do Science" event.
"The Florida Museum of Natural History celebrated the United Nations "International Women and Girls in Science Day" with a free program of hands-on activities and experiments for local families."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Education Foundation uses $498K grant for ACPS initiatives."The Education Foundation of Alachua County has announced four new initiatives after receiving $498,151 in federal funding."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Harn Museum to open new exhibit. "The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is opening a new exhibit titled 'Gateway to Himalayan Art,' which is a traveling exhibition organized by the Rubin Museum of Art."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Santa Fe High School biotech students find their niches. "The biotechnology program recently received a $118,000 Workforce Development Grant, which Wells said will go to improvements such as an automated cell counter, a gel imager, a lab freezer and another flow cabinet to create a sterile environment for plating bacteria."

• WUFT News: A family in need receives the ride of a lifetime."Emalynn Roberts is a 15-year-old girl who likes Taylor Swift, wears purple eyeshadow and wants her own car (preferably white or silver). Unlike most other girls her age, she wasn’t expected to live past the age of 4."

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Around the state

• News4Jax: Jacksonville ranked among cities with the worst drivers in the country, study finds. "After analyzing risky road trends from 2017 to 2021, Forbes found that Jacksonville is ranked No. 14 when it comes to cities with the absolute worst drivers on the road."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Senate President may stall support for Confederate monument protection bill. "Legislative leadership could be getting cold feet about a bill that would protect Confederate monuments after open White supremacists spoke in support of the bill during public comment in committee last week."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: The Florida legislature’s $115B spending proposal is receiving some pushback from Democrats. "Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about the budget not including enough money for state prisons, agriculture, and rural development projects."

• WLRN-Miami: State legislation may open a path for affordable housing development in the Keys. "Here’s an unsurprising fact: Most of the jobs in the Florida Keys are in the tourism industry. But, South Florida tourism is for the most part a low-wage sector."

• Florida Politics: Marco Rubio rips Joe Biden for ‘undermining’ Benjamin Netanyahu with bad words, temper tantrums. "Florida’s senior Senator argues the President has a potty mouth, and that he’s putting it to use against a man he frames as a key American ally in the pursuit of a bloc of "antisemitic" votes in the Democratic Party."

• WUWF-Pensacola: Surviving the last slave ship on the Gulf Coast. "Sometimes when you are out looking for one story, a better one comes along and finds you. That’s what happened to Dr. Hannah Durken while she was researching the life and work of historic African-American filmmaker Zora Neale Hurston."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Law could make it easier to remove squatters from homes. "After hearing horror stories of property being taken over by squatters, the Florida Legislature is taking action. Bills in both chambers would transfer certain rights to the owners instead of those who are wrongfully inhabiting their home."

• The New York Times: Losing a son, and their bridge to a foreign community. "Linda Zhang wandered into her son’s room and sat for a while. She visits there from time to time, after her husband has gone to work at the restaurant and their other kids have gone to school."

From NPR News

• National: Election to fill George Santos' seat could help to decide who controls the House.

• World: Photos: Israel targets Rafah as dissent against Hamas grows in Gaza.

• World: A court orders Netherlands to halt fighter jet part exports to Israel over Gaza war.

• Politics: Trump appeals immunity ruling to the Supreme Court.

• Science: Across the world, migrating animal populations are dwindling. Here's why.

• Business: What exporting American natural gas means for the economy and the climate.

• Health: Shots can be scary and painful for kids. One doctor has a plan to end needle phobia.

• National: Skip candy this Valentine's Day. Here are some healthier options.

Sophia Bailly curated today's edition of The Point.