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The stories near you
• WUFT News: House bill brings uncertainty to future of Gainesville Police Advisory Council. "A bill rolling through the Florida Legislature, HB 601, would place further restrictions on civilian oversight over police departments – raising fears about the future of the Gainesville Police Advisory Council."
• Mainstreet Daily News: HCA North Florida Hospital reports surgery increase. "HCA Florida North Florida Hospital this week broke its lengthy silence regarding the ongoing disruption of surgical operations due to unsterilized instruments."
• Florida Storms: El Niño contributed to Florida's cool winter, a summer La Niña could influence hurricane season. "The lack of strong upper level winds during La Nina summers to disrupt the flow around developing tropical storms means higher numbers of storms, and storms that could grow into larger, more powerful hurricanes."
• WUFT News: Eastside High School adds a barbershop class for students. "Mallary’s curriculum is based mostly on participation, but there are quizzes and tests. Students must learn about the tools, how to clean up and what it takes to be a barber and about barbershop culture."
• WUFT News: Gainesville dentist drills into sentimental role as voice of high school athletic program. "Gil Brodach has been a practicing dentist in the Alachua County area since 1986 but could not let go of his love for Gainesville High School and bonding with athletes there."
• WUFT News: Modern ranchers: A Citrus County couple chooses an old Florida lifestyle. "The Bevers' rural lifestyle allows them to be active and ride horses on hundreds of acres of farmland. It also forces them to work harder and maintain their lifestyle as cattle ranchers."
• WUFT News: Photo gallery: 7th annual Heartwood Music Festival held in Gainesville. "Heartwood Soundstage hosted the 7th annual Heartwood Music Festival in downtown Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the festival featured a total of 20 performances from solo artists and bands."
• WUFT News: Fort King National Historic Landmark hosts Hammer In Blacksmithing Festival. "Tents with forges and fires dotted the fort during the first 'Hammer In' blacksmithing event hosted at the fort in Ocala."
• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Amber Brooke Farms hosts Strawberry Festival. "Dozens of people craving a sweet time headed to Amber Brooke Farms in Williston to celebrate the facility's annual Strawberry Festival."
• The Point Podcast: Limbs, sims, and digital twins. Monday’s host, Ben Crosbie, speaks with UF engineering professor Jessica Allen about her award-winning proposal to develop neuromechanical modeling technology.
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: A bill targeting left lane drivers has passed the Florida Legislature. "The Senate on Thursday voted 37-0 to pass the bill (HB 317), which would apply to drivers on highways with at least two lanes in the same direction and speed limits of 65 mph or higher."
• WMFE-Orlando: Southern Poverty Law Center survey finds majority of Floridians support public education. "But Jonathan Weber, the Florida policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center said the most striking statistic is this one: that 92% of Florida parents say educational experts alone should be charged with writing curriculum."
• News Service of Florida: A major Florida healthcare package is heading to Gov. DeSantis. "Passidomo has said the bills are needed, at least in part, to meet health needs as the state continues to grow. For example, one of the bills includes providing money to expand medical residency programs to try to keep more new doctors in Florida."
• WLRN-Miami: Mystery in the Keys: Sawfish deaths rise to 17. Scientists search for clues. "The death toll for endangered sawfish in a mysterious fish kill hitting the Lower Keys now stands at 17 as scientists struggle to determine what’s harming a wide variety of fish in a way they’ve never before encountered."
• Associated Press: Private US spacecraft is on its side on the moon, company says. "Intuitive Machines, the company that built the six-footed lander, initially said the Odysseus lander was upright after touchdown Thursday. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft 'caught a foot in the surface and tipped' and landed on its side, likely leaning on a rock."
• WLRN-Miami: 'It's still out there': How to protect yourself in case of a measles outbreak. "The Broward County school district is grappling with a measles outbreak after Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston reported six confirmed cases. As of Friday morning, a seventh measles case was confirmed."
• WMFE-Orlando: At 95, Ulysses Floyd shares legacy of service to children and teachers union. "WMFE sought nominations for profiles during Black History Month. A couple of people nominated Ulysses Floyd, a retired teacher and beloved pioneer with the Orange County teachers union."
• Associated Press: At the Florida Man Games, big crowds cheer competitors evading police, wrestling over beer. "Promoted as 'the most insane athletic showdown on Earth,' the Florida Man Games poke fun at the state’s reputation for bizarre stories that involve brawling, drinking, gunfire, reptile wrangling and other antics carrying a risk of time in jail or intensive care."
From NPR News
• National: A man set himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy in D.C.
• Law: Jury finds NRA, Wayne LaPierre liable in civil corruption case
• National: Man guilty of killing transgender woman in hate crime trial over gender identity
• Health: The science of IVF: What to know about Alabama's 'extrauterine children' ruling
• Economy: A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics
• National: Decades-old missing person case solved after relative uploads DNA to genealogy site
• World: Mt. Everest is plagued by garbage. These Nepali women are transforming it into crafts
• Science: Why do we leap day? We remind you (so you can forget for another 4 years)
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.