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Today's Florida stories
• Gainesville Sun ($): GRU shakeup: All members of governor-appointed GRU Authority board to resign. "All four members of the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board have submitted resignation letters over a lawsuit filed by a local citizen group, Gainesville Residents United."
• Florida Storms: The 2024 hurricane season officially begins in a few months. Here’s what emergency managers want you to know. "The countdown to hurricane season has begun, and Florida emergency management offices are sharing their safety tips to empower residents to act ahead of potential storms."
• Ocala Gazette: OPD Sergeant resigns in lieu of termination. "In his more than 10 years with the Ocala Police Department, Sgt. Horace “Lonnie” Freeman developed a troubling habit of failing to turn on his body camera while interacting with the public. But it would be Freeman’s actions while breaking up a neighborhood dispute on Halloween last year that would lead to the end of his employment at OPD."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Butler Plaza announces Barnes & Noble grand opening. "The grand opening ribbon cutting will be at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20 at the Barnes and Noble (3728 SW Archer Road) in Gainesville."
• Associated Press: Florida's citrus capital was the top destination for U.S. movers last year. "More than 29,300 people moved last year to the county between Tampa and Orlando, two metro areas where housing has grown increasingly pricey and the county is considered a cheaper alternative."
• News Service of Florida: Florida prepares to drop investments in companies owned by China. "Florida pension-fund managers are ready to begin the process of dropping investments in China-owned companies, anticipating that Gov. Ron DeSantis will sign a bill directing divestment."
• PolitiFact FL: Can you ‘say gay’ in school? Explaining settlement over LGBTQ+ ‘instruction’. "Two years after Florida’s governor received national attention over a new law restricting LGBTQ+ instruction in schools, the state reached a settlement with plaintiffs who said the law was unconstitutional."
• WLRN-Miami: Music rejuvenates the culture, history and memories of dementia patients. "Candy Cohn used to always speak with her mother, Lillian Cohn, in English, with a few words here and there in Yiddish. Then one day, Lillian, of Delray Beach, started singing a beautiful Yiddish love song called Sheyn Vi Di Levone."
• WUSF-Tampa: The Hillsborough River is going green for St. Patrick's Day, despite environmental concerns. "Tampa will dye about a half-mile stretch of the river near Curtis Hixon Park a bright shade of green on Saturday. A growing petition lists concerns that, while festive, the dye used is harmful to the environment."
• WLRN-Miami: Meet the Miami Dade College students making some of the best college podcasts in the country. "Out of more than 500 submissions from across the U.S., just 10 students were named finalists in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge — and two of them are from MDC."
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From NPR News
• Health: Vulnerable Americans are stuck in a Medicare-Medicaid maze. Is a fix in sight?
• National: Judge denies motion to dismiss charges against Trump in documents case
• Elections: Biden opposes Nippon Steel takeover of U.S. Steel. It's an issue in some swing states
• National: James Crumbley, father of school shooter, found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
• Race: Malcolm X is set to be the first Black person in the Nebraska Hall of Fame
• Space: Third time's the charm: SpaceX's massive Starship reaches space
• Health: Delta-8, an unregulated form of THC, is popular among high school students
• Art: World famous artists designed this carnival in 1987. Nearly 40 years later, it's back
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.