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The stories near you
• WUFT News: UF police arrest a Trenton man accused of secretly recording UF student in library bathroom. "A Trenton man is facing video voyeurism and battery charges after a University of Florida student reported being filmed in an on-campus bathroom Wednesday afternoon."
• WUFT News: February passenger traffic at Gainesville Regional Airport the strongest since 2020. "Over 20,000 people boarded flights in February on Delta, American Airlines and Silver Airways to travel to destinations that ranged from Miami to Dallas-Fort Worth."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Teachers union opposes Newberry charter conversion. "The packets promise improved wages and the same benefits as Newberry city staff, but Carmen Ward, president of the Alachua County Education Association (ACEA), said if the schools convert, teachers would lose the guarantees and protections the union provides them."
• WCJB: Commissioners back GRU Authority Board ballot initiative. "City commissioners are working on an ordinance aimed at allowing residents to have a say in selecting GRU Authority Board members."
• WUFT News: Sports dominate Marion County Tourism Development Council’s approved events. "Florida is home to theme parks, beaches and space centers, but Marion County lacks those types of tourist attractions. Instead, the county’s Tourism Development Council relies on sports tournaments to fill their hotels."
• Jacksonville Today: UF graduate campus gets green light in Jacksonville. "An effort to bring a University of Florida graduate campus to Downtown Jacksonville took a step forward Wednesday when the Florida Board of Governors approved the university’s plans to get things started."
• WUFT News: The slow battle to save 'The beating heart of Florida': The gopher tortoise. "Slow and steady wins the race, but unhurried preservation measures could lead to the Florida gopher tortoises’ demise."
• WUFT News: Comedy duo shows off collection of bizarre and hilarious VHS tapes at Found Footage Festival. "Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher are two childhood friends from Wisconsin. They spearheaded the Found Footage Festival, an ongoing anomaly that seeks to unearth and present forgotten media in its most unyielding form: VHS."
• The Point Podcast: The trees behind your allergies. Friday's host, Jimena Romero, speaks with University of Florida Associate Professor of Forest Systems, Michael Andreu on oak trees and the role they play in seasonal allergies.
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Around the state
• WUSF-Tampa: Sunshine Skyway set the standard for bridge protections. They weren't present in Baltimore. "The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which opened in 1977 — three years before the Skyway disaster — collapsed earlier this week after it was struck by a nearly 1,000-foot freighter. It was nearly four times as heavy as the ship that hit the Skyway."
• News Service of Florida: Florida Supreme Court has yet to rule on abortion and marijuana issues. "With a Monday deadline looming, the Florida Supreme Court did not release opinions Thursday about whether proposed constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana will go on the November ballot."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida’s apprenticeship program helps companies navigate a worker shortage. "Florida’s unemployment rate was 3.1 percent in February for the third consecutive month. That’s higher than a year ago, but it’s still relatively very low as many companies continue to face a shortage of workers."
• News Service of Florida: Federal judge will weigh a challenge to Florida's school pronoun restrictions. "A federal judge Friday will hear arguments in an attempt by a transgender teacher and a nonbinary teacher to block part of a 2023 law that restricts pronouns and titles that educators can use in Florida public schools."
• WUSF-Tampa: Mangrove Rangers ride to the rescue of a beleaguered habitat. "Mangroves tamper down waves, keeping shorelines from eroding. And as storms become more intense and sea levels rise, their value will only become greater. But they are being chopped down faster than they can be replaced."
• WMFE-Orlando: For Women’s History Month, one veteran inspires next generation of explorers. "In 1995, Space Shuttle Endeavour blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying a crew of seven, including mission specialist Wendy Lawrence. It was the first of four space missions for Lawrence, a journey that started decades earlier when as a kid, she watched the first people walk on the moon in 1969."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: The North Florida Wildlife Center adds to the Photo Ark. "Sartore created the Photo Ark in 2006 in an attempt to document every species living in zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries. Since then, he has visited more than 50 countries and photographed more than 14,000 species in his quest to create this photo archive of global biodiversity."
• Miami Herald: Could floating flower gardens be an answer to Miami’s polluted canals? "Miami-Dade’s canals aren’t exactly scenic. More often than not they’re full of discarded tires and plastic bags — and so polluted from fertilizer runoff, dog poop and sewage leaks that experts frequently warn you shouldn’t swim in them."
From NPR News
• Politics: House will send impeachment articles against Mayorkas to Senate on April 10
• World: 'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
• Race: Next U.S. census will have new boxes for 'Middle Eastern or North African,' 'Latino'
• Climate: The Colorado River rarely reaches the sea. Here's why
• Business: Bad news, chocolate lovers: Cocoa prices have risen faster than bitcoin
• Books: Here's how to set your reading goals and read more books in 2024
• Culture: The piece of wood that saved (only) Rose in 'Titanic' was auctioned off for $718k
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.