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The stories near you
• WUFT News: Gainesville ramps up efforts to clear local streets after latest property seizure notice at housing camp. "A homeless encampment on Southeast Fourth Place received a notice April 24 from the City of Gainesville giving camp residents three days to remove all personal items from public property."
• WUFT News: Proposed Florida NIL deal sparks debate among coaches and players. "Long debated in the collegiate level, many wonder if the law would would give students more opportunity or ruin high school sports."
• Mainstreet Daily News: UF, GNV to extend transit contract for 6 months as talks continue. "The contract extension pauses concerns about a budget deficit in the middle of the Gainesville fiscal year along with concerns about reductions in service across the city."
• WUFT News: Gainesville bands honor High Dive; music venue to shut down May 19. "The five-piece indie band, the Hails, announced on Wednesday it will play High Dive’s last show on May 19th. The iconic downtown Gainesville music venue shared last week that it will be closing its doors and has 30 days to vacate the property for the new owners to develop the area."
• WUFT News: College move-out produces a lot of waste, but that's not always a bad thing for Gainesville residents. "Many University of Florida students throw away the items they don’t need when moving out of dorms or apartments each year, creating what some local residents see as a unique opportunity."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Metcalfe Elementary to keep 10-month school calendar. "The Florida Department of Education has approved Alachua County Public Schools’ request to keep Metcalfe Elementary School on a traditional 10-month calendar. Rawlings Elementary School will proceed with a new year-round calendar for the 2024-25 school year, starting July 16."
• WUFT News: Bradley Gamble takes over as CEO of Cade Museum, with aspirations and challenges ahead. "After a yearlong search, The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention announced Bradley Gamble as its new chief executive officer on April 15. He took over for Phoebe Cade Miles, who had served as its interim CEO since March 2023."
• WUFT News: Thaliondor: Ocala LARPers find community through fighting. "As someone who participated in armored combat sports with real metal weapons and steel armor, Luke Rueberg used to make fun of Live Action Role Playing (LARPing). That was until he lost a bet against a friend in a card game and had to spend a day swinging a foam sword and wearing medieval-inspired clothing, or garb."
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Around the state
• NPR: Why is a 6-week abortion ban nearly a total ban? It's about how we date a pregnancy. "A six-week limit on abortion is really a limit of four weeks after conception, and one or two weeks after a person learns they are pregnant. There are lots of variations in these biological norms from person-to-person and even from month-to-month."
• Associated Press: Climate change could virtually disappear from Florida law. "Florida, perhaps the most vulnerable state to sea-level rise and extreme weather, is on the verge of repealing what's left of a 16-year-old law that lists climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. Instead, the state would make energy affordability and availability its main focus."
• Jacksonville Today: Kamala Harris assails Florida abortion law in Jacksonville appearance. "Vice President Kamala Harris used her 14-minute speech to vehemently oppose the Heartbeat Protection Act that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in April 2023. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the law, and it took effect Wednesday."
• Central Florida Public Media: Florida colleges told not to cancel graduation amidst Palestine protests. "The letter authorizes schools to take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of attendees at these ceremonies."
• Associated Press: Walmart is closing its 51 health centers. Here are the 23 Florida locations. "In addition to the clinics, the company is taking down its virtual health service after concluding 'there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue.'"
• Central Florida Public Media: Eatonville named one of America's most endangered historic places. Here’s why that’s good. "N.Y. Nathiri of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community said this is a good thing, as it will put a spotlight on Eatonville and help attract further investment into the area."
• News Service of Florida: Florida defends its congressional redistricting map. "Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration urged the state Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of a congressional redistricting plan that DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in 2022, saying it properly prevented a racially gerrymandered North Florida district."
From NPR News
• National: Arizona lawmakers vote by a narrow margin to repeal Civil War-era abortion ban
• National: Who will pay to replace Baltimore's Key Bridge? The legal battle has already begun
• National: Violence erupts at UCLA as protests over Israel's war in Gaza escalate across the U.S.
• Education: Biden forgives more than $6 billion in loans for 317,000 Art Institutes students
• Health: Hormones for menopause are safe, study finds. Here's what changed
• Business: Amazon, Target and other retailers pull weighted infant sleepwear over safety fears
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.