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The stories near you
• WUFT Special Report: The March of the Mangroves. A century ago, Florida's mangrove jungles were razed to make way for coastal development. Now, climate change is helping fuel their expansion. As the mangroves march across the peninsula—in the south due to sea rise, and up the northern coasts with fewer freezes to knock them back—will Floridians learn to live with their iconic coastal tree? Read today's special report by Augustus Hoff – and be sure to tune in to WUFT-TV on Sunday May 5th at 4 p.m. for The March of the Mangroves, a 30-minute documentary directed by Sophia Abolfathi.
• WUFT News: Alachua County teacher one of six state finalists for national presidential award. "Cynthia Tennell, a fifth-grade teacher at M.K. Rawlings Center for Fine Arts, has been nominated as a Florida finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching."
• WUFT News: Application period for Alligator Super Hunt permit opens today. "The Alligator Super Hunt permit will allow hunters to take two alligators from most legally accessible alligator management units in Florida. The season will run from Aug. 15 to Dec. 31, according to the FWC website."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Archer citizen angst grows over concrete batch plant. "The application was brought before the board at a March 7 meeting, but after more than an hour of presentation, public comment and board discussion, the city attorney received word that property owners adjacent to the plot had not been notified."
• Ocala Gazette: How many commercial traffic accidents happen in Marion County? "May is Share the Road Month, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles wants motorists to take extra care when driving around bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other vulnerable road users."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville to offer funds for downtown events in pilot program. "Rick Smith, director of Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA), said the goal of supporting events is to get more pedestrian traffic into the downtown area. The pilot program will start with $50,000 to use from June 1 to December 31, with an option given for the city manager to double the funds, if necessary."
• WCJB: Gainesville’s The Social at Midtown to end, future plans unclear. "Another popular part of Gainesville’s nightlife is changing. After 8 years, The Social at Midtown announced on social media the bar 'is ending' this weekend."
• WUFT News: Graduates reflect on their time at UF. "More than 10,500 graduates have applied for their degrees this spring, and today, University of Florida graduates will finally receive them."
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: DeSantis bans lab-grown meat. "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial measure that will bar selling or manufacturing lab-grown meat in Florida and prevent local regulation of electric-vehicle charging stations."
• News Service of Florida: Florida AHCA issues abortion rules on treating emergency medical conditions. "The new rules cover documentation and clarify that it will not 'constitute an abortion' to induce live births and babies die because of prematurely ruptured membranes, or for treating ectopic pregnancies and trophoblastic tumors."
• Jacksonville Today: DeSantis signs credit union bill in Jacksonville. "The law allows credit unions to hold up to 7% of public assets from either the state treasury or the State University System."
• WUSF-Tampa: Butterfly battle: scientists disagree on how milkweed affects a parasitic spread in monarchs. "An open letter to Floridians about a parasite in monarch butterflies has become controversial as some researchers suggest removing milkweed entirely will prevent the spread; others suggest that people should plant more."
• News Service of Florida: Florida challenges the Biden administration's new gun seller rule. "Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Biden administration rule that will require more gun sellers to be licensed and run background checks on buyers."
• WGCU-Fort Myers: Sports network disagreement leads to no Rays, Marlins games on local cable provider Comcast. "Comcast/Xfinity shut down Bally Sports Sun (channel 402) and Bally Sports Florida (channel 401) Wednesday. The cable company posted a disclaimer on the channels saying it couldn’t reach a programming agreement with Bally’s parent company Diamond Sports."
From NPR News
• National: Whistleblower Joshua Dean, who raised concerns about Boeing jets, dies at 45
• Politics: Black lawmakers reintroduce federal CROWN Act legislation to ban hair discrimination
• National: Sexual abuse hotlines see a surge in calls after Weinstein's overturned conviction
• National: NYC mayor says 'outside agitators' are co-opting Columbia protests—students disagree
• Health: The U.S. may be missing human cases of bird flu, scientists say
• National: After downsizing health care for years, Pentagon says medical readiness was a casualty
• National: Pregnant women in Missouri can't get divorced. Critics say it fuels domestic violence
• Animals: Hobbyist photographer snaps photo of extremely rare bird in 1st U.S. sighting
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.