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The stories near you
• Mainstreet Daily News: ACPS maintains Newberry Elementary charter vote failed. "Supporters of the conversion said 22 votes, or 50% of teachers, was enough to convert the school, while ACPS and SOS Newberry, a group working against the conversion, said one more vote was needed—23—to make a majority."
• WUFT News: P.K. Yonge soccer team training in off season for championship dreams. "As the echoes of their historic 2023-24 season still reverberate through the halls, the P.K. Yonge high school girls soccer team defied odds last year but want to win it all next season."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Children’s Trust allocates $250K for gun violence. "The Children’s Trust committed up to $250,000 to support community-based anti-gun violence initiatives after a presentation introducing the city of Gainesville’s efforts, as well as a new movement called Cease Violence in the Hood."
• WCJB: ‘They can’t be replaced’: Parts of downtown Gainesville removed for renovations. "The horse-themed fence around Harry’s Seafood Restaurant and the trees that lined the block are now gone."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville enters budget season dependent on DeSantis’ appointments. "The difference between the scenarios is whether Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) will send funding to the general government through the general services contribution (GSC) and what level that funding might be."
• WCJB: MasterChef Junior competitor from Marion County advances to the finals. "Marion County Fire Rescue officials are congratulating the son of a firefighter who is moving on to the final round of MasterChef Junior."
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Around the state
• Central Florida Public Media: Governor DeSantis signs $1.5 billion dollar tax relief package into law. "The package creates two fourteen-day disaster preparedness tax holidays, a month-long summer sales tax holiday, a fourteen-day school tax holiday and a seven-day tool-tax holiday."
• News Service of Florida: A federal lawsuit says a Florida land law is discriminatory. "Almost exactly a year after Florida lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a measure to restrict property ownership by people from China and six other countries, housing and real-estate groups Monday filed a federal lawsuit alleging it is discriminatory."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: HB 341: Florida's new law could bring awareness to drivers with disabilities. "A new law (HB 341) signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lets people voluntarily indicate on their driving record whether they have a disability."
• Central Florida Public Media: Extinction of Florida panther a concern if halted subdivisions given green light to continue. "Take all the streets, lakes, schools and sports team mascots in Florida named 'Panther' and they will likely exceed the actual number of big cats left in the state’s wild areas. There was a time not long ago when that wasn’t the case."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: FAMU Board Vice Chair calls for an emergency meeting amid questions about a $237m gift. "A university spokesman told WFSU the money came in the form of shares in Gerami’s privately owned company, Batterson Farms. The university says the plan is to sell the shares before the end of the year, but given the company is private, it’s unclear how that will be done and who would facilitate the sale."
• WLRN-Miami: 101 Flamingos: New count has scientists optimistic about bird's future in Florida. "The count was launched to gather evidence in a push to have modern-day flamingos declared native to Florida. State wildlife officials believe the birds historically inhabited and nested in Florida, but recent sightings are likely vagrants from Caribbean flocks. That includes birds blown over by Hurricane Idalia last year."
From NPR News
• Politics: Adult film star Stormy Daniels testifies against Trump in New York trial
• Technology: TikTok challenges U.S. ban in court, calling it unconstitutional
• Health: The FDA misses its own deadline to propose a ban on formaldehyde from hair products
• Politics: Biden decries surge of antisemitism since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel
• National: After years of scandal, Boy Scouts of America changes its name to Scouting America
• Science: Plants can communicate and respond to touch. Does that mean they're intelligent?
• Business: Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble. Will it make the app better?
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.