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The stories near you
• Gainesville Sun ($): Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office, FDLE investigating two shootings at Ginnie Springs. "It's unclear if either of the shootings are related to a GCSO post Sunday afternoon about the search for an attempted-murder suspect. The post described a person of interest in the case and noted that the incident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the roadway between Devil's Spring and the tube launch."
• Fresh Take Florida: UF employee, students implicated in illegal plot to ship drugs, toxins to China. "A University of Florida research employee and students have been implicated in an illegal, multi-million dollar scheme investigated by the Justice Department to fraudulently buy thousands of biochemical samples of dangerous drugs and toxins that were delivered to a campus laboratory then illicitly shipped to China over seven years, according to federal court records."
• WUFT News: ‘At least 90% of my time’: Book challenge policies continue to consume Alachua County school employees’ focus. "Duval said the real purpose of the law, which is to allow parents to air genuine concerns with what is in school libraries and on their children’s curricula, hasn’t seemed to be fulfilled."
• Ocala Gazette: Rabies alert issued in Marion County, Florida. "The Florida Department of Health in Marion County has issued a rabies alert after a raccoon was killed in Anthony, Florida on May 21, 2024. The department is also monitoring rabies among wild animals in the area."
• The Alligator: Emergency rally in downtown Gainesville shuts off parts of Main Street. "Over 100 people gathered for an emergency rally in downtown Gainesville following the bombing of Rafah by Israel Sunday night, shutting off parts of Main Street leading to Depot Park."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Plane makes emergency landing near Newberry. "A small airplane with three people in it made a successful emergency landing Monday morning at Oak Tree Landing Airport."
• WUFT News: ‘Forever loved’: 25,000 flags placed at Jacksonville National Ceremony for Memorial Day. "The three women were among hundreds of volunteers who on Thursday for Memorial Day placed 25,000 small U.S. flags about a boot’s length from every tombstone at the 525-acre cemetery."
• WCJB: ‘It is bittersweet’: Historic elementary school in Lake City to be torn down. "Former students and present students are remembering the many memories they’ve created at an elementary school in Lake City after finding out it will soon be gone."
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Around the state
• WFSU-Tallahassee: Will Florida's new trafficking hotline clash with the established national hotline? "Chen says the national hotline reports about 30 percent of its calls to law enforcement...Chen says the other 70 percent of their calls are either people who don’t want law enforcement involved, or who are calling to get access to services."
• Central Florida Public Media: In multilingual Central Florida, hurricane and flood warnings can go unheard. "Floridians rely on critical information from the government during hurricanes and afterward for help with impacts like flooding. But what if families -- like an estimated 39,000 households in Orange County -- don't speak English well? Will they get the information they need?"
• WFSU-Tallahassee: A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida. "The latest incident took place on May 3rd, involving Senior Airman Roger Fortson and a sheriff deputy, who has yet to be identified. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump likens Fortson’s death to the killings of Breonna Taylor and Travon Martin."
• Miami Herald: Water temps soar in Florida Keys. Can coral reefs stand another bout of extreme heat? "Florida’s coral reefs experienced the deadliest bleaching event in history last summer, a toll largely caused by record hot coastal waters. Now, water temperatures in the Florida Keys are already approaching the coral danger zone — earlier and hotter than last year."
• NPR: What we know and what we don't about a historic settlement to pay college athletes. "The proposed legal settlement by the NCAA and its Power Five conferences would allow schools to directly pay athletes. But questions remain, including whether men and women will be paid equally."
• WLRN-Miami: How an eddy in the Gulf of Mexico could supercharge hurricanes in a busy season. "The eddies can be more than 100 miles across and persist for months, Shay said, with several meandering around at the same time. When hurricanes encounter them, that warmer water can provide the energy a storm needs to intensify quickly."
• WGCU-Fort Myers: Hurricane Ian offered silver lining involving pelicans and shorebirds. "The number of pelicans and other shorebirds with hooks in their pouches or stomachs, or fishing line wrapped tight around legs, wings or beaks dropped by 58 percent across the region."
• KFF Health News: The case of the armadillo: Is it spreading leprosy in Florida? "In an open-air barn at the edge of the University of Florida in Gainesville, veterinarian Juan Campos Krauer examines a dead armadillo’s footpads and ears for signs of infection."
From NPR News
• National: More than 20 are dead after tornadoes rip through parts of Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas
• World: An Israeli airstrike killed 45 Palestinians in an encampment for displaced people
• Law: The 3 ways Trump's hush money trial could end, as jury deliberations begin soon
• Business: After ‘whites only’ job posting, tech staffing firm settles with DOJ, Labor
• Health: The new obesity drugs work, but it's a dilemma when people have to stop taking them
• Health: Gay and bisexual men can donate blood and organs but not tissue like corneas
• Law: Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' trial to go ahead after judge denies motion to dismiss charge
• Animals: Air travel has gone to the dogs — literally. Here’s what to know about BARK Air
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.