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• Fresh Take Florida: Lavish catering under ex-UF president: $38,610 sushi bar, holiday party that cost nearly $900 per person. "The University of Florida’s then-president, Ben Sasse, dished out over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions. The figure is roughly double the amount his predecessor spent and included a holiday party featuring a $38,610 sushi bar."

• WUFT News: Suwannee Songwriting Contest celebrates cultural, artistic value of the waterway. "Five finalists came from Florida, Georgia and Tennessee to perform their original songs in Valdosta, a city recently infamous for — though not alone in — spilling millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river basin."

• WUFT News: Lithium-ion battery fires focus of educational symposium in Ocala. "Batteries are an inescapable part of modern life. They power everything from cellphones, cars, and all kinds of everyday items. But their tendency to cause problems is undeniable."

• WUFT News: Judge reschedules accused drug dealer's court hearing after mixup. "Cedric Jabbar Lamb, 47, said in a phone interview he didn’t remember his scheduled arraignment in Alachua County Circuit Court. When a reporter asked why he missed his court hearing, he dropped a string of expletives and blamed a mixup on the company that had helped post his $105,000 bail last month."

• WUFT News: Accused Chabad UF vandal remains unfit for trial, judge says. "The defendant, Geoffrey Lush, is to continue receiving treatment during a stay at the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, according to Holly Stacy, his public defender"

• News Service of Florida: Florida Supreme Court hears arguments over 2022 redistricting plan. "Voting-rights groups went to the Supreme Court after the 1st District Court of Appeal in December upheld the redistricting plan. The case centers on a North Florida congressional district, District 5, which in the past elected Black Democrat Al Lawson but was overhauled in 2022."

• WUFT News: School Board of Alachua County approves $612.8 million budget for 2024-25 fiscal year. "The total budget includes an allocation of $297.8 million to the general fund, which includes almost $168 million for instructional staff salaries, while the rest goes to other necessities like student lunches, technology and transportation."

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Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Challenges stack up against a state website that opposes Florida's abortion amendment. "The site says the proposed state constitutional amendment 'threatens women’s safety.' But, the amendment's supporters say it’s Florida’s law banning most abortions after six weeks that’s putting women in danger."

• WUSF-Tampa: Study looks at how many 'forever chemicals' are found in fish and sediment in Tampa Bay. "How much fish from Tampa Bay should you eat? A study that includes a look at what are called 'forever chemicals' in the bay might provide answers."

• Associated Press: Dems claiming Florida's Senate seat is in play haven't put money behind the effort. "In the state's U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Rick Scott has outspent his Democratic challenger, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, by a 4-to-1 margin."

• NPR: SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts conduct the first-ever private spacewalk. "Jared Isaacman, who has amassed a fortune through his online payment company Shift4, paid for the mission, known as Polaris Dawn. Just before 7 a.m. ET, Isaacman pulled open the hatch and floated outside."

• WLRN-Miami: Arrests of Miami-Dade's homeless residents skyrockets since new law. "The number of people being arrested and booked into Miami-Dade jails on charges of illegal camping — a charge often associated with someone experiencing homelessness — have skyrocketed in recent months. In fact, more people have been booked into jail for illegal camping so far in 2024 than in the previous eight years combined, according to a WLRN analysis."

• Associated Press: Black rights activists are convicted of conspiracy, found not guilty of acting as Russian agents. "Four Black rights activists have been convicted in Florida federal court of conspiring to act as unregistered Russian agents. All of them are or were affiliated with the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement, which has locations in St. Petersburg and St. Louis."

From NPR News

• Education: Navient reaches $120 million settlement for misleading student loan borrowers

• World: The U.N. says 6 staff were killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school

• Law: Trump must comply with gag order in New York after appeal dismissed

• Business: Keurig misled the public over claims its K-Cup pods are 100% recyclable, the SEC says

• Climate: Gas stoves may soon come with a tobacco-style health warning label in California

• Business: After more than a century, the Campbell's company drops 'soup' from its name

• Music: Jon Bon Jovi helps talk a woman off the ledge of a bridge while filming a music video

• Climate: Climate change prompted these scientists to reinvent chocolate

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.