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The stories near you
• Mainstreet Daily News: Fire destroys two-story Waldo residence. "When firefighters arrived, they found the residential structure engulfed with heavy fire conditions. Crews worked to bring the fire under control and also encountered downed live power lines."
• WUFT News: Springs warrior, Bob Knight, promises to protect Florida waters even after retirement. "Instead of fish hovering over Silver Springs, visitors see clogged algae."
• Mainstreet Daily News: School board, city of Alachua file motions to dismiss negligence lawsuit. "The lawsuit, filed on Oct. 30, 2024, surrounds alleged sexual harassment, abuse and neglect suffered by a sophomore at Santa Fe High School during the 2022-23 school year."
• Mainstreet Daily News: LCSO Finance Director fired after credit card statement irregularities found. "The Gainesville Regional Office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has started a criminal investigation into the matter at the request of Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Dive teams locate missing kayaker in Lake Santa Fe. "Law enforcement started searching for the kayaker on the evening of Jan. 1 when a call came in about a missing person and an abandoned kayak in Lake Sante Fe near Melrose."
• Gainesville Sun ($): New Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott among seven constitutional officers sworn in Tuesday. "Scott was declared the winner of the sheriff’s race over incumbent Emery Gainey following a recount in November."
• Ocala StarBanner ($): What's the future of the Dunnellon Police Department? City council, public weigh in. "The question has been asked for a long time: Should the city of Dunnellon keep or ditch its police department? In the past, residents and city officials have soundly voiced their support for the police department."
• WCJB: Battle for control of GRU continues with filing of new bill. "A court case has tied up the ballot question voters approved that would return control of GRU from a state-appointed board to the city commission."
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Around the state
• Associated Press: 'Heartbreaking situation': Bodies found in the landing gear of JetBlue plane in Fort Lauderdale. "The bodies were discovered in the wheel well area during a routine post-flight inspection on Monday night at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the airline said in a statement."
• News Service of Florida: Efforts are back in Florida for a new state bird. "Rep. Jim Mooney, R-Islamorada, on Friday filed a proposal (HB 81) that would lead to the flamingo replacing the mockingbird, which has been the state’s bird since 1927. The bill also would name the Florida scrub jay as the official state songbird."
• Central Florida Public Media: Cold Weather Shelters Expanding, A Postcard’s Place in Central Florida Tourism, How Gators Adapt to Cold Snap. "Plummeting temperatures this week have area shelters scrambling to provide safety and relief for the region’s unhoused populations and their pets."
• Associated Press: DeSantis appoints conservative think tank members to university board. "The appointments to the public university in Florida’s western panhandle come two years after DeSantis tapped six new board members to oversee New College of Florida, in what critics say was a hostile political takeover of the small progressive school."
• Associated Press: Florida grand jury investigating COVID-19 vaccines finds no evidence of criminal activity. "In a final report unsealed on Tuesday, the grand jury recommended policy changes including increasing transparency around clinical trials and banning advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs."
• News Service of Florida: Will Biden's 'drilling ban' decision out-trump 'drill, baby, drill'? "Biden’s directive covered about 334 million acres of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf from Canada to the southern tip of Florida and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It also included areas off the U.S. West Coast."
• Associated Press: Artists who boycott Israel push back against Florida government's ban on hiring them. "Florida is among more than 30 states that block government agencies from hiring companies that boycott Israel."
From NPR News
• Weather: Los Angeles wildfires trigger evacuations and state of emergency declarations
• National: Minneapolis and DOJ reach agreement on police reforms following George Floyd murder
• World: First international commercial flight since Assad's ouster lands in Syria
• National: What to know about Trump and his keen interest in Greenland
• Politics: Trump in news conference says 'all hell will break out' if Gaza hostages not released
• Health: New rules will ban medical debt from your credit report
• Health: Tiny fish on ketamine may show how drug eases depression
• Space: NASA hedges its bets on costly Mars rock mission
Aileyahu Shanes curated today's edition of The Point.