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• WUFT News: President Trump signs series of executive orders in first hours of second presidency. "With less than 24 hours under his belt as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump fulfilled several of his campaign promises with a series of executive orders signed before an audience of over 20,000 inaugural parade attendees at the Capital One Arena."

• WUFT News: Hundreds line up for public inauguration watch parties Monday. "In the build-up to Monday's inauguration, hundreds of Trump supporters lined up outside Capital One Arena hoping to get inside one of the few public watch parties."

• News Service of Florida: Florida professors challenge DEI restrictions in higher education. "A group of Florida university professors on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a 2023 state law and related regulations that prevent colleges from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying the restrictions are 'punishing educators and students for expressing differing and disfavored viewpoints.'"

• Florida Storms: Forecast & impacts: winter storm heads toward Florida. "Snow is forecast across the Florida Panhandle from Pensacola to Jacksonville and Gainesville. Snowfall will vary, but it will be a rare sighting in areas not used to snow."

• WUFT News: Man sentenced for vandalizing Gainesville City Hall and threatening mayor. "Gainesville resident James Dewar, 42, has been sentenced to nine months in jail and three years of probation for vandalizing the Gainesville mayor’s office and threatening Harvey Ward in March 2024."

• WUFT News: Former Ignite Life Center staff member pleads no contest, sentenced to probation amid sexual abuse charges. "Noel Cruz, a former staff member of the church Ignite Life Center entered a plea deal. Cruz faced charges related to sexual abuse and assault and has been involved in both criminal and civil proceedings, drawing attention to institutional responsibility."

• Florida Storms: Florida on track to have one of the coldest winters in 15 years. "So far, 2025 is off to a cold start! In fact, the end of 2024 was chilly too. November and December 2024 temperature averages were below State norms, by about 5°. And with another major Arctic blast headed our way early next week, with very cold weather expected most of the week, this could be one of the coldest winters in Florida since 2010."

• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Heartwood Soundstage hosts Playground Music and Arts Festival. "Alternative rock band flipturn, who got their start in the local Gainesville music scene in 2016, curates the festival. The band works with Heartwood Soundstage, Atlas, and Swamp Records to curate a lineup of musicians, visual artists, and local businesses."

• WUFT News: Photos: Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrated in Florida. "The local procession is the 41st annual march dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

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Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: State legislative leaders halt committee meetings due to winter storms. "As of Monday afternoon, the central portion of the Panhandle, including Tallahassee and the Big Bend area, is under a winter storm watch. When the cold weather and wet conditions hit Tuesday, it could mean up to 1.5 inches of snow and ice accumulations of up to a quarter of an inch."

• Central Florida Public Media: Florida teacher shortage continues to improve, as number of uncertified teachers rises. "According to the Florida Education Association’s last count, there are more than 3,000 teacher vacancies at the midway point of the school year in Florida. That’s an improvement from last year at the same time, but the data points to a rise in another concerning trend: uncertified teachers in classrooms."

• WUSF-Tampa: Florida’s growing school voucher program has a high price tag, analysts say. "A new report from the Institute finds the vouchers will cost the state an estimated $3.9 billion in the 2024-25 school year. When the bill was signed, the Institute estimated it would cost $4 billion each school year."

• Miami Herald: Millions watch as they swim with gators, snatch snakes. Meet the Everglades influencers. "Call them the Everglades influencers. They're the ones who wade deep into pristine sloughs and isolated cypress stands and come face-to-face with all sorts of amazing wildlife, all while boasting a major following that runs into the millions."

• South Florida Sun Sentinel: 2025 will likely be a ‘major’ seaweed year, experts say. "Researchers at the University of South Florida used satellite imagery to determine monthly amounts of sargassum in the Atlantic Basin, and found that December had exceptional amounts of the seaweed."

• WUSF-Tampa: Tampa General Hospital performed the most transplant surgeries in the U.S. in 2024. "Almost 900 people received life-changing transplants at Tampa General Hospital last year, the most of any transplant center in the country."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: The courage of first responders can only be imagined -- but at what cost to them? "State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis has announced a request for $3.6 million in state funding to improve mental health care for the state’s first responders: firefighters, law enforcement officers, dispatchers and emergency medical personnel."

• Associated Press: Manatees congregate in warm waters near power plants as US winter storms graze Florida. "A polar vortex that has hit much of the U.S. with ice and snow has dealt a glancing blow to Florida and its manatee population. The manatees have been forced to seek warmer waters as coastal temperatures have dropped."

From NPR News

• Law: Trump offers long-promised pardons to some 1,500 January 6 rioters

• Politics: Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and members of Jan. 6 panel

• World: First Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners freed in ceasefire deal with Hamas

• Health: U.S. pays $590 million to Moderna to speed up development of bird flu vaccine

• Business: Pepsi accused of illegal pricing deals with 'a large, big box retailer' in U.S. lawsuit

• National: Texas could join Louisiana with a law to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms

• National: 'The birds are back.' Resilience in the ruins of the Palisades fire

• Technology: More teens say they're using ChatGPT for schoolwork, a new study finds

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.