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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Alachua County public school teachers advocate for more pay. "One after another, teachers stood up at a school board meeting on Tuesday to express their concerns about pay and working conditions. Each speaker was met with applause from the audience."

• Florida Storms: Florida records largest snowfall, winter storm continues to push east, forecast. "Drivers should continue to stay off the roads on Wednesday morning, as the temperatures will not rise past 40°F and some areas could potentially remain icy."

• WUFT News: FWC looks to change manatee protection zones in Levy County. "The changes to protection zones come after an FWC 2024 manatee distribution survey that showed the animal’s travel patterns shifting closer to zones of the Withlacoochee River that are currently 'seasonal low speed zones' and varying speed zones."

• News Service of Florida: New state rules to protect the Florida springs deemed inadequate in legal challenge. "The challenge, which was sent to the state Division of Administrative Hearings on Friday, makes a series of arguments, including that the proposed rules largely mirror already-existing rules."

• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Florida Republicans celebrate President Donald Trump's second inauguration. "People mingle at the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Headquarters Library reopens after electrical failure, 3 weeks closed. "The building was closed for patrons for a little over three weeks after an electrical breaker failed on Dec. 30. The timeline to get a new breaker and schedule the installations caused the delay in opening, according to Brad McClenny, the library district’s public relations and marketing manager."

• WCJB: ‘I was frustrated’: 13-year-old Gainesville student arrested, brings handgun onto campus. "Before classes started Tuesday morning, Gainesville Police Department officers say a student told their parent a male 13-year-old student had a handgun on campus."

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Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Marco Rubio sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State. "He was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance while standing next to his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio. The vote to confirm him by the U.S. Senate Monday was unanimous."

• Central Florida Public Media: Dozens of Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons have Central Florida connections. "The most prominent of the Central Florida rioters is 56-year-old Kelly Meggs of Dunnellon, who led the Florida chapter of the far-right group Oath Keepers."

• News Service of Florida: State of Florida sues feds in children's insurance fight. "Challenging what it called a 'backdoor' attempt to expand entitlements, Florida has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration in a long-running dispute about a program that provides subsidized health insurance to children."

• Central Florida Public Media: Proposed law would protect outdoor workers from excessive heat. "Last year -- ahead of the warmest summer on record -- the state Legislature stripped local governments of the power to protect workers from heat. That move came as Miami-Dade County was preparing to add heat safety rules for employers."

• News Service of Florida: Florida lawmakers seeking money for member projects are told belt-tightening is likely. "Legislative leaders are telling senators and representatives about a need to slow spending, at least in part, because federal money that flooded into the state during the COVID pandemic has dried up."

• Central Florida Public Media: More Florida communities are pulling back from fluoride. Here’s why. "More than 70% of Floridians who get water from community water systems receive fluoridated water, per the Florida Department of Health, and more Central Florida communities are expected to take up the fluoride issue. But what does it mean to fluoridate water? How long has the practice been around? And why does adding fluoride to water concern some communities?"

• WGCU-Fort Myers: StoryCorps Fort Myers Encore: A mother tells story of coming to U.S., building a life and helping others. "In this installment, we hear Samantha Garcia interview her mother Luzcelina 'Lucy' Garcia, about her experience coming to the U.S. from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant when she was just a young teen, earning a master’s degree on her career path in social work, and what led her to create her own non-profit organization OILE, also known as 'Healing Stitches.'"

From NPR News

• Health: Trump declares U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization

• National: Is the air quality index actually useful right now?

• National: Democratic attorneys general sue over Trump's order to end birthright citizenship

• National: Former head of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards has died

• Media: Prince Harry settles with Murdoch's British tabloids as trial is about to begin

• Health: FDA allows standalone use of nasal spray antidepressant Spravato (esketamine)

• Health: Beyond Red Dye No. 3: Here's what parents should know about food colorings

• Science: Saber teeth in predators evolved many times. Did it lead to their extinction?

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.