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The stories near you
• WUFT News: Gainesville announces bus route changes. "The loss of Route 25 has created challenges for residents of GRACE Marketplace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness. Many shelter residents relied on Route 25 for weekend transportation to work, food sources and other necessities."
• WUFT News: Hoggetowne Medieval Faire returns to Depot Park while search for permanent home continues. "After a brief stint at a location on Archer Road, the fair’s organizers decided on Depot Park as a temporary location in 2024. The city stuck with the venue for this year's fair as well after failing to find a larger venue in Gainesville."
• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Hoggetowne Medieval Faire held downtown for second year. "The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire took place on Saturday and Sunday at Depot Park for the second consecutive year."
• WUFT News: Community responds as animal shelters face dire conditions during Winter Storm Enzo. "As the temperatures began to drop on Tuesday, Amelia Tanner got a call from her husband Dale Tanner. A cry for help had popped up in his Facebook feed from Alachua County Animal Resources. Foster homes were needed, urgently."
• Florida Storms: The science behind why Florida has seen the snow it has this winter. "The last time any appreciable snow fell in Florida was on Jan. 28th 2014, when there was one inch of snow in Pensacola. Tallahassee got a light dusting of snow in January 2018. The last time measurable snow fell in Jacksonville was during the Christmas week snowstorm of 1989 when nearly 2 inches of snow fell."
• WCJB: State trooper shoots man inside Ocala emergency room during altercation, FDLE investigation underway. "According to the Ocala Police Department, officers responded to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital just before 3 a.m. Officials say a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was involved in a physical altercation with a man in custody. The FHP trooper shot and killed the suspect inside the emergency room."
• The Alligator: State plans return on investment study for UF’s women’s and gender studies program, three other majors. "The board isn’t required to commission the study under any state law, and it’s unclear how much the study will cost taxpayers or how its findings could factor into future funding decisions for the selected programs."
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Around the state
• NPR: DeSantis faces pushback by fellow Republicans on his call for an immigration session. "Gov. Ron DeSantis has called lawmakers to a special session of the Florida Legislature Monday to take up a series of proposals on immigration. But it's not clear what measures, if any, will be considered as key Republican lawmakers have called the session 'premature.'"
• Associated Press: Nikki Fried vows to rebuild Florida Democrats as reelected chair. "Fried, who was first chosen as chair in 2023, got more than three-quarters of the vote from the party executive committee over state Sen. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville. Fried will serve another four years in the role."
• MediaLAb@FAU: The alarm is ringing: How long will Palm Beach County schools hit snooze for? "A new law making its way through Florida that would allow students to catch some more Zs is being snoozed by lawmakers in Tallahassee. The Florida legislature, set to resume in March, will tackle the question of the start time for Florida public middle and high schools, with the focus revolving around students’ sleep and parents’ work schedules."
• WLRN-Miami: 'I did nothing wrong': Miami's Proud Boys leader wants his Jan. 6 prosecutors 'investigated'. "Sitting at a Cuban restaurant not far from Trump National Doral resort, the newly pardoned Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio said that his group intends to continue being involved in local politics now that he is a free man — something he committed to before his arrest nearly three years ago."
• Fresh Take Florida: Tampa’s Gasparilla pirate festival: Attendees wary after deadly New Orleans attack. "The Tampa festival is known for its costumes, excessive drinking and parade that mimics a pirate invasion of the waterfront city. The driver of the truck responsible for the terror attack in New Orleans, who killed 14 people, visited Tampa twice before his rampage, the FBI said."
• WUSF-Tampa: Florida Aquarium is treating cold-stunned turtles rescued off St. Augustine. "According to a news release from The Florida Aquarium, 'waves of green sea turtles' were being rescued off Florida's east coast, near St. Augustine."
From NPR News
• National: Local governments across U.S. signal they won't aid Trump migrant crackdown
• World: Thousands of Palestinians begin returning home to a devastated Gaza
• Law: Oath Keepers founder barred from D.C., U.S. Capitol unless judge signs off
• Business: UnitedHealthcare names new CEO after Brian Thompson's killing
• Health: Trump pauses funding for anti-HIV program that prevented 26 million AIDS deaths
• National: Rain gives LA wildfire relief but officials warn of mudslides and toxic ash
• Health: Adults with ADHD live shorter lives than those without a diagnosis, a new study finds
• Animals: Photos: See the pandas' official return to the National Zoo
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.