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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Concerns grow over student expulsions and safety in Marion County Public Schools. "The district averaged over one expulsion and two alternative placements per day across the first 80 days of school."

• WUFT News: Kendra Scott event with CDS aims to help transform young lives. "Lancaster wanted to give back to CDS after learning how it positively impacted the girl’s life. She was among the dozens who shopped at the Kendra Scott store in Gainesville on Saturday during an event in which the national jewelry chain partnered with the north central Florida non-profit agency."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County jury awards $15 million in sheriff discrimination case. "The six-member jury found that the ACSO under former Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. failed to promote Davis, who is white, because of this race and then retaliated against Davis for filing formal complaints about the discrimination."

• WUFT News: Gainesville to host “Riverdance” for its 30th anniversary tour. "Padraic Moyles has performed at Radio City Music Hall and in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, but one of his favorite shows was in Gainesville."

• WUFT News: First Magnitude Brewing Company’s Puppy Bowl watch party hosts pet adoption night. "The adorable puppies up for adoption prancing around First Magnitude’s outdoor area were the center of attention despite Puppy Bowl 2025 stars like Dee-Bone Samuel and Bark Kent on the big screen."

• WUFT News: Suspect wanted for murder in Gadsden County killed in shootout with police. "The suspect was wanted for robbing a Mobil gas station along Pat Thomas Parkway at gunpoint Thursday night, injuring two people and leaving two dead."

• The Alligator: Waldo residents juggle need for growth with maintaining a “small town” feel. "Alachua County hosted a community input session Jan. 25 at the Waldo City Square in hopes of addressing underlying concerns of future development projects. The meeting was a part of the county’s Forward Focus plan, an initiative aiming to 'boost economic opportunities and address community needs in the eastern part of the county' over the next three years, according to the county website."

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Florida House panels to meet to possibly override Gov. DeSantis' vetoes. "Amid the standoff, the governor on Friday announced an agreement between the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to authorize specially trained state troopers to investigate and arrest undocumented immigrants."

• PolitiFact FL: Five misleading claims from Trump’s executive order on trans youth health care. "In an executive order about medical care for transgender youth, President Donald Trump called to end 'reliance on junk science.' But the order itself included claims about gender-affirming care that clash with leading medical research and practice."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: New Florida law criminalizing homelessness could jeopardize federal funding to combat it. "It’s now not only harder to find those in dire need of affordable housing and social services, but more difficult to get those who are found to believe the outreach workers administering the survey aren’t law enforcement."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida Republicans are urging the Legislature to pass an open carry bill. "Open carry proposals have been filed before, then failed after receiving significant pushback from law enforcement."

• Politico: Facing fire from DeSantis, agriculture says it doesn’t rely on undocumented foreign workers. "Florida’s agriculture industry is quietly dismissing claims it depends on undocumented foreign workers in an attempt to steer clear of an intraparty battle among the state’s Republicans over immigration."

• News Service of Florida: Florida Lieutenant Gov. Nunez Named FIU Interim President. "Nunez still needs to work out contract details with trustees Chairman Roger Tovar, with the appointment expected to take effect Feb. 17. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he supported the appointment, as it was something Nunez was interested in doing."

• WLRN-Miami: 'A legacy moment for South Florida': Miami’s vision for the 2026 World Cup. "With less than 500 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Miami is ramping up preparations to welcome an estimated 600,000 fans in South Florida next summer. But hosting an event of this scale comes with challenges — from massive fundraising efforts to the logistics of managing fan engagement."

From NPR News

• Business: Trump administration pauses $3 billion marked for electric vehicle charging stations

• Economy: Chinese counter-tariffs to kick in as Trump threatens more to come

• National: New CFPB chief closes headquarters, tells all staff they must work remotely for the week

• Health: NIH announces new funding policy that rattles medical researchers

• Sports: With the surge in sports betting, the risk of gambling addiction rises too

• Politics: Trump says he is revoking Biden's security clearances

• Race: The NFL is removing 'End Racism' from its Super Bowl end zone

• Sports: See Spot run: Photos from a historic Puppy Bowl

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.