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• WUFT News: Florida chicken farmers experience increased demand in wake of bird flu scare. "Higher prices have sent consumers in search of locally produced eggs and inspired do-it-yourself chicken farmers among local residents."

• WUFT News: Some Alachua County teachers eye exit as salary negotiations continue. "Andrea Mesa, a Hidden Oak Elementary teacher, likens her role in the classroom to being in the trenches, relentlessly fighting for the success of the children in her district. For Mesa, teaching is more than a job. It’s a life purpose."

• WUFT News: Alachua animal shelters over capacity for the past two years. "For two years, Alachua County’s animal shelter has been exceeding capacity, housing more dogs than it was designed to hold. With space running out, the staff does everything they can to avoid euthanasia, but the reality is stark—when kennels are full, the options become limited."

• WUFT News: Second ex-UF scientist enters plea deal in child abuse case. "The plea deal brought an end to a case that began in late 2023 when state authorities alleged Yurui Xie and her partner, Dustin Huff, locked their children in cages."

• WUFT News: Archer organization celebrates Black History Month with effort to uncover unmarked graves. "The Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Cemetery Restoration Organization recently applied for a grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources to use ground penetrating radar to number the cemetery’s unmarked graves."

• WUFT News: Rawlings Elementary Food4Kids backpack program is tackling child hunger, one bag at a time. "Whitney Davis, the family liaison at Rawlings Elementary School, noted that especially for the first through third graders, almost every food bag is picked up before the weekend."

• Florida Storms: Rounds of heavy rains head to Florida, South Florida under flash floods risk. "By sunrise Monday, some downpours could travel along I-75 from North Florida toward Central Florida. By Monday early afternoon, some scattered thunderstorms could be moving along the southern half of Florida."

• The Alligator: Alachua County School Board releases ICE memo, sparking community concern. "The memo, released Feb. 10, directs school administrators to take several steps if ICE seeks to interview or remove a student. Administrators must ask for identification and request to make copies of any existing warrants, subpoenas or court orders authorizing the action. However, no documents are required for ICE agents to interview or remove a student, according to the memo."

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Around the state

• WLRN-Miami: Ahead of 2026 Florida governor's race, President Trump makes his choice: Congressman Byron Donalds. "Donalds, who lives in Naples and represents Florida’s 19th congressional district, has not officially announced he’s running for governor. On Thursday night, following Trump’s early endorsement on social media, Donalds hinted his political intentions."

• Associated Press: States threaten fines and jail time for local officials who resist Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. "Lawmakers in more than 20 states this year have filed legislation targeting so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Lee County leads manatee deaths in Florida so far in 2025 with 31. "Lee, Charlotte and Manatee counties are in the top 10 Florida counties for manatee deaths so far in 2025, a new report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission shows."

• Associated Press: Lawsuit filed by 17 states against abortion accommodations in the workplace can proceed. "The rules say that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida lawmakers make progress toward overrides on DeSantis budget vetoes. "After they voted during a special session last month to override a couple of the governor’s 2024 line item budget vetoes, House Speaker Daniel Perez formed four work groups to reconsider the $950 million worth of projects DeSantis cut last year."

• Associated Press: Refugees, sponsors feel stuck after halt to programs letting communities resettle newcomers. "More than 160,000 Americans across every state signed up to resettle newcomers through the Welcome Corps, a public-private effort launched two years ago."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida lawmaker files bill to allow college students to carry guns on campus. "According to the bill’s text, Florida colleges and universities can have so called 'safe zones' around campus during athletic events in which firearms would not be allowed. But in order for schools to have a gun-free zone, they must 'submit a security plan' and be cleared by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement."

• Miami Herald: South Florida’s fleet of electric buses cost $126 million. Only a few are still running. "Most broke down in under a year, pulled from routes while awaiting a backlog of maintenance work. Adding to repair headaches, Proterra — the California-based company that manufactured the buses — has since filed for bankruptcy, leaving the counties with a parts shortage and a bunch of vehicles they’ve been unable to fix."

From NPR News

• National: Luigi Mangione's lawyer claims he was searched illegally during arrest

• National: Trump's passport policy leaves trans, intersex Americans in the lurch

• World: Hamas releases Israeli hostages, returns remains of Shiri Bibas

• Politics: Trump administration plans mass firing at office that funds homelessness programs

• Media: AP sues Trump White House for denying access over 'Gulf of Mexico' row

• Politics: After mass layoffs, some federal agencies are trying to bring employees back

• Religion: Pope rests in his 10th day of hospitalization but remains in critical condition

• Culture: The Netherlands will return more than 100 bronze artifacts to Nigeria

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.