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The stories near you
• WUFT News: 'Amazing thing’: Freed man helps others to move forward with tattoos. "McKee has the patience and wisdom of someone who spent 30 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. He opened his studio, a decades long dream, in 2020, a year after his exoneration."
• WUFT News: Cedar Key welcomes visitors after strong recovery. "Months after Hurricane Helene and a devastating fire on Dock Street left their mark, Cedar Key is busy again with repairs and preparations for the bustling spring season ahead."
• WUFT News: FDOT proposes a new road project in Ocala. "According to FDOT, the project intends to prioritize the safety of drivers and pedestrians over the possibility of increased traffic on the state road strip located between Interstate Highway 75 and U.S. Highway 301."
• Florida Storms: Parts of Florida at risk of severe storm; timing & threats. "Parts of North Florida are under a slight risk for severe weather on Wednesday. Central Florida could also see some isolated severe storms as a cold front pushes through the region. The cold front will be passing across Florida from north to south."
• WUFT News: UF not changing campus tailgating arrangements for next season after 2024 controversy. "The decision comes after fans ran into parking issues during the second game of last season. The problem was resolved within a few hours, but a statement made by the university several days later left fans confused. In the statement, UF said 'all parking that has traditionally been available for tailgating will remain available for… the remainder of the season.'"
• The Alligator: Deferred prosecution programs offer second chances for offenders. "A privilege offered to first-time offenders of nonviolent crimes, DPAs are a contract between a defendant and the State Attorney's Office to complete community service hours or donate to selected nonprofits in exchange for dropped charges."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Hawthorne OKs $1 million in wastewater upgrades, hires interim attorney. "The city received a $1 million grant from the state over a year ago and was finally able to give the green light to City Manager Robert Thompson to execute the work contract. The contract was awarded to SGS Contracting Services, whose bid to do the work totaled $980,000."
• WCJB: Bronson residents fight before the demolition process of a historic gym begins. "Last month, Levy County commissioners voted to demolish the building because of the high repair costs. Officials estimated renovations will be more than $1.4 million. Some don’t believe these numbers are right."
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Around the state
• Fresh Take Florida: DeSantis’ latest goal: repeal gun safety measures enacted after Parkland. "Three weeks after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 people at his Parkland high school, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill designed to make sure a similar shooting would never happen again. Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to repeal some provisions in the legislation, he said during his State of the State speech Tuesday."
• WUSF-Tampa: Florida-based insurers lost millions while affiliate companies made billions, a state report finds. "Tampa Bay Times reporter Lawrence Mower recently got a hold of the state analysis, which shows 'Florida insurance companies steered money to investors while claiming losses.'"
• WFSU-Tallahassee: School start time change could be reverted by Florida Legislature. "Lawmakers cited children needing more sleep as the main reason for supporting a bill two years ago that would require middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The change was expected to kick in by 2026. But after hearing feedback from local school boards, Fleming Island Republican Senator Jennifer Bradley wants to repeal the rule."
• WUSF-Tampa: Affordability issues are top of mind as Florida's legislative session begins. "Florida lawmakers say they want to investigate insurance companies. Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for action on property taxes and condos."
• Associated Press: NASA's two stuck astronauts are finally closing in on their return to Earth after 9 months in space. "Wilmore and Williams expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched last June aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, making its crew debut after years of delay. The Starliner had so many problems getting to the space station that NASA ruled it too dangerous to carry anyone and it flew back empty."
• WLRN-Miami: Confirmed measles case reported at Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Miami-Dade. " Measles is rarely seen in the United States, but Americans have grown more concerned about the preventable virus after cases recently emerged in rural West Texas. An unvaccinated child died last week in the West Texas outbreak, which involves more than 150 cases."
• News Service of Florida: Judge gives the green light to publishers' case over book removals in Florida schools. "It is one of a series of lawsuits stemming from a 2023 education law and related decisions by districts to remove from library shelves or restrict access to books deemed 'pornographic' or describing 'sexual conduct.'"
• Politico: Florida AG opens criminal probe into Tate brothers. "Andrew Tate, a far-right influencer, and his brother were arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 and stayed in the country until arriving in Florida last week after their travel ban was lifted by Romanian authorities."
From NPR News
• World: Europe considers a major defense spending package as Trump signals disengagement
• Politics: Starting with Rep. Al Green, Democrats protest against Trump's speech to Congress
• Business: U.S. stock markets plunge as Trump's tariffs spark fears about a trade war
• Health: In a sudden reversal, CDC rescinds some staff firings
• National: South Carolina plans to carry out a firing squad execution. Is it safe for witnesses?
• Books: A new collection of Harper Lee's writing is coming later this year
• Science: Hoping to revive mammoths, scientists create 'woolly mice'
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.
