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The stories near you
• WUFT News: City of Archer receives $13 million grant from Florida Department of Environmental Protection. "The grant will be used to improve Archer’s wastewater plant, an issue that has plagued the city for more than 30 years. The city is over $900,000 in debt, a lot of money owed coming from a loan the city took out to support the plant."
• WUFT News: Alachua County renames two former motels to be renovated as affordable housing. "The Budget Inn motel has now become Tumbling Creek’s Edge, and The Scottish Inns has become Forest View."
• Florida Storms: The "No Name Storm" hit Florida 32 years ago; this is what happened. "According to the National Weather Service, the storm, also known as 'The Storm of the Century,' caused $2 billion in property damage in 22 eastern U.S. states, with Florida taking the brunt of the damage. In total, there were 318 deaths, and about 40 percent of the country's population was impacted."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Investigation yields arrest of former Levy County finance director. "Gore was fired on Jan. 6 after she allegedly embezzled funds for nearly six months before accounting discrepancies were identified and verified. The FDLE investigated the incident and found that Gore had embezzled approximately $23,000."
• Gainesville Sun ($): Hearing scheduled following 'grossly excessive' verdict against Alachua County Sheriff's Office. "An Alachua County jury on Feb. 7 unanimously awarded over $15 million to Kevin Davis, a former sergeant who was found to have suffered racial discrimination under the administration of former Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Newberry finalizes comprehensive plan update. "CHW Consultants prepared the portions of the plan that deal with future land use, traffic circulation and housing, while city staff focused on reviewing recreation and open space, conservation, intergovernmental coordination and economic development, capital improvements and water/wastewater."
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Around the state
• Central Florida Public Media: Second Harvest Food Bank loses 1 million pounds of food after feds freeze funds. "A fleet of 28 tractor-trailers was scheduled to bring over 1 million pounds of fresh chicken, pork, turkey, milk, and eggs over the next several weeks. But on Tuesday, Second Harvest leaders learned that the delivery had been canceled."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida Senate committee strikes down bill to allow guns on college campuses. "The bill (SB 914) sponsored by Brevard Republican Senator Randy Fine, failed to get enough 'yes' votes on Tuesday after one Republican rejected the idea."
• News Service of Florida: Florida Senate looks into AI's influence on insurance decisions to 'strike a right balance.' "A Florida Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that would prevent insurers from using artificial intelligence as the sole basis for denying claims, with the proposal saying decisions should be made by a 'qualified human professional,'"
• Central Florida Public Media: Orlando approves homeless bus shelters despite public opposition. "The 407 Connect Project is a three-year program, consisting of the purchase and conversion of two Greyhound-style buses to be repurposed as overnight homeless shelters, providing Downtown Orlando with nearly 20 beds each. The name plays on Orlando’s area code but also on the number of people projected to be lifted out of homelessness through the program."
• Suncoast Searchlight: Running The Ringling costs millions and employs hundreds. Can New College handle it? "At Gov. Ron DeSantis’s request, those duties could be turned over to New College of Florida, a tiny public liberal arts college that relies on millions of dollars in state support to stay afloat and has faced accusations of financial mismanagement in the two years since DeSantis installed political allies in key leadership roles at the school."
• WUSF-Tampa: Watching like a hawk: A look at the lore of birdwatching. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are 96 million birders in the United States. That’s one in three adults in this country. And even if you aren’t one of them, you may just be birdwatching by default."
From NPR News
• National: 'Heads are exploding': How security experts see the Signal war-plan breach
• Politics: Federal workers ordered back to office find shortages of desks, Wi-Fi and toilet paper
• Media: Republican lawmakers seek to put PBS and NPR in the hot seat
• Elections: Trump seeks to mandate proof of citizenship in voter registration
• World: Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian director beaten by Israeli settlers, is now released
• Health: 5 things to know as Dr. Oz gets one step closer to leading Medicare and Medicaid
• Politics: 'Mad House' exposes Congressional dysfunction, from petty feuds to physical threats
• History: Ancient Greek and Roman statues often smelled like roses, a new study says
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.