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• WUFT News: DeSantis orders universities to shut down pro-Palestinian student clubs. “The highly unusual move – all but certain to be challenged in court – pits a law intended to prevent support for terrorists against First Amendment-protected activities in support of Palestinians injured or killed during Israel’s response to the Hamas attack and generations of suffering by Palestinians across the region.”
• WUFT News: Pro-Palestinian walkout at the University of Florida draws residents and students. “Over 150 pro-Palestinian protesters held a walkout at the University of Florida on Wednesday evening, calling for an end to the siege on Gaza.”
• WUFT News: UFORA residents finally get green light to move into apartments promised in August. “It’s been two weeks since the long-awaited move-in day at UFORA, and resident Jordan Floyd said there are still concerns post move-in day.”
• Mainstreet Daily News: Shots fired near Lake Butler Elementary leads to “shelter in place” action. “It was determined that a nearby property owner off State Road 121 fired two shots just west of the school to scare off birds that were attempting to eat his crops. The property owner was contacted and warned of his actions.”
• WUFT News: Driver leaves scene of three-car collision. “A three-car collision on Southwest 20th Avenue and Southwest 43rd Street resulted in a driver being rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon.”
• Mainstreet Daily News: Cammack joins unanimous GOP speaker vote. “Area Republican lawmakers joined a unanimous GOP vote Wednesday to elect a new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after several failed candidates left Congress at a standstill for the last three weeks.”
• WCJB: High-rise apartment fire in Gainesville forces residents to evacuate. “Residents were forced to evacuate high-rise apartments near Downtown Gainesville after the building caught fire on Wednesday afternoon.”
• Gainesville Sun ($): Lawmaker calls for resignation of Gainesville mayor, GRU general manager. “Florida Rep. Chuck Clemons is calling for Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and Gainesville Regional Utilities General Manager Tony Cunningham to resign from office for their handling of bond issuance that is expected to cost taxpayers millions more than originally planned.”
• News Service of Florida: Fight over Florida drag show law goes to U.S. Supreme Court. “The partial stay, if granted, would allow the law to be enforced against all venues except Hamburger Mary’s while an underlying appeal of Presnell’s ruling plays out.”
• WLRN-Miami: CDC: More health workers face burnout, harassment. “In the CDC’s Vital Signs report, the agency suggests more than double the number of health workers reported harassment at work in 2022 than in 2018, including threats, bullying and verbal abuse from patients and co-workers.”
• WFTS-Tampa Bay: New Senate bill to repeal FL’s ‘free kill’ law gets mixed reviews from families. “The law prohibits any family member from suing if an unmarried parent or adult child dies as a result of medical negligence in Florida.”
Read Related Also: Fall-like temperatures to arrive in Central Florida behind cold front
• NPR: Feeling the pinch of high home insurance rates? It’s not getting better anytime soon. “In many places, including California, Colorado and Louisiana there’s been a steep rise in the cost of homeowners’ insurance. But it’s particularly staggering in Florida, a state that already has the highest insurance costs in the nation.”
• WUSF-Tampa: Florida prison reform could help people adjust to life after incarceration, reports say. “The Florida Policy Project released two reports outlining ways for state lawmakers to improve the criminal justice system. They include recommendations to help people re-enter society after prison and reduce recidivism rates.”
• Associated Press: Amy Schumer’s memoir, ‘The Art of War’ and many other books are banned in Florida and other state prisons. “Amy Schumer’s memoir ‘The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo’ was flagged by Florida officials for graphic sexual content and for being ‘a threat to the security, order, or rehabilitative objectives of the correctional system or the safety of any person.’”
• WLRN-Miami: Can UM-led team create a ‘perfect’ reef? Why the U.S. military is banking on it. “For the past 14 months, the Department of Defense has been working with three international teams of scientists, including from the University of Miami, to build a hybrid reef made of concrete and coral.”
• Associated Press: Beer belly wrestling, ‘evading arrest’ obstacle course on tap for inaugural Florida Man Games. “It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as ‘Florida Man.’”
• National: Manhunt continues for ‘person of interest’ in deadly Maine shootings
• Education: Scholastic backtracks, saying it will stop separating diverse books for fairs in 2024
• Politics: Trump takes the stand and is fined $10,000 for violating a gag order in fraud case
• World: Japan’s Supreme Court hands down a landmark transgender rights decision
• Sports: NHL lifts ban on rainbow-colored Pride Tape, after a player defied it
• Science: How many friends do Americans have? A survey crunched the numbers
• Animals: Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever, dies at 31
