Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
• Gainesville Sun ($): University of Florida cleared by accreditation agency over concerns for academic freedom. “University of Florida administrators successfully dispelled concerns from an accreditation agency that undue political influence is exerted over academic freedom, a charge raised last fall when three professors were denied permission to serve as paid experts in a lawsuit against the state.”
• WCJB: Gainesville City Commission strikes down affordable internet proposal. “The money for the expansion would have come from federal funds. If this proposal were passed it would have given at least 5000 people an affordable internet option.”
• Fresh Take Florida: Gators quarterback Richardson says he gave up free sports car, apologizes in new court-ordered essay for speeding 105 mph. “Alachua County Court Judge Meshon Rawls assigned the essay to Richardson during a court hearing last week, responding to a request by the quarterback’s lawyer to avoid assessing points against the player’s driver’s license.”
• WUFT News: City of Gainesville buys 400 paintings to honor one of its most beloved local painters. “Alyne Harris, 79, a painter from Gainesville, has been painting since a young age. She draws inspiration from nature and other favorite subjects such as angels, church scenes, and people in her community. Some of her art is inspired by African American traditions. Her painting routine occurs mostly at night after completing her work earlier in the day. And now, after decades of creating art, the city of Gainesville will honor her work.”
• NPR News: Florida isn’t ordering doses of the COVID vaccine for children under the age of 5. “Florida state officials won’t order doses of the COVID vaccine for children under five years old. It’s the only state that hasn’t pre-ordered the new vaccines, which they did for prior versions.”
• Miami Herald ($): The 2026 World Cup is coming to Miami! Here’s everything you need to know. “FIFA, the world soccer governing body, announced on Thursday the long-awaited list of cities and venues that will host the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As expected, Miami and Hard Rock Stadium made the cut. Miami was one of 11 U.S. cities to make the list along with Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York/New Jersey.”
• News Service of Florida: A federal judge has blocked a Florida law that limits contributions for ballot initiatives. “U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor issued an 18-page ruling Wednesday that included a permanent injunction against the $3,000 contribution limit, which passed in 2021 and was revised this year. The limit was part of long-running efforts by Republican leaders to make it harder to pass ballot initiatives to amend the state Constitution.”
• News4Jax: Can Corrine Brown run for Congress again? Attorneys explain how she qualifies. “Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown, who was convicted of a federal tax charge in a charity fraud case, has announced that she wants to return to the U.S. House. Brown filed papers Thursday to run in Florida’s 10th District, which is an open seat because incumbent Democrat Val Demings is running against Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.”
• WMFE: Orlando loses a first lady: Karen Caudill Dyer passes away from brain cancer. “Caudill Dyer was married to the mayor for nearly three decades and served as first lady of Orlando for fourteen of those years. The pair divorced amicably in 2017.”
• Associated Press: Disney delays moving a campus from California to Orlando, but not because of tensions. “Despite being targeted in recent months by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, Disney officials said Thursday that the delay had nothing to do with tensions with state officials.”
• USA Today Network ($): Gun lobbyist Marion Hammer retiring after four decades working Florida lawmakers. “National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, a fixture at the Florida Capitol for the past 44 years where she ceaselessly promoted gun rights even against a backdrop of mass shootings, said Thursday that she is retiring. Hammer, age 83, said the timing of her stepping down is unrelated to the series of slaughters that has prompted Congress to advance a bipartisan deal aimed at blunting gun violence.”
• NPR News: Some lawmakers hope to crack down on drag shows watched by children. “The LGBTQ+ community has long celebrated self-expression with drag shows featuring performers in costumes and makeup, impersonating men or women. Witness the popularity of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race. But Republican legislators in Florida, Arizona, Texas and other states are trying to crack down, with proposals to ban minors from drag shows.”
• City & State Florida: Can’t get there from here: Florida’s Coast-to-Coast Trail is still missing a middle. “Seven years ago, the Florida Legislature had a plan: Build a 250-mile hiking and biking path that connects the state’s coasts, from Titusville in the east to St. Petersburg in the west.”
• National: Pence prevented a fall into chaos, and 3 other takeaways from Jan. 6 hearing
• National: The Justice Department wants to see the Jan. 6 committee’s transcripts
• National: Abbott’s baby formula plant closes again after severe storms and flooding
• National: Days of intense heat have killed thousands of cattle in Kansas
• World: Ukraine finds itself outnumbered as Russia advances in the Donbas
• Health: Omicron poses about half the risk of long COVID as delta, new research finds
• Health: Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts
About today’s curator
I’m Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I’ve found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today’s edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.
