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• WUFT News: Gainesville City Commissioners and Advisors Work to Increase Racial Justice in a Major Plan Update. “The Gainesville City Commission is trying to incorporate racial justice considerations into urban planning rules in ways it has never done before. These rules are being revised by Imagine GNV, which describes the city as “updating the … comprehensive plan that focuses on racial justice and the experiences and priorities of black Gainesvillians and other historically marginalized communities”. The city has hired New York-based consultants HR & A Advisors, Inc. to complete the update. “
• WUFT News: Vigil in honor of the life of UF International Graduate Student, calling for accountability for his death. “UF’s Graduate Assistants United held a vigil Thursday evening to honor 30-year-old Chen’s life and claim responsibility for his death. It has been more than a year and a half since Chen died, leaving notes accusing his advisor of ill-treatment and academic misconduct. … A university investigation into his death has dragged on since July 2019, and little information about the results has yet been published. The university left Chen’s advisor, engineering professor Tao Li, last month. “
• WUFT News: Faith guide on navigating your community through a pandemic. “The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing stay-at-home orders forced places of worship to quickly determine the best course of action and adapt.”
• Gainesville Sun ($): Deadline for Paycheck Protection Program loans that have been extended to May. “With President Joe Biden’s approval, the deadline for applying for COVID-19 relief through the Paycheck Protection Program loan program has been officially extended to May 31st. SBA data shows that more than 2,700 Gainesville companies received loans of up to $ 150,000 as of August 8, the latest date for which data is available. “
• WCJB: The Columbia County Commission denied motion to resign Lake City, Olustee Confederate Monument remains. “After a long and tense debate, the Columbia County Commissioners voted 4-1 to reject Lake City’s request for a receipt from Olustee Park. That means the county controls the fate of the Confederate Monument. “
• The Alligator: Santa Fe College celebrates the opening of the LGBTQ Resource Center. “A 21-year sophomore Sociologist from Santa Fe College launched a petition last February to open an LGBTQ resource center. Eder noted the need for an accepting circle of people connected by their similarities. Santa Fe College’s LGBTQ + Student Resource Center officially opened on Monday afternoon to address these issues. “
• Mainstreet Daily News: Homeowners in the area are expected to see property values spike. “The scenarios Alachua County’s assistant manager Tommy Crosby and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) discussed Tuesday are anecdotal, but Alachua County homeowners should be prepared for a potential property tax hike. Cornell, who has been in local real estate for 20 years, said he was “very afraid of what COVID would do to commercial property,” but he saw record growth in residential property sales that is driving property values and bringing in multiple bids for Houses as soon as they hit the market. “
• Florida politics: House stands for seatless ellipticals. “Rep. Brett Hage steps on the pedals. During the committee process, Hage said that people in The Villages and other parts of Florida ride the stationary bikes. According to Hage, residents of Villages have received tickets to ride an elliptical trainer. “
We focus our legal attention on the following areas of activity:
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Visit lawyergainesville.com or call 352-373-3334 today to find out more.
• Associated Press: Supreme Court Awards Georgia Victory in Florida Water War. “The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Florida’s water lawsuit against Georgia on Thursday, ending the longstanding legal battle between the two states. The court rejected Florida’s claims that Georgia is consuming too much water flowing from the suburbs of Atlanta to the Gulf of Mexico. Florida said its neighbor’s overconsumption is responsible for the decimation of Florida’s oyster industry. “
• WMFE: DeSantis expects Florida to receive more than 300,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines next week even with factory delays. “DeSantis says that any shortage of Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the state will be made up by an excess of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.”
• WFSU: Fried becomes the first Florida cabinet member to be vaccinated. “Fried received her first of two Moderna recordings. It took less than five minutes, and Fried was eligible based on Governor Ron DeSantis’s decision to open vaccines to adults 40 and older. “
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune ($): Access to Specialty Vaccines in Florida: Yachts, Clubhouses, and Political Attraction. “When Florida opened the door to seniors to get COVID-19 vaccines, hundreds were camped out overnight, some bundled up in garden chairs in the January cold for a shot. Thousands more waited on digital lines for their numbers to show up in county-run vaccine pools. However, for some lucky Floridians, getting a vaccine was as easy as hopping in their golf cart and rolling to the clubhouse. “
• New York Times ($): Justice Department investigation into Matt Gaetz reportedly focused on money paid to women. “One of the women who had sex with both men also volunteered to have sex with an unidentified member of Republican politics in Florida, according to a person familiar with the arrangement. Mr. Greenberg first contacted her online and introduced her to Mr. Gaetz, the person said. Mr. Gaetz denied ever having paid a woman to have sex. “
• Sun Sentinel ($): Former Boca Mayor Susan Haynie pleads guilty to abuse of office. Former Boca Raton mayor Susan Haynie pleaded guilty Thursday to charges on a public corruption case that halted her political career. The plea provides for a twelve-month trial period for two first-degree offenses: abuse of public office and non-disclosure of a voting conflict. Prosecutors have dropped three official malpractice counts and two other offenses they have faced. “
• TCPalm ($): Unified Sports Track meets pairs of students with Special Olympics athletes. “Unified Track Meet gives Special Olympic athletes the opportunity to compete against their classmates at the Citrus Bowl in Vero Beach on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.”
• CBS Miami: Florida Highway Patrol Troopers help deliver baby during traffic obstruction. “A routine traffic disruption was anything but for a pair of Florida Highway Patrol soldiers earlier this week. On Tuesday, just after 2 a.m., Soldiers Michael Allen and Pete Christie saw an SUV speeding on a highway in Seminole County and drove by. The driver immediately waved his hands out the front window and asked them to approach. The driver told them his wife was going to have a baby. “
• ABC Action News: Artists and educators create coloring books to promote and protect Florida’s wildlife. “A Tampa Bay area woman with a talent for drawing, a love for the outdoors, and a passion for education decided to combine all three. What she came up with was her own coloring book for children, “Color Your Way Through Wild Florida”. From alligators to snakes to birds, if it’s found in Florida, there’s a good chance it can be found in Kelly Quinn’s book too. “
• National: Chauvin’s ex-boss says the reluctance should have ended much sooner
• Health: FDA approves two rapid home coronavirus tests
• Politics: Biden Administration is considering overhaul of the asylum system on the southern border
• Politics: In The Numbers: Biden’s $ 2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
• Business: Freight overboard, intensive taxiing: the risks of fully loaded mega-container ships
• World: Thailand does not intend to accept more refugees from Myanmar
• World: OPEC + gradually increases oil production ahead of the expected summer increase
About the current curator
I’m Elise Elder, and I’m a digital content producer and reporter at WUFT News. My passion for the environment inspired me to share stories from Florida. I’m part of a team that searches every morning for local and state stories that are important to you. Please send feedback on today’s issue or ideas for stories we may have missed to eliseelder@ufl.edu.
