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  • State Health officials reported 3.406 new COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths Monday. Nearly 6.4 million people in Florida have been vaccinated including nearly 2.7 million who have received a first dose and nearly 3.7 million who have completed the series.As of Monday, all adults 18 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Sixteen and 17-year-olds also became eligible for the vaccine, Monday, but teenagers are restricted to the Pfizer version of the vaccine and must have parental consent.Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order, Friday, banning businesses from using vaccine passports to require people to prove they’ve been vaccinated in order to receive services.The Florida Legislature is taking up budget proposals this week and how to use Florida’s share of federal funds stemming from the American Rescue Plan remains a point of contention in budget negotiations.Lawmakers in the state House and Senate are considering several pieces of legislation to limit local-government emergency orders, create a personal-protective equipment stockpile and establish an Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund for use by the governor.Sarasota city commissioners are taking steps to reinstate a mandatory mask ordinance amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hurricane Helene dropped an unheard-of 40 trillion gallons of water, creating a water quality and quantity crisis on the ground in inland states affected by the Category 4 storm that made landfall in Florida. Part One of WGCU's Water Quality Report: Hurricane Helene Special Edtion
  • Amid major economic development and an immigration influx, a trip to Charlotte, N.C., reveals trends within the Republican Party that are taking place across cities facing similar issues.
  • Sarasota’s effort to directly develop affordable housing downtown — an unprecedented, city-led plan championed by former City Manager Marlon Brown — faltered after the city spent more than $7 million on land without a finalized construction budget or financing strategy and as anticipated state and philanthropic funding did not come through. It has now reemerged with an unsolicited, scaled-back proposal from a local developer whose low cost estimates and lack of high-rise experience have prompted questions from housing and real estate experts about feasibility, due diligence and next steps.
  • Carfentanil, a potent variation on fentanyl, is being blamed for a wave of opioid overdoses. In Cincinnati, the coroner, crime lab and first responders are struggling to keep up.
  • At least a quarter of people in West Virginia struggle to afford groceries. In one county, two farmers are finding new ways to help their neighbors sell the food they grow and eat more healthfully.
  • Republicans running to replace Attorney General Pam Bondi disagree with her legal stand against a 19-year-old Alachua County woman who wants to remain...
  • Humboldt County is famous for towering redwoods — and pot. Every fall, young people descend on its small towns. They're seeking work as trimmers, who manicure marijuana buds to prepare them for sale.
  • With vote certifications this week in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada, pressure will only build on the Republican dam of support for Trump's efforts to overturn the election results.
  • In 1957, residents of the southwestern town Protection set an example by being the first in the U.S. to be fully inoculated against polio. Now locals are divided on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
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