Homeless students receive college scholarships from other Duval teens, and UF Health supporters are breathing a sigh of relief over the apparent restoration of funding for the hospital. Meanwhile, nearby forest fires affect air quality on the First Coast, and some Florida counties have lost a court fight to gain more revenue from online hotel-booking websites.
Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country.
Here are 7 stories you might have missed.
Duval Teens Raise $37,000 To Help Homeless Students Go To College
The money comes from a program called H.E.L.P.S., which kids formed to help homeless peers. The program is part of the I’m A Star Foundation, a problem-solving group for kids ages 11-18. This year H.E.L.P.S raised $37,000; $10,000 went toward scholarships, and the rest was donated to the county’s homeless-education department.
UF Health Jax To Break Even Under Legislative Budget Agreement
UF Health Jacksonville hospital stands to receive nearly identical state funding as last year under a budget agreement in the Florida Legislature Friday. The agreement uses state and federal funding to offset reductions previously made to the low-income pool program.
Internet-Famous Rescue Dog Featured At Amelia Island Rendezvous Film Festival
The Rendezvous Film Festival this weekend in Amelia Island featured a short, animated film about a disabled dog named Omid. During an appearance on WJCT's “First Coast Connect,” Omid’s owner Banafshé Alipour talked about his journey and how he came to appear in a film for the festival.
Jacksonville Issues Air Quality Advisory Because Of Nearby Forest Fires
The city of Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division issued an air-quality advisory, as particulate matter clogged the air Friday. Smoke from forest fires in southeast Duval County is contributing to elevated particulate matter concentrations.
Florida Counties Lose Tourism-Tax Battle Over Online Travel
The dispute has centered on whether the companies have to pay tourist-development taxes on the full amounts they charge when customers book hotel rooms.
Brazilians Take A Swing At Mosquitoes With The Zap Racket
The Zapping Racket is an electrified tennis racket that kills mosquitoes. Though common in other parts of the world, in Brazil the racket is ubiquitous: street sellers hawk them, they are sold in stores and every house has one.
In Massachusetts Lab, Scientists Grow An Artificial Rat Limb
A team of scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston made news earlier this month when they published research in the journal Biomaterials describing how they'd created the world's first bioartificial limb in the laboratory. Or, in other words: scientists have now grown the entire forelimb of a rat in a lab.
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