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Capital Report: December 20, 2024

Brevard Republican State Senator Randy Fine is running for Congress and that means he’ll leave the Florida legislature in the middle of this year’s legislative session. But Tristan Wood reports that’s not keeping Fine from filing controversial bills capturing the news cycle.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet have approved a huge tranche of land acquisitions and conservation easements -- including a new state park. Margie Menzel has more.

The U.S. Immigration Court system has a backlog of more than 3 million pending cases. On average, immigration judges have about 45-hundred cases on their dockets but are only able to hear 15 to 20 cases a week. This bottleneck leads to significant delays in cases that can take years to resolve.

WGCU’s Mike Kiniry talked with retired judge Denise Slavin , who served in South Florida’s immigration court system for 24 years, about one reason why the system is so bogged down...

Florida’s new social media law limiting access for kids goes into effect next month. At the same time, Tik Tok could go on the chopping block for what federal officials say are national security concerns. Adrian Andrews spoke with a mental health expert about the pros and cons of social media and what life could look like without the apps.

The holiday season can be difficult for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Furry friends can help people heal as WLRN’s Carlton Gillespie tells us.

A growing number of people are identifying as religiously unaffiliated.

The PEW research center says they make up more than 25% of the U.S. population. And this religious shift has ripple effects, WGCU’s Elizabeth Andarge reports.

The new film “Wicked” is already one of the country’s highest grossing movies this year, and it’s also an international hit. The movie musical was adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. Lauren Haughton Gillis thinks the success of the film could boost applications to music theatre programs -- like the one she directs at Florida State University.

Gillis appeared on Broadway and in a national tour of “Wicked” as a “swing” – a performer who fills in for ensemble cast members. She spoke with Gina Jordan.